Deschutes Green Lakes Organic Ale

Brewed by Deschutes Brewery
Style: Amber Ale
Bend, Oregon USA

At first taste, I didn’t have a clue what I was drinking, then it hit me...Green Tea with a bit of cream in it. It was okay. not unpleasant but not great either.

22 oz. bottle: Pours a deep amber color, slightly cloudy, with a modest creamy head. Sour cheery aroma. Buoyancy from the carbonation keeps the spicy rum raisin malt and crisp, low-acid hop character poised. Complex, closer to an effervescent, lighter-bodied abbey ale than a typical amber. Satisfying dry finish lengthens and dries dramatically as ale warms in glass.

Pours a nice amber color with a nice head that left a nice lace. Smells like a typical nice amber, nice roasted malts with a bit of...butter? Flavor is a bit nutty with some slight hints of dark fruit, with just enough hops to keep it on the crisp side palate wise and has a bit of a mineral feel to it. Overall, I like this better than just about any organic beer I’ve had (with the notable exception of Fish Tale’s latest offerings), but it’s still a bit flat even for an Amber.

Light amber color with a bit of toasty malt and pine-needle hops on the nose. Fairly sweet, but not overly so, with some nutty tones and a bitter finish. Kinda boring, but good.

Burgundy red color. This is an amber?? Earthy green grass, cracker malts, perfumey floral hops. Sweet fruits dominate; prune, apple, melon, berries. A burning red wine alchohol feel in nose, suprising for a 5%. Overall an excellent aroma, rich carmelly malts and plenty of hops. Obviously not your standard amber. Sweet fruit flavors all the way through (purple grape, cantelope, mango). Toasted barley malt backs a moderate floral hops in mid, lending a spicy citrus character to the brew. Finishs with sweet cracker malts. Watery, but refreshingly clean palate. Mildy astringent texture, like green tea. Medium bodied. Slighlty dry finish.

Dark brown color. Strange combination of vegetable bran/hop both in the aroma and flavor. Chewy and a bit coarse, some bread crust and celery notes at times. Didn’t like it to begin with but the last half of the pint wasn’t all that bad. Chewy, medium body, mostly fresh. Nothing special, but easy to drink.

I really like this beer. It’s very malty with just the right amount of hops to keep it interesting. This is a great beer.

On tap at The Red in Santa Cruz. Poured into a nonic. Dark amber with a dense beige head that seems to last forever. Almost a nitro quality to it. Aroma is kind of faint, with some standard PNW hoppiness and bready malt. Flavor is also subdued, and it’s pretty much the same as the aroma. Citrus hops with a touch of herbalness, and sweet malt for balance. On the watery side. Mouthfeel is nitro-esque as well. Not thin but a little flat. Easily drinkable.