Red Chair NWPA - Deschutes Brewery

nickd717

California

4.15/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Review transcribed from notes dated June 2009.

Bomber from BevMo.

Clear golden-amber appearance with a one-finger white head that lasts.

Very nice aroma of pale malt and piney C-hops.

Flavor is piney/citrusy C-hops balanced by semi-sweet pale malt with slight caramel.

Crisp and somewhat dry on the palate with medium body.

A very solid Northwest style pale ale overall, bordering on IPA territory. Highly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2010 18:11:51 | More by nickd717

Reagan1984

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Well, here is what it says on the Deschutes web site.

"As a debut Northwest Pale Ale, it's an adventure all its own. It has a plush body with satiny caramel flavors derived from seven varieties of malt. Yet, despite it all, it remains a hop-forward ale with that distinctive citrusy punch. Just minus any mouth-puckering bitterness."

This is NOT the Red Chair IPA.

Well, well, this beer is not in the BA database yet. This is available in Arizona now and the website says it's available from Jan-April. They use the word debut in the description, but I am not sure if this is referring to the style (Northwest Pale Ale) or that this is the debut version of this beer.

Since it's not listed, I am assuming this is a new listing.

Pours with a very tight and creamy white head that appears bright sitting atop the deep red/amber colored beer. Lots of burgundy/mahogany tomes to the color. The head slowly settled but puts up a good battle and lacing a thick in the glass.

Aroma is a nice mix of some fresh hops, some cracker, bread crust tones and some sweet malt.

Flavor is excellent. A nice mix of some fruity esters, sweet bread flavors and some decent layered malt. The hop character seemed to be a mix of light pine and some citrus notes with more focus on the citrus side of the spectrum. Balance is very nice here and clearly a goal of this beer. Mission accomplished.

Medium bodied, smooth with very subtle and tight carbonation. Not creamy, but the velvety mouth feel makes you consider the adjective.

Very drinkable and a nice addition to the Deschutes line-up (again, assuming this is it's first year)

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2010 11:38:44 | More by Reagan1984

flexabull

California

4.1/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Red Chair IPA is now Red Chair "Northwest Pale Ale"? Ok...

Pours a bright orange/reddish color with a decent head.

Light citrus aromas, kind of bready, sweet, and with some spices as well.

Taste is crisp and clean. Some caramel malt flavors, semi sweet, with a light brewed tea note. Finish has a hard candy like taste and a mild citrusy hop bite.

Mouthfeel is on the light side. But it is very smooth.

Drinkability is quite good. This one grew on me the more I sipped it. Nice sessionable ale.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2010 01:04:18 | More by flexabull

morimech

Minnesota

4.08/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Best by: 04/19/11

Clear copper color with two fingers of dense head that had excellant retention before settling to a thick cap. Heavy lacing is left on the glass.

Really big hoppy aroma. This is an APA? Loads of pine with hints of citrus and dank weed. Some bready malt somehow makes it through the hops.

Hoppy flavor but not as hoppy as I expected from the aroma. Citrus and pine hop flavor. All 60 IBUs can be detected. The malt does add some flavor and sweetness, but the hops take center stage. Finishes bitter with a little bit of cloying hoppiness.

Wonderful texture to this beer. Silky smooth and gentle on the palate. Body heft is on par for an APA.

I think I was expecting a hoppy red ale and got a borderline West Coast IPA. Just another wonderful beer from Deschutes.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2011 22:58:02 | More by morimech

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.65/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to ShortSnoutBrew for this beer.
Poured in to pint glass.

A - medium orange/amber colour with a small amount of white head.

S - Citrus and piney hops up front with a sweet caramel malt nose balancing it out.

T - Good balane of bitter and sweet. Piney hops and sweet caramel. A nice bitter finish.

M - Light to medium body; light carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2011 21:43:24 | More by TheSevenDuffs

BretSikkink

Mexico

4.1/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Surprised by the darker amber color. Good lacing here - this is a pretty white head. The nose is peppery with hops, and the malt is biscuity or crackerlike. Slightly sweet malt.

The flavor is well balanced, with some fruitiness, diacetyl, herbs, and malt. I get quite a little pepper from the hops, with caramel and pale malts that hint toward an English IPA. Good carbonation leaves it smooth and firm. Finishes minty and somewhat bitter, but it's really pleasant. Well done.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2010 04:36:28 | More by BretSikkink

sweemzander

Illinois

4/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz. bottle poured into a nonic.

(A)- Pours a hazy golden orange color. Some good white froth and lacing left behind.

(S)- Quite a fruity representation for the style. lots of grapefruit and pineapple with a nice underlying honey/caramel -like sweetness.

(T)- Similar to the smell with a nice fruit forward hop character. Plenty of amber to caramel malts behind that.

(M)- A good carbonation level and balance. Great fruit notes with minimal bitterness or pine needle in the hops area. Quite a sweeter representation as well.

(O)- Definitely a good beer. It might just be be, but this almost seems more like an American Amber than a pale, but either way, this is a solid beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 20:57:12 | More by sweemzander

allengarvin

Texas

4.15/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

First pint of night at the Deschutes pub down the street from Powell's (from notes--was there two nights ago). It's a bright amber color with a thin topping of foam. A lovely aroma wafts off it--piney, with a little floral spiciness. The taste provides a mix of pine-resin, distantly citrusy hops, backed by sufficient caramel malt. Bitterness is moderate, but hop flavor is very prominent. Finishes both dry and toasty. Excellent mouthfeel--carbonation is of course restrained, it being casked, but it has an excellent soft creamy texture. Very good.

Serving type: cask

07-31-2010 05:31:04 | More by allengarvin

Arbitrator

California

3.88/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Chilled bottle into a glass.

A: Pours a clear, reddish-amber with light beige head, about 1" in thickness. It collapses into a thick collar that lingers for a while, leaving big clumps of bubbles atop the beer.

S: Very resiny and bark-like; this beer captures the "NW" part of the name quite handily. It evokes impressions of standing in a pine-tree forest in the autumn. This quality dominates the aroma, leaving little room for the caramel malt and grapefruit hops to make a stand.

T: Pine forward, again, but in that bitter, tea-like way that I generally don't care for. Bitterness starts right from the beginning and pulls well into the finish for a lingering resiny aftertaste. Throughout, there is the impression of a strong base malt, but it doesn't impart much sweetness, just body. I occasionally get hints of grapefruit rind and some stone fruit, which are interesting, but generally obliterated by the bitterness, which is slightly distracting.

M: Medium-plus bodied for the style. It's flavorful for the ABV, but substantially more bitter than I care for. But as it warms to its optimal temperature, the bitterness is well-disguised.

D: I wasn't the biggest fan of this beer at first, but over the course of the six-pack (not in one sitting), I've been considerably more impressed. Good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2011 09:38:31 | More by Arbitrator

harrymel

Washington

3.98/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Been slamming this for years, surprised, like with Mirror Pond, I hadn't taken the time to voice my opinion.
Best by 03MAY12
Lovely amber with a couple fingers of tannish foam leaving webbed lace. Smells of pine, sweet grapefruit and more pine. A sincerely PNW aroma here. Flavor has a good bite up front with cameos from the hops in the substance of weed and, imagine, pine. The malts are nice and solid sans sweetness. Medium bodied with moderately hi carb and a semi dry finish. A really nice beer and particularly a fun treat to look forward to annually - we'd be spoiled to have this beer all the time.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 09:08:43 | More by harrymel

garymuchow

Minnesota

4.05/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Nothing beats a good solid APA. I'm hoping this fits in that category.
"Bravely Done" cap.
Definitely Northwest hops with citrus and flowery aroma in the "classic" style of pale ales from the area. Mild malt backing.
Darker than typical, but still clear with tannish head, active bubbles (in a sierra nevada glass). and lacing marking the spot.
A beefier malt character, I guess also reflected in the darker body, leaving me thinking this is closer to an amber ale. Nonetheless, there is ample hop flavors and bitterness. Drying from the grains and hops finishes the drink long and flavor fully. All blends pretty darn well.
Body solidly moderate with additional heft from the sufficient carbonation.
Good solid drinking beer. It had that sometimes noticeable quality of higher hopped beer in which the hops are good when the beer is colder and warmer, but not necessarily in between when they come across a little harsh. Regardless, a recommended beer for solid hop flavor with ample malt and good drink abilty.
Thanks Dave.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2011 19:02:01 | More by garymuchow

HuskyinPDX

Washington

4.22/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the Portland pub on 1.6.2012.

A - Served a nice medium orange with a tan head. The head lingers for a bit then fades to a small film and leaves rings of lacing on the glass.

S - Pine, grass, and floral like most Deschutes hoppy beers.

T - Taste is similar, floral, grass, orange, pine.

D - Good carbonation with a nice body.

O - Solid, but not amazing. Good hop presence, but not overly.

Serving type: on-tap

01-07-2012 02:48:22 | More by HuskyinPDX

scottfrie

California

4.1/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into DFH shaped pint glass.

A: Pours a clear burnt amber with three fingers of slightly off-white head that slowly faded into a thick film leaving thick sticky streaks of lacing down the glass.
S: Huge citrus hop notes. This is juicy smelling with hint of orange. I get just a splash of biscuit dough and caramel as well. Citrus all the way.
T: Follows the nose with clean flavors of citrus, caramel, pale malt, and orange hops. I get hints of mint in the finish, and the aftertaste has a clean hoppy earthy quality to it.
M: Medium body, even carbonation with an easy to drink mouthfeel that isn’t too dry but has a bit of chew to it.
O: An excellent pale ale. Not my absolute favorite but there is really nothing wrong with this beer. Drinks great.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 01:49:48 | More by scottfrie

armock

New York

4/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle from World Market in Tracy, CA

A - Poured a copper color with an off white head that leaves lacing behind

S - Is of citrus and piney hops with some caramel malt coming out

T - Just like it smells lots of citrus and pine hops upfront then a touch of caramel malt comes out but still finishes bitter

M - This beer has a medium body with medium carbonation to it

O - I love a good American Pale Ale and this one doesn't disappoint this is one of those beers that I can drink a number of in a night worth getting sometime to try

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2011 00:00:41 | More by armock

Redrover

Illinois

4/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this three of these while visiting Bar Genrika in Boise. The bartender recommended it and he was spot on.

Served a classic Imperial Pint glass for only $4.50 (!), the beer was red/amber with a sticky beige head.

It had an inviting aroma of lightly roasted malts and some pine.

The taste tracks the smell. Good interplay between the sweet caramel malts and the hops. There is also an earthy element that I really liked,

The beer went well with the great Basque food that they serve at this great little spot.

Serving type: on-tap

03-02-2012 21:52:28 | More by Redrover

cosmicevan

New York

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

big thanks to Rathakem for hitting this long time (yep, you read correctly...long time) want. enjoyed from a deschutes teku.

best by 4/17/2013

a - brew poured a stunning amber orange with a generous 2 fingers of frothy foamy head that hung out for pictures and then some. as it dissipated you could hardly see anything through the milkshake like lacing that gripped the glass.

s - nice hops mixed with great caramel. seems a bit malt forward, but definitely has my mouth watering.

t - hell yeah. this is what a pale ale should taste like. big and bold. lots of hops balanced out by even more malts. great sweet caramel pine cone flavor. has that definable deschutes flavor that i LOVE.

m - medium bodied. really nice.

o - overall great pale ale. with a best by date a month away, i'm sure i'm a few months post bottling on this one, but i love it. would love to try uber fresh, but right now hits the spot. great malt heavy pale ale with a nice hopping to tame the malts. great deschutes flavor profile. tastes like a stream in nature.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 04:12:36 | More by cosmicevan

bashiba

Iowa

4.36/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poured a perfectly clean amber with a thick and sticky white head.

The smell had a light crackery malt quality with a fresh pine hoppiness.

The flavor reminded me of a nice hybrid between real English IPA and West Coast. Not as hoppy as most West Coast and more English malt coming through. A nice English Dry Crackery and buscuity caramel keeps the malt bill flavorful without compromising the hops at all, mixing nicely with the piney and grapefruit classic West Coast Hop Bill. Very balanced and supremely drinkable.

The mouthfeel had a nice touch of hop oil and resin along with a long dry finish.

Very solid American Pale Ale, no real shortcomings at all.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2013 02:43:10 | More by bashiba

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.99/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The Dechutes Red Chair was more of a Red/Amber Ale than a APA. The beer poured a clear amber color with thin white head that did not leave much lace. The scent was malty and on the sweeter side. There was not much presence of hops. The taste to me was a amberish type beer....not much bitterness, but a good sweet malt base with hints of caramel. The mouthfee was medium in body with decent carbonation. Overall its a fine amber ale....if I'm judging this as a APA, then it was dissappointing. I was expecting a hopped up red...

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 22:52:55 | More by WoodBrew

homebrew311

Illinois

3.71/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a slightly hazy red with minimal white head. Heavy lacing hangs around on the glass. A big caramel malt profile is immediately present in the aroma with firm bitter notes, pine and graham cracker. The taste starts out with some sweet maltiness that is quickly joined by earthy and herbal hop notes. The bitterness is light and the finish is a bit sweet. Mouthfeel is medium with high carbonation. Overall, a decent little pale ale that could benefit from a little more hop bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 04:17:48 | More by homebrew311

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

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

popery

California

4.1/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle, home. Red Chair seems like a cross between an APA, IPA and Amber Ale. The color is somewhere between pumpkin and amber. Tight, dense, off-white cap of bubbles. The aroma has a clean caramel malt note with a fair bit of piney-floral hops. Flavor has a touch of sweetness from the bready, caramel malt, but hops provide a bitter finish and a mildly bitter sense of resin throughout. The feel is round and chewy with some hop oiliness. It's an easy beer to drink with good balance for a West Coast style Pale and a tame but flavorful profile. Enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2010 03:19:39 | More by popery

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed a few pints of this while visiting Montana.

A - Pours a nice red amber colour, thin layer of head with decent retention and some fine sticky lacing.

S - Sweet caramel notes, a bit bready, with a nice dose of citrus hops.

T - The hops dominate the flavour, with a nice crisp lemon citrus and cedar flavour, followed by some sweet caramel malts.

M - Medium bodied ale that finishes with a touch of dryness.

D - The hops on this one were delicious and were perfectly balanced with the caramel malts. Very enjoyable and easily sessionable.

Serving type: on-tap

02-21-2011 00:39:09 | More by andrenaline

arizcards

Arizona

4.3/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Picked up a sixer from BevMo in late April for $6.99. Best by 06/29/10.

Beer poured a copper color with a one finger head that is leaving lacing. Nose is bready malts and floral hops. Taste is a nice blend of citrus and piney hops well balanced by a nice bready malt backbone. Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied and the carbonation is quite refreshing. Overall drinkability is very good. This is a very easy drinking session like beer but beware of the abv as it is well hidden!

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2010 23:15:26 | More by arizcards

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