Deschutes River Ale - Deschutes Brewery

wes123

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Slightly cloudy light caramel color. Small head with sticky lacing on the glass.

Smells of sweet malt, a bit of caramelized sugar.

Nice bready flavor, sweet candy malt with a crisp bitterness on the back end.

Robust mouthfeel with small bubbles.

Overall for 4%abv, the beer has amazing body and complex flavors.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2013 23:06:35 | More by wes123

smakawhat

Maryland

3.76/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass. Uh oh.. American Blonde.. but it's Deschutes! Let's see if there is hope.

This is quite dark for a blonde, sort of a pale amber with orange semi-clear body and some good fast rising carbonation in places. A nice reddish tint to this also. Head is fluffy and large settling at a big four fingers and a whipped up top. Pretty solid and impressive.

Very light toasty grains, a small sense of caramel sweetness to match with a light sugar presence. Hints of cinnamon and light toasty white bread. Quite good also. Hmm so far so good.

The palate brings the nice toast and white bread waffle sweetness on first sip, but it disappears very quickly under a somewhat wet body. Toasty finish at least, with a good mix of honey sweetness and mild caramel sense. Very clean. Really dig this kind of doughy sweet waffle like flavor.

Overall just wish there was a bit more depth, but this is real easy drinking and has a nice flavor palate compared to most blondes I've had.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2013 22:55:09 | More by smakawhat

mjurney

Texas

4.24/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Appearance:
Deep golden color, some amber highlight, clear. Lots of fine bubbles rising up. Thick rocky head.

Aroma:
Very clean and crisp, citrusy, fruity, bready.

Taste:
Clean malts, white bread, cracker, biscuity. Hop bitterness is medium, mainly spicy-citrus. Some fruit, green apple. Finish is tart, very crisp. Body is light-medium, super clean, crisp, a little dry.

Overall:
Excellent beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2013 08:06:11 | More by mjurney

Algebrew

Arizona

4.46/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: Poured a clear yellowish copper with a fluffy one finger head that moderately dissipated into a white crown.

Smell: A sweet citrus hop smell with a sturdy backing of malts.

Taste: The beginning, middle, and end give a crisp orange juice tone with a steady hop throughout.

Mouthfeel: A tad bit thicker than I was expecting, creamy.

Overall: A solid Deschutes brew, but it is light on the ABV.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2013 07:20:11 | More by Algebrew

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

A - A bit deeper than a a typical bright yellow, some orange highlight. A 1/2 inch of head that settles to a thick lace ring.
S - Apple skins, mild hops and yeast, some fruity sweetness. Smell is overall light.
T - Has some easy drinking sweetness, mild hops, not bitterness or skunky flavor. Like an apple cider but sweeter. Not bad.
M - Light to medium, easy to drink, pint is gone before the review.

Overall not a bad blonde indeed but nothing I would seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2013 04:55:18 | More by DrDemento456

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

3.99/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: Straight up gold. Slight chill haze drops and leaves a super clear beer. Head is bright-white and drops to a small clumpy cap and collar. Small spots of lacing. Moderate carbonation.

Smell: Pale toasted malts. Very bready. Solid leafy hop presence pushes grapefruit pith and juicy flesh. Very light and clean. Some underlying pale malt sweetness. Faintly tropical. Some tangerine. Balanced.

Taste: Crackers and fresh-baked white bread. Slightly toasted. A bit of a pithy almost earthy undertone. Small hints of grapefruit flesh and tangerine. Pale malts add a touch of sweetness. Faint esters. Some apple skin. Soft and clean.

Mouthfeel: Medium to light body with a moderate carbonation. Super clean. slightly crisp.

Overall: Deschutes: Champion of the session!

Like Mirror Pond, this isn't the best in it's style, but damn if I don't want to drink it in en masse. Light and refreshing with the standard Deschutes high drink and quaffability. Seriously everyone who distributes to MA, do this and you win.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2013 18:37:24 | More by Goblinmunkey7

vkv822

Oregon

3.4/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

12oz : tulip
best by: 06/18/13

Lightly hazy, golden orange with a foamy, off white head.

Toasty, pale malts, with faint grassy, floral hop notes.

Medium body, active, bubbly carbonation.

A well done blonde, easy drinking, mild but enjoyable flavor profile.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 07:48:13 | More by vkv822

Siriusfisherman

Montana

3.96/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

L: Hazy gold with carbonation streaming off the bottom of the glass. Nice soapy head. Good lacing.

A: Nice floral/citric hop and biscuit malt nose, very rich for such a light brew. Some subtle fruity esters are detectable as well.

T/M: Smooth touch of bitterness upfront, moves into a floral grapefruit character with a great bisciut malt balance. Touch of herbal character, subtle fruity yeast and a clean, light bodied finish.

Overall, an epic summertime session brew! Perfect balance between hop and malt, nice complexity, and a clean finish. Not anything compared to the depth of flavor you can find in stronger brews, but it is nice to have such a well crafted light ale that, well, tastes like an ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 04:08:03 | More by Siriusfisherman

mactrail

California

3.48/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

More amber than blonde in color. Pleasant appearance with plenty of carbonation. A watery body with a hint of soda water in the flavors.

Taste of crackers and not much else to start. Definitely a Blonde Ale in that regard. Some slight fruitiness and a little sweet malt. No real hop flavor that I can find. Still, it's refreshing and drinkable, and it's hard to complain about the mild flavor given the 4% ABV. Maybe they're brewing this for the Utah supermarket trade. From the 22 oz bottle purchased at Bottleworks in San Diego.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 04:25:30 | More by mactrail

CookstLiquor

British Columbia (Canada)

3.65/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 355ml bottle. Pours a Coppery orange/brownish amber colour. The nose is full of classic West Coast hop notes like pine, grapefruit and other citrus. The taste also has some good fresh hop notes with some crackery malt, as well. It's quite light bodied and quaffable but with lots of flavour. An excellent summertime session beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 22:30:54 | More by CookstLiquor

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.1/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Mild yellow pour, seemed to have a little obscured haze throughout it instead of looking a little more professional.

Thanks to Reno Dave for bringing this to March Madness 2013, was a nice, simple palate cleanser, something so many neglected to account for. Aroma was negligible, if anything. Just sweet toasty malt in the smallest amount noticeable.

Taste, pretty marginal, some different yeast like ester flavor going on, also came across like there was a 10% wheat bill almost. Kind of a head scratcher. Stays away from the hops, but heck, even their inversion ipa seems to go that direction lately. Carbonation is substantially high. Some belgian hay in the mouthfeel.

I dunno, Deschutes used to be a brewery that was in my top 5 purchase history. Now, they seem to put all the hops into their bombers and kind of neglect the 6 packs. Heck, even Abyss is less bourbon barrelled than ever. This one wasn't bad, but it was just kind of there, to help wash away the mouth before the next beer.

A big no thanks to David Hurley of the El Dorado Casino sports bar area. Don't renege on promises made about our three days of bottle share half-way through. Integrity counts. Let us enjoy this beer next time instead of hassling your paying customers.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2013 17:17:23 | More by Beerandraiderfan

olfolxholme

California

3.85/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle into Spaten Optimator dimpled mug... After experimenting with a few other bottles, I decided to let this one sit out for 15 minutes before pouring

A - Big white head atop beautiful golden beer. Good retention, some lacing.

S - Nice blast of aroma as soon as you open the bottle. From the glass, wafts of sweet golden malts and classic northwest hops.

T - Mild flavors that resemble the aroma. A nice bitter finish that lingers. Drink it even colder and you get a lot of bitterness - more than I'm looking for in this beer, but I know some folks who would love that.

M - Appropriate to style, which is on the thin side. That said, it is refreshing and has a pleasant amount of carbonation. The bitter aftertaste creates a nice dryness that is fun to fix with another sip.

O - This beer is complex and flavorful enough and has no offensive flavors. I think this beer is going to be very popular and that Deschutes did a great job. Get a six pack, try it at a few different temperatures... have a few. It's only 4%, you'll be ok. Among other things, this will be a great beer to share with your less beery friends that you will not mind drinking.

61

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 02:31:31 | More by olfolxholme

Halcyondays

California

3.78/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle,

A: Pours a clear goldenrod with a medium white head. Good retention with substantial lacing.

S: Bready notes, light green grape, fruity hop character, berry.

T: Sweet bready notes with light notes of citrus and melon. Light tartness in the finish; I like the notes of sugar cane.

M: Light-bodied, crisp, fairly clean, easy drinking.

O: The new one from Deschutes, quite a flavourful session beer. A good starter beer for the novice, but with enough flavour to interest the seasoned craft beer drinker looking for something lighter, light beer done right.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 04:36:05 | More by Halcyondays

morimech

Minnesota

4.15/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Clear, pale amber color with one finger of head that settled to a thin film. Moderate amount of spotty lacing is left down the glass.

Impressive aroma for a blond ale. I get tropical fruit, grain, and cut grass.

Packs a lot of hop flavor into a low ABV, and it is not that bitter. The hop reminds me of the one Deschutes uses in their Inversion IPA. I get some Juicy Fruit flavor that I find appealing. Which after reading the brewers description, shares only Cascade with Inversion. The malt adds a touch of sweetness and bready flavor. Nicely balanced.

Not the most spirited carbonated. I would of liked it to be more lively and make the beer more crisp and clean. Light body which is not surprising.

Very easy drinking beer with low ABV and nice hop flavor without a lot of bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 19:04:56 | More by morimech

Reidrover

Oregon

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz single from Trader Joes, Salem. $1.35 Deep golden coloured ale with a frothy,bubbly white head. Pleasant malty caramel and fruity aromas. Taste is well balanced, caramel, red apple,toast, and a little lemon. Nice Thin palate as expected but OK for what it is A good summer beer and low alcohol/calories is a plus. Put this in cans and this would be in my camping cooler this camping season.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 17:11:10 | More by Reidrover

Jsteez

New Mexico

4.18/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a dimpled beer mug from a 12 oz. bottle.

A-Poured a solid gold, almost honey color. A nice fluffy white 2 finger bubbly head rested atop the effervescent liquid gold for 4-5 minutes. Good retention. Some lacing left on the glass. Pretty good looking beer.

S-American hops were pretty dominant in the nose. Light honey malt, bready, and some cracker crumbs. Perhaps some sweet floral notes, too.

T-Going in was light and bready with hints of peach, honey, herbs, cracker malt, and slight citrus. The backbone was dominated by pure hops, which left a pleasantly dry, bitter aftertaste which was balanced by the honey malt present in the initial sip. Great taste for a light American blonde ale! No alcohol taste present because of the low ABV.

M-Light, smooth, and a certain crispness that reminded me of a spring seasonal. Borderline moderate/high carbonation, quite a light body, wet, and very drinkable. Thirst quenching!

Overall, a great ale to drink at this time of year and well into the summer. It's light, crisp, and smooth. A nice light ale that goes down like a lager, but packs enough flavor to have you cravin' for more than just one! And with the light ABV, it's easy to drink a few, no problem. Not bad for a light beer.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 08:05:40 | More by Jsteez

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.58/5  rDev -6%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured two fingers of head on a dark, clear golden colored body. Great head retention.
The aroma is a nice honey with a touch of bread.
The taste is smooth mild sweetness with a mild lemon bitter coming into play halfway through.
The texture is light and airy with moderate carbonation.
A nice blond with a little more bitterness than normal.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 03:44:30 | More by Fatehunter

bsp77

Minnesota

4.05/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Serving glass: Poured from bottle into Imperial Pint.

Appearance: Bright gold with foamy white head that is fairly persistent with some nice lacing.

Smell: Sweet citrus, biscuit and toast, light spiciness. Aromatic at first but fades.

Taste: Very delicate malt backbone of toast and biscuit. Nice hop balance, which includes notes of citrus, tropical fruits and even berry. I am surprised at the traditional hop makeup of this, I would have guessed new hops such as mosaic. Slightly spicy on the finish, but not bitter at all. Just balanced and easy drinking.

Feel: Smooth and creamy light body with low carbonation. Crisp, dry and a little tingly.

Overall: Both subtle and complex, which is not each to do. Supremely drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 22:10:16 | More by bsp77

kojevergas

California

3.24/5  rDev -15%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Best by 06/13/13. 4.0% ABV confirmed. 12 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard branded pressure cap and appealing simple label served into a conical Samuel Smith's pint glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Purchased earlier tonight. Reviewed live. Expectations are high; I love Deschutes.

Served cold, straight from the fridge. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a three finger beige colour head of okay cream, decent thickness, and good (5+ minute) retention. Body colour is a clear translucent pale copper of average vibrance. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. This is what a blonde should look like, but I'd like a bit more vibrance from the colour. Uneven light lacing as the head recedes.

Sm: Pale malts, caramalt. Grainy as hell. A bit grassy. Light floral hops. Somewhat bready. A hint of minty spice. Graininess dominates. A mild strength aroma. Brings a fair bit to the table for an otherwise simple style. I'm intrigued. No yeast or alcohol is detectable.

T: Pale malts and caramalt forms the unobtrusive backbone. Light floral hops. Dominant grainy and grassy character. Light bready/crackery character. A hint of minty spice adds a nice touch. All around a well balanced brew with a seeming simplicity that disguises impressive subtlety for such a straightforward style. It doesn't have a high depth of flavour, but it's a pleasant refreshing brew. Very enjoyable to drink.

Mf: Decent body. Smooth and wet. Refreshing. Slight overcarbonation. Emphasis is on drinkability in the texture. Complements the flavour profile well. Crisp.

Dr: Drinkability is high; that's the whole point. It's a quaffable brew that refreshes. Highly sessionable. This will be a good beer to lure macro lager drinkers into craft, but it doesn't offer much to impress those of us well acquainted with the style. It's a bit Kolsch-lite for my tastes. I see what Deschutes is doing, but they might have been better off brewing an approachable pale ale for this market. Like it, don't love it. I'd like to revisit it on-draught.

High C+

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 04:46:25 | More by kojevergas

bum732

Maryland

4.38/5  rDev +15%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

S: Very melon and gooseberry smelling. Some apple blossoms along with some grape leaves.

L: Light burnt orange, creamy white head that dissipates. Ok lacing.

T: Light malt with some soft melon and gooseberry. Medium low fruity bitterness with a very husk grain taste in the finish. Finishes grainy and semi dry. Some fruit in the finish.

M: Medium light body, medium carbonation. Fairly refreshing.

Delicious, could've sworn there were "new world" hops in this beer. One of the best sub 5% beers i've had. Wouldn't expect anything less from Deschutes.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 01:32:07 | More by bum732

RJLarse

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +18.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

I bought a six-pack of Deschutes River Ale, "A Session Beer with Craft Soul" in a gorcwry store, poured in to a pint glass.

Pours a shiny gold color, clear with a plain white foamy head. Torrents of bubbles are wirling upward in the glass

Smell si a sweet beard aroma, with hints of fruit scents.

Taste is a well balanced. with a malt presence up front and a mild citrus flavor on the finish.

Mouthfeel is light crisp and dry.

Overall a very nice light, drinkable seasonable beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2013 00:22:56 | More by RJLarse

denver10

Colorado

3.51/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Pours a light orange with a yellowish hue and a slight white head. A couple effervescent bubbles rising to top for a little while following the pour. A balanced, low key but present aroma of some grainy breadiness paired with some orange and its rind as well as some florals. Flavor follows suit; grainy and bready along with some orange and a slightly bitter, grassiness. Aftertaste is what I have come to expect from blondes though with the cereal graininess. A crisp, active mouthfeel. Overall, a decent session ale. I wonder if they intend to keep Twighlight around now, because this as by far a better blond ale and I would never choose Twighlight when I could grab this instead.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 01:04:48 | More by denver10

Spikester

Oregon

3.76/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Pours clear gold with one finger of white head. Some lacings remain as the head recedes.
Smell is quite pronounced for the style. Floral hops and fresh grainy malts.
Taste is citrus hops with just enough malts to lend this an IPA like flavor profile. As in IPA light. Mouthfeel is lighter than most of Deschutes ales but still quite good for the 4% abv.
Overall a fine summer beer for times when you need less alcohol. Quite well done actually. I will be consuming more of these this summer.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 01:37:38 | More by Spikester

spoony

Colorado

3.93/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From a 355 ml bottle into a tulip.

A-The pour produces an orange-hued, light amber colored beer. A touch dark for a blonde style beer. The two-finger off-white head drops off pretty quickly.

S-The beer smells of mildly fragrant hops that give off a citrusy, lightly spicy, and floral character. There is also some dough and pale malt coming through that complement the hoppy notes.

T-The taste, like the smell, is more hop forward that I would expect for the style, and the result is a nice, floral, citrusy flavor without the same level of sweetness that other brews of this style provide. There is still a light malt background, though, to balance things out. I'm enjoying it.

M-The feel is light, crisp, and easy-to-drink. There is a decent wave of prickly carbonation, but the carbonation never gets intrusive.

O-This is another pretty good beer from Deschutes. For a beer with only 4.0% ABV, they really manage to pack a lot of flavor in here. That being said, if you are looking for a sweeter, more malty/lagery example of the style, you might look elsewhere.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 17:08:03 | More by spoony

UCLABrewN84

California

3.88/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Best by 6/18/13.

Pours a clear dark orange with a foamy bone colored head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Foamy patches of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, grain, and some citrus zest aromas. Taste is much the same with some grassy flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp but somewhat medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is tasty and easy to drink, especially with the 4% ABV.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 02:52:19 | More by UCLABrewN84