Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale

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

Light orange and highly malted yet lightly and evenly hopped. Pleasantly fizzy on the tongue. Very good.

Amber, no head. Grassy and flowery hops in the taste. Smooth creamy mouthfeel.

Bottle. Golden colour with an off-white head. Aroma is citrus, hop, malt. Flavour is citrus, hop, grapefruit, spices. Bitter finish. Nice beer.

12 oz bottle from Kenb just because he wanted to send me some beer- after AIC screwed me over. Pours a nice slight hazy medium gold and a frothy white head. Aroma is citrusy lemon with some light grapfruit and light malt. Nice sticky hop flavor with some more light toasted malts. Finish is nice and crisp with a dry bitterness in the end. Really nice well made APA.

2006 bottle from KenB, drunk on 11/8/06
Off-white head is expansive, rocky and shows moderate retention, sticky lacing. Brass-gold body is mostly clear. Light bubbles rise in distinct streams.
Sourdough/toasty malt is twangy/sharp in the nose, what you’d expect from a sweet-and-sour flavor with some astringency. Hops are highly bitter, mostly white grapefruit and light pine. Strong nose, but it’s very monotonous, and no lively fruitiness, tropical or otherwise comes forth. Not that I’m expecting some deeply aromatic DIPA nose out of this, but it just seems very heavy on the IBUS and not so much on the pure aromatics. Some light metallic notes are notable as well, on the finish, with doughty, lightly aspirin-like yeast. Light vanilla cream base malts eventually pass the crystal/medium malts, but both of these, in consequence, take away from the hop presence (though in this case that’s a good thing, I think).
Staunchly bitter, somewhat soggy, stale hop notes crowd the palate immediately, adding acids and overwhelming the palate. Sourdough/bready yeastiness further harries the palate and the finish is just a mess of bitterness and astringency. Very dry orange marmalade, lemons, white grapefruits. Things that only the hophead who cares little for balance, is going to appreciate. Moderate carbonation, slightly loose, with touches of wateriness. Some pale malt sweetness lingers on the finish, almost syrupy-like. Taken with the heavy hop bitterness, it’s most unpleasant to me. That said, at least they overdo the beer instead of underdoing it (they are at least giving you more for your money....).

(Draught) Sampled at a Sushi restaurant on Pioneer Square called Tig Asian Tapas Bar in Seattle on October 17, 2007. Pours a foamy white head with a cloudy orange body. Nose of oranged and vegetables. Flavour is mild and subdued with a lemon finish. Uneventful.

Bottled. Golden with faint fruity aroma. A bit thin with late, fruity bitterness.

Somewhat hazy amber/orange. Aroma is hoppy with grapefruit and some citrus. Weak hoppy flavor with grassy notes.