Red Chair NWPA - Deschutes Brewery

mjryan

Minnesota

2.3/5  rDev -44.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

I remember really liking this beer. A lot. What happened? Looks great in the glass. Aroma disappoints. Butter and citrus zest. I dig the citrus, not the butter. Flavour is again buttery. Very full, viscous mouthfeel. Diacetyl run amok. Bummer. I really liked this beer in the past, but the flabby butter character is a big let down. Oh well.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2012 05:49:13 | More by mjryan

Anaz

California

2.7/5  rDev -34.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

I picked some of this up on the advice of a friend, and things started off ok. It looks great, nice coppery color, fluffy white head. It smells pretty good, too. Floral, herbaceous hops, notes of pine, fresh rolls, and caramel.

The taste is where it started to go wrong for me. It's too sweet, and the strong herbal character of the hops don't really balance it, but make it taste like someone dropped a crazy sweet herbal cough drop in my beer. It gets cloy8ing very fast. I one Miller Lite cold, and it helped, reducing my perception of it's sweetness, but it's not really enjoying the beer to drink it that cold.

I normally find Deschutes beers to be well made, but this one really was hard to appreciate, and was really only drinkable straight from the bottle. I won't be buying it again, and I'll keep the last few in the fridge for guests who really aren't into what I usually have on hand.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2011 04:54:20 | More by Anaz

mfnmbvp

Illinois

2.85/5  rDev -31%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12 oz. bottle, with a best by date of 04/18/2013. Uncapped and poured to a Firestone Walker pint glass.

A - Pours a somewhat murky burnt orange color with virtually no head to speak of, just a soft white foam on the surface. Lots of bubbles rushing to the surface. Nice ring of lacing left on the glass.

S - Very fruity type of hop aroma is what initially comes to mind. Almost reminds me of an artificial strawberry / peach soda type smell. Slightly piney and grassy, but faint. Bready malts really only become apparent to me as the beer begins to warm.

T - Interesting blend of malts up front, with underlying fruity hoppiness. Nicely bodied, but poorly balanced in my opinion. Far too bready and fruity. Apricot and peach flavors present. I commend it on it's tame taste as opposed to those APA's that are basically just hop bombs, but I would have enjoyed some more bitterness here for sure. Sweet in the finish.

M - Feel is dry and slightly resinous and viscous, invoking another sip.

Overall, this is nothing to write home about. It is by no means a bad beer, I would just prefer something with more of a punchline to it in the end. This beer is definitely falling short somewhere, and in desperate need of a kick. Nice light body, nice carbonation, and nice 6.20% abv, but that's about all this beer has going for it. Not something I would try again, but this was my first beer by Deschutes Brewing, so I'd be interested in trying one of their other beers.

Deschutes Red Chair NWPA ---3/5.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2013 22:24:15 | More by mfnmbvp

beertunes

Washington

3/5  rDev -27.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Upfront let me say that I like this beer better than the numbers show. I don't think it's a Pale Ale, it's more like an IPA Light. So compared to regular Pales, it doesn't show well.

Served in straight pint glass. Poured an attractive orange-amber color with just under an inch of light tan head with decent retention and lacing.

The aroma was hop forward, more than most pales, with the hint of malt in the nose way in the background. The taste was a bit more balanced, the malt was more forward, but still hop dominant.

The body was crisp and clean, with a nice hop bite at the back. Drinkability was very good, I could easily see myself drinking several of these in a day.

Overall, a very nice beer that would be better served being named differently, style-wise.

Serving type: on-tap

06-09-2010 22:41:39 | More by beertunes

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

3.1/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3

12oz bottle poured into a shaped pint glass.

Appearance
Amber with 2-3 fingers of off-white head. Excellent clarity with very low carbonation. Good head retention.

Nose
Grapefruit, lemon, honey and candy sugar.

Taste
Honey and caramel covered grains. Bready malts. Notes of grapefruit juice and lemon. Hints of pineapple and honeydew melon.

Mouthfeel
Medium bodied, smooth and subtly crisp.

Overall
Very malt forward Pale Ale. Even with the use of American hops this tastes like an English Pale Ale. Meh...why does this have such good ratings?

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 23:34:27 | More by justintcoons

nickhiller

Texas

3.13/5  rDev -24.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: hazy rust, thin head fizzles to nothing, not really any lacing.

S: HOPS! Earthy, grassy, fresh doughy yeast, almost exactly like fermented pizza dough; a little bathroom cleaner.

T: it tastes like a homebrew. It's super bitter, super hoppy, but has some sour off flavor that I can't quite place other than that I'm reminded of my more unsuccessful homebrews. The finish leaves a strong taste of brie (not something I typically like to attribute to beer).

M: carbonation can't hold and it quickly goes flat, body is light to medium body,

D: really kind of bad. The dough and the cheese were straight up gross. Come on Deschutes, I expect better of you.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2011 04:22:10 | More by nickhiller

Moose90

Colorado

3.2/5  rDev -22.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Best By – 05/08/13
Tasted – 03/06/13

A – Pours a dark copper and orange with a moderate off white head that thins and leaves nice lacing.

S – Sweet and malty. Hops are hidden underneath it all. There are sweet caramel malts on the front and some light hoppiness to it.

T – Sweet here again. Some old dried fruits, raisins. A nuttiness develops and the hops again are quite subdued.

M – Crisp and light.

O – Something off-putting with this beer. Malt profile is odd and dominates whatever hops are there.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 03:49:34 | More by Moose90

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.23/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Another xpa from Deschutes.

Pours an amber copper color with a finger of beige head. Decent retention with some lacing.

Aroma: Fairly hoppy for an apa. Pine and grassy flavors. It does have some biscuit malts and a bit of caramel malts as well. Not bad.

Taste: A little more sweet than the nose would suggest. The malts show here more, but it is still fairly hoppy. Floral and pine with some fruit citrus.

Mouthfeel: Creamy and bitter. Medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation. Ends a bit dry.

Overall, another xpa that I thought was a bit too malty. This one wasn't as bad because it was an apa and I expected a little more malt and not as much hops, but it brought a decent amount of hops to the table.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2011 16:10:16 | More by mothman

Treebs

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz. bottle served in a Stone imperial pint glass. Best by 3/27/12. Big thanks to mfavoino for the extra.

A: Pours a solid amber color with a one finger pure white head that recedes to a nice thick collar and thin film. Splotchy lace is left down the glass.

S: Very balanced nose. Solid caramel and bready malts with solid citrus hops and some minimal pine.

T: The taste loses some of the hoppiness that I found in the nose. The taste comprised bready and pale malts with a honey like sweetness. Sticky resiny hops are that backend, but it's not nearly as balanced as the nose.

M: This is sticky and medium bodied with a lower than expected carb. It drinks like a malts DIPA. Not the refreshing crispness I want from a APA.

O: The nose gave me a lot of hope, but the mouthfeel and taste really didn't do it for me. Just a touch too malty and thick for me. I guess I'm spoiled with the likes of Zombie Dust.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2012 02:16:12 | More by Treebs

kbutler1

Minnesota

3.3/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle. Poured into a Dogfish head tulip glass a copper color with a fluffy slightly off white head that slowly recedes. The aroma is fairly pungent with notes of citrus, apricot, mixed with a fairly rich malt backbone. Nice lace left from me swirling this around. Medium/light mouthfeel. Hmm, the taste is really not as good as the nose with a hoppy citrus start that then transitions to a a slightly soapy taste and then a burnt toast type flavor. The beginning I like but it then falls apart a little for me.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2011 01:45:27 | More by kbutler1

sommersb

Tennessee

3.3/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks to nickd717 for this one
12oz brown bottle with best by date of 04-28-11
Served in a tulip pint

Clear copper beer with lots of bubbles present. Big 4 fingers of off-white, creamy head with good retention. Nice amount of lacing as well.

Hop aromas are clearly dominant, with citrusy grapefruit as well as pine tree smells. The bready malts are there too, but hard to pick up.

Taste is primarily of the citrusy hop bitterness with a flavor of grapefruits. The bitter subsides a bit as the beer warms up.

Feel is a medium body with a moderate amount of carbonation. Finishes dry and bitter.

Overall an OK beer, but I would have liked to see some more balance from the malts to offset the bitter notes. Their website indicates this falls somewhere between a pale ale and an IPA. I think its closer to being an IPA than a traditional pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2011 04:53:18 | More by sommersb

bperry65

Ohio

3.31/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

There is definitely a very strong malt presence for an APA. There is a slightly bitter, bready taste, but I think this beer could be more well balanced. Overall, I'm slightly disappointed because there was a decent amount of hype when Deschutes started distributing to Illinois, but I think Black Butte it their only beer that has lived up to the hype. Red Chair is a decent APA has some unique characteristics, but I would not choose it over other APAs at a similar price point such as Dale's Pale Ale.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 21:12:34 | More by bperry65

PatrickSwayze

California

3.35/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Pours a nice light brown tangerine in the center with shades of straw at the edges

S: All i get is lingering caramel and bread

T: The most distinct component in this beer seems to be pine like hops with a dough/caramel foundation.

M: Chewy but yields a moderately dry finish

O: Its a pretty one dimensional pale ale in my opinion. Enjoyable yes, but far from mind blowing. I do prefer my pale ales though to have a more bread, toast character.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 00:32:53 | More by PatrickSwayze

gpogo

California

3.4/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

A- Light orange amber body with a white foam cap head.

A- Sweet hop aroma. Caramel and light biscuit.

T- Sweet caramel malt flavor with a consistent bitter flavor slightly amplified in the finish. Leaves a light bitter phenolic aftertaste.

M- Medium body, medium light carbonation.

D- A very enjoyable beer and quite sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2013 03:04:32 | More by gpogo

GuzzLah

Illinois

3.41/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

A - pours orange with a short head. Bubbly.

S - mild citrus and floral hops. Yeast and seven kinds of soft malt.

T - prominent citrus, malty for a PA, tangy with a malty sweetness. Borderline too sweet.

M - medium body and lively carbonation. Low-Medium bitterness.

O - malty PA with a citrus flavor and a weak, but nice aroma. More hops, please.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2013 00:25:37 | More by GuzzLah

ebrauser

Utah

3.43/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass from the first annual SLC beer festival.

Appearance: Pours a reddish-copper color with thick, three finger head that quickly dissipates. The head left big lacing on the walls.

Aroma: Piney hop resins and a small bready sweetness. Very grassy.

Flavor: Plentiful hops in this one. NW hop character is dominant from the beginning, all but overpowering the faint malt backbone. Bitterness builds to an exciting crescendo at the crisp finish. They do their duty when they say they're making a NWPA, but I think a little more malt would do wonders for the beer.

Mouthfeel: A little overcarbonated but still highly drinkable, though it may be too bitter to handle for some people.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2011 04:34:12 | More by ebrauser

jera1350

Minnesota

3.45/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Copper colored with a one finger head that is off-white and leaves some nice lacing.

Smells generously hopped with a sweet malt presence. Nice citrusy hop presence.

Not digging the taste a whole lot. Pretty big hop bitterness with a large earthy, ashy and musty taste as well. A little malt sweetness, but still can't get past the tobacco ash taste that lingers.

Smooth and medium bodied with a dry hop finish.

The taste just doesn't work in the overall beer for me. This one is not for me and I don't think I'll have it again. Does have some nice qualities. Different strokes for different folks though.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2011 22:07:35 | More by jera1350

DarthKostrizer

California

3.45/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Nothing special about this beer.

Look Copper color with very little head but does have a bit of lacing as you drink

Smell Light hops with the typical piney floral citrus notes

Taste Pretty much tasted like it smelled light hop flavors up front that faded away pretty quickly

Mouthfeel Medium body lightly carbonated and a bit dry kinda like a brut

Overall a decent pale ale at best it had nice hop and citrus flavors and scents. I would drink this beer again only if someone gave it to me

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2011 04:17:40 | More by DarthKostrizer

budgood1

Minnesota

3.53/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

pours out a hazed, orange hued,copper colour with a thinnish, tannish head. a little lace for good measure. it has a sweet brown sugar and candy maltiness in the nose, with a fruity character that seems to be also from the malt and yeast. subdued hop aroma...a touch citric but definitely restrained. layered maltiness on the tongue...chewy...the fruitiness again comes through at times with a dash of oranges, tangerines and grapefruit in the hop profile. only slightly bitter in the finish...and for such a seemingly sweet beer it's sort of dry, too. above average body with a relatively smooth mouthfeel..it is kind of coarse at times but certainly doesn't detract in any way. pretty drinkable...tasty enough without a full frontal assault of NW hop bombs.

overall...i'm a bit perplexed at the fence riding aspect that this beer presents. it purposely blurs the line between pale ale and IPA, which presents problems of perception. it's malt-centric for sure, but in my opinion could use more hop character. but then it would be an IPA. oh well. it's enjoyable and worth recommendation to try.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2011 23:03:44 | More by budgood1

Blargimus

Colorado

3.53/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

12 oz, best by 3/24/2012, poured into pint glass.

Pours a slightly hazy brownish amber color, with a finger or two of white head. Head recedes quite quickly. A bit of carbonation visible in the bubbles. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Smells sweet and hoppy. Wonderful malt aroma, but not particularly strong.

Taste is a bit more hoppy than the smell, but still fairly sweet. Less malty than the smell would indicate. Somewhat of a more bitter aftertaste than I'd like, but still quite tasty.

Average body for the style. Slightly creamy, and carbonation is good.

This is a good beer, but not spectacular. I remember enjoying this a lot more when I was just drinking it, rather than sitting down and actually putting words and numbers to the brew. For that, it gets an extra half-point in the overall rating.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 23:47:05 | More by Blargimus

TheLostGringo

Connecticut

3.53/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle poured into a small snifter. Best by 03/28/13 printed on the bottle.

A: Golden orange color, with a couple inches of off-white head, leaves nice lacing as I consume.

S: Exactly like grapefruit.

T: Not sure what to make of this. Malty sweetness with some hoppiness. There is something a little funky about this beer, one sip I really like it and the next I am not quite sure.

M: The sweetness gives it a sticky slightly cloying feel.

O: Not bad, wouldn't go out of my way to have it again but not bad.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 03:01:44 | More by TheLostGringo

Rayek

Colorado

3.55/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into an over sized wine glass.

A: Bright amber with mild carbonation. A fluffy eggshell head has nice retention and leaves good lacing.

S: Mostly grapefruit with a bit of red grapes thrown into the mix. A little caramel sweetness rounds things out.

T: Despite the hop dominated nose, the bitterness is actually rather mild. It's made up of grapefruit, plus a little lemon. Malts are there with a caramel sweetness. Finishes with a lingering grapefruit bite.

M: The medium body has very soft carbonation.

D: This beer was too one dimensional for my tastes. It's an easy drinker, but the grapefruit flavors and aromas make up too much of the picture for my tastes.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2010 04:17:26 | More by Rayek

pants678

California

3.55/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours clear, it's orange with a frothy white head that maintains well.

Moderate hops on the nose, some fruit but still very earthy.

A little bit of an IPA bite to it, malty with a touch of caramel juxtaposed by citrus. It's got the bread-feel and grapefruit that really cuts things off. More definition than Mirror Pond, up there with some of the better APAs.

Strong carbonation, not a knock as I could have well done 2 or 3 of these.

Serving type: on-tap

03-27-2011 16:20:59 | More by pants678

kojevergas

California

3.55/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Best by date 07/13/12. 6.2% ABV. 12 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into a conical Guinness pint glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are through the roof on account of both the brewery - from which I've yet to have a beer below a C - and the recommendation of a close friend (blakelive784), whose opinion I trust.

Served refrigerator cold and side-poured as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

Paired with pretzels.

A: Pours a two finger head of good cream, nice thickness, and great retention - though the ABV is merely above average. Colour is a transparent copper. No yeast particles are visible.

Sm: Citrusy and floral hops seem to be balanced, with hardly any bitterness in the aroma. Clean bright malts seem to be layered. Piney hops. Some cream. All around a very appealing hoppy aroma. Strong - not impactful, but I can detect it from a good foot away (even with me broken nose).

T: Very pleasantly hoppy - with pine and citrus dominant, but also some floral notes. No real bitterness at all. Grapefruit comes through quite a bit, but in a balanced manner. Some cream. Even a bit of spice, actually. Very fresh and refreshing. Pleasant. Wonderfully layered malt diversity comes through. Hints of cherry and even butterscotch (to a small extent). Apple pie filling. Complex for the style and nicely balanced. Subtle. A touch bitter in the back end, but it's not very noticeable.

Mf: Smooth and wet, supporting the body well. Perfectly carbonated. Perfect thickness. Some coarseness comes from the hops, which is a bit bothersome here. A slight oily hoppiness is detectable.

Dr: Very drinkable and enjoyable. Refreshing. Disguises its ABV well. Hides the hop bitterness behind the malt varietals quite nicely. I could drink this all night. A lovely Pale Ale - amongst the best I've had. Another success from Deschutes. Give her a spin, lads.

Pairs well with pretzels.

Drank fine out of me Guinness glass, but I don't know if pint glasses are ideal.

Well-priced.

Low B

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2012 06:14:33 | More by kojevergas

Gobzilla

California

3.58/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: poured a caramel brown into my tulip with a finger head with some good sticky lacing.

S: has more of malt character with subtle hop notes with very small bready boozy citrus notes on the back end.

T: sweet malt back bone that has a slight dry bitterness to it towards the end. I also get a little citrus fruit as I keep on sipping it.

M: meduim body with just enough carbonation to accomodate the flavor.

D: Overall a decent beer but I'd rather have the red chair IPA. To bad they retired it.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2010 06:01:11 | More by Gobzilla