Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale

Brewed by Deschutes Brewery
Style: American Pale Ale
Bend, Oregon USA

I sampled this bottle at King Estate Winery. light amber in color. aroma contains a hint of pine, medium bodied

On tap. Been wanting to try different Deschutes beers for awhile. Even though I have great access to them I never have really got around to it. This beer poured a amber color with a small white head that left alright lacing along the inside of the glass. Aroma was hops, sweet malt, and some fruit. Flavor was similar to a toned down IPA, with malt and hops coming through.

12-oz. Very cloudy medium amber with a thin white head that settles quickly to a layer of foam. Smells yeasty with malt sweetness. Is my nose broken the last few days? Seems like I’ve put it in a dozen IPAs, APAs, and bitters that smell more like yeast and malt than they do hops--by a long shot. This smells almost orange-y, and the finish has a brief crash of sweetness before the hops kick in. There’s a decent malt profile, some biscuit and maybe a bit of crystal. I can’t in good conscious describe the hops in this beer as "copious," though, however well-intentioned Deschutes’ PR guy was when he wrote that. This is a nice mild APA by PNW standards. I dig what they’re saying about using this as a standby food beer; good call. Up here, this beer is ubiquitous and I’m trying hard not to dismiss it as overly familiar; I’d have to say it has a good high-medium body and rich mouthfeel with plenty of carb. It’s got a nice chewy satisfaction to it for an APA.

Piney, biscuity aroma. A medium bodied smoothness follwed by a mouth coating hop finish. Good american pale ale.

Bottle. Pours amber, with a moderate head. Aroma is moderately sweet, with pine and grapefruit hops. Taste is more towards a fresh citrus/grapefruit taste, with a moderate amount of grapefruity bitterness, a hint of pine, and a bit of a slightly sweet malt backbone. Decent, but doesn’t stand out.

Pours amber, thick creamy head. Nice lacing. Nice caramel malt backbone with grapefruitty bitterness. Bitterness is relatively light. Not spectacular, but I really enjoyed this.

Bottle from Ken (kenb) Thanks! Pours out an amber color without much of a head. Smell is sweet, pine, hint of grapefruit, some grass, and malts. Taste is similar, with a nice citrus flavor that makes it very easy to drink. This would be my session beer if I lived in Oregon. Thanks!

Bottle. Amber beer with a thin off-white head. Citrus and slight caramel aroma. Orange citrus flavor with decent pale ale bitterness. Very drinkable - refreshing. Flavors fade fairly quickly. Nothing real bad, but nothing to make it stand out.