Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale

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.

On tap, good American pale ale with that distinctive aroma and flavor of citrus and mint. Slightly hoppier than most but a good combination of malt and hop flavors. Nice golden hazy color. I could drink several of these.