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Deschutes Brewery has been an avid supporter of homebrewers for years, and would never do anything to jeopardize their rights. In fact, we were planning an event to celebrate homebrewing during which our brewers would brew on a home system at our pub and homebrewers would bring their beer to our pub to be discussed, tasted and critiqued. We contacted the OLCC to ensure we were not violating any regulations. Now it seems that the OLCC has resurrected a dormant law regarding homebrewers, much to the dismay of the brewing community, including Deschutes Brewery. We have always felt that passion for craft beer starts at home and we support homebrewers all across the United States. We are always happy to fulfill homebrewer requests for clone recipes, hops and raffle items for homebrew competitions. We also sponsor the Porter category at the American Homebrewers Association’s National Homebrew Competition each year.

Gary Fish, president and founder of Deschutes Brewery, said:

“The real story is that Deschutes Brewery contacted the OLCC to ensure that a homebrewers forum we were planning during American Craft Beer Week was legal. Given the rules we are bound to as licensee of the OLCC and as a responsible member of the brewing community, we always want to make sure that we understand the intricacies of the OLCC’s regulations. After a three-minute conversation with an OLCC representative, we were told that they didn’t think we would be able to do it but said they were still investigating the matter. So, we decided to drop the planned event as a result.

“The bottom line is that we were attempting to create an event celebrating homebrewing, and our roots in this culture. We were never contacted by any media outlets to clarify this story and the reasons for our inquiry. We hope that these OLCC laws will change in the near future, as recent coverage has suggested, and that homebrewers can continue to share their creations with the world.”

Deschutes Brewery strongly believes in the value and importance of homebrewing, and will continue to support homebrewers whole-heartedly in the future.

The much anticipated release of Deschutes Brewery’s Black Butte XXII is being canceled this year. The Imperial version of the brewery’s popular Black Butte Porter, this year made with chilies, dark chocolate and orange peel, has been a favorite since it was first produced in 2008 for the brewery’s anniversary on June 27th.

The experimental chocolate that was used in this year’s formulation never fully dissolved in the beer. While most of it dissolved, a portion formed a layer on the surface of the beer. While the beer tastes fantastic, the visual presentation in the bottle is not up to Deschutes Brewery’s long held commitment to quality and the customer experience.

So, it is with great sadness that we make this announcement. We are not happy with this years Anniversary beer and we don’t think most of our consumers would be happy with it either. Therefore we are refusing to ship the beer recently packaged.

However, take this as Deschutes Brewery’s firm commitment to quality and to our customers. When you push boundaries like we do, something like this is bound to happen. We have been fortunate in the past that none of our experiments have resulted in this kind of drastic action. I hope all our friends and customers will forgive this year’s lack of an anniversary beer while recognizing our commitment to them.

We promise to never back away from the line, even when the risk is great.

There will be very limited amounts of draft Black Butte XXII available at the Deschutes Bend Pub, Portland Pub and the Tasting Room where Deschutes staff can monitor it closely and take appropriate action if the beer becomes visually unacceptable.

Cheers,

Gary Fish, CEO and Founder

Deschutes Brewery Sagebrush Classic, held July 16-17, 2010, is the must-attend golf and culinary event in the Northwest! Friday offers a field of 52 teams competing for gross and net prizes in an 18-hole best ball golf tournament on the private course at Broken Top. The festivities continue on Saturday with the Classic Feast showcasing the culinary artistry of 18 world-class national and international chefs, featuring handcrafted beers from Deschutes Brewery, a variety of wines, and dancing to the best in live music. Best of all, the event raises much-needed funds for the Deschutes Children’s Foundation and other regional children’s charities. Tickets can be purchased online, or by calling 800-601-8123.

The biggest and funnest mountain bike race in Central Oregon is here!  Full details are posted here, along with links to on-line registration. Proudly sponsored by Deschutes Brewery, Mirror Pond Pale Ale will be pouring after the race and at packet pickup for racers 21 and older.  Take this opportunity to ride this great course out at Skyline Forest.  Cheers!

Deschutes Brewery’s Third Annual Chocolate Beer Dinner was an event I won’t soon be forgetting. The five course meal, created by Chefs Katrina Spatrisano, Matt Neltner and Jeff Latino, was thoughtfully prepared and presented to the diner like an edible masterpiece. Equal thanks must go to Brewers Paul Arney and Jimmy Seifrit, as the beer pairing with each course was innovative, balanced, and unlike anything I had ever tasted.

Being my first visit to Deschutes Brewery’s Mountain Room for a beer dinner, I had no idea what to expect. Familiar faces lit with satisfied smiles greeted me from all corners of the room and the servers were well versed in the beers, suggesting I imbibe in the White Chocolate Cream Ale to pair with the passed appetizer.

As we slowly settled into out table and met our dining partners (love the assigned seating!), the seated appetizer of Coconut Lemongrass Aromatherapy Soup appeared at our places along with its beer pairing, a light and refreshing Lemon Lager.

“We designed this meal to be a total sensory experience, unlike any beer dinner we’ve done before,” Seifrit explained, as we devoured our soup. “We want you to see, taste, feel, and smell as never before.”

I began to understand what he meant as the salad course arrived at the table. Laying over brilliant greens, the perfectly cooked Chocolate-Spice Rubbed Steak begged to be devoured. Bitter cocoa nibs scattered over the edge of the plate provided a subtle chocolate flavor that brought balance to the tart dressing and rich beef. Raspberry Green Lakes Organic Amber topped with Chocolate Mousse was the pairing, and it is by far the most creative beer I have ever tasted. The foam lingered on the surface of the beer, adding a light chocolate flavor to each tart and refreshing sip.

As our salad plates were cleared, the third beer pairing arrived. This was the one I’d been waiting for, the description had taunted me for weeks; Double Black with a Smoked Salt Rim. The colorful Murray River salt was a gorgeous contrast against the mysterious, inky black beer, and the salt opened the citrus and pepper flavors within the complex brew.

Paired with this incredible ale was an even more amazing plate, the entrée of Seared Duck Breast with Orange Honey Wort Glaze, Malted Peruvian Potatoes, and Ale Braised Winter Greens. The moist, tender duck was nestled into a beautiful purple puree, while the greens provided a vivid contrast around the rim of the plate. The bitterness of the greens bit through the rich meat, while the sweet citrus glaze lingered on the palate, intermingling with chocolate and citrus from the Double Black.

My belly screamed no dessert, but before I could object, a glass of Double Chocolate Nitro Stout was in my hand, and the most incredible dessert I have ever seen was placed before me. A Flourless Chocolate Torte layered with Black Butte Porter Pastry Cream and topped with Spun Sugar, shimmering like a spider web in morning dew. I cracked through the hard shell and Porter cream oozed onto my plate. Its pudding-like consistency was so satisfying, and the unusual crunch of the spun sugar just added to the experience. The torte itself was rich and flavorful, but not overly sweet. The addition of nitrogen in the beer swept smoothly over the palate, and was the perfect wrap-up to an incredible meal.

Visit www.deschutesbrewery.com for more information on upcoming beer dinners and special events at the Brewery.

Written by: Laurel Bennett (Deschutes Brewery Bend Pub Server)
Photo by: James Ludwicki (Deschutes Brewery Bend Pub Chef)

“Deschutes Brewery has used whole leaf hops (and have invested heavily behind them) from day one because we believe they yield a better beer with better flavor. It is interesting to note that, when we believe we can get better flavor we have, and do, use some pellets and even extract. We have actually brewed Mirror Pond with all pellets to see if there is a difference, and there is a clear difference. We continue to experiment with all our ingredients including hops and malt to find that which yields the best flavor. It is certainly more convenient to use pellets, but that’s never been how we roll. We’re big fans of Mother Nature and keeping our brewing ingredients as close as possible as to what she provides.”

Yes, it’s true.  Deschutes Brewery will start selling beer in Minnesota starting the week of March 29th. Partnering with J.J. Taylor Distributing Company of Minnesota, the largest beer distributor in the state, Deschutes Brewery will be focusing on the greater Twin Cities region for its initial launch.

Black Butte Porter and Mirror Pond Pale Ale, along with a limited amount of select Reserve Series beers, will be available to Minnesotans in 22-ounce bottles and on draft.

“Minnesota is a place where people are passionate about their beer”, said Gary Fish, Deschutes Brewery’s Founder & President. “Getting our beer to more people who want it and are passionate about it has been part of our plan for quite a while, and we are looking forward to developing that relationship in Minnesota, starting with our two most popular beers. The response so far has been outstanding.”

Deschutes Brewery beers are now available in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area in most major liquor stores and in bars that support craft beer.  If you can’t find our beer at your favorite watering hole, please ask them to carry it!  Cheers.

Twilight Ale 6-packs are now on the shelves, as well!

Here at Deschutes Brewery, we love beer.  No matter the color, flavor, alcohol content, or origin, we are willing to give it a try.  This attitude, this willingness to step outside the box and try things others aren’t interested in, has created brews that are original in their styles and flavor, such as The Abyss, The Dissident, Red Chair NWPA, and Hop Henge Experimental IPA.

“As far as ingredients and recipes go, we can try pretty much anything we want,” says Paul Arney, head brewer at the Bend Public House.  “Thanks to Gary Fish (owner) and Larry Sidor (brewmaster), and their commitment to quality, we are able to try unconventional methods, which often result in a delicious beer we never could have discovered.”

Access to four brewhouses doesn’t hurt either.  The Bend pub, with its 12-barrel English style system, is better suited for developing more traditional ales, such as Bachelor Bitter, Rooster Cream Ale, and test batches of the reserve series like Black Butte XXII.  Cam O’Conner, head brewer at our Portland Public House, works with a 20-barrel German brewhouse and can create incredible lagers and more traditional German beers such as Miss Spelt Hefeweizen.  Using these smaller brewhouses to test materials and develop recipes gives Deschutes an advantage in churning out creative new beers to satisfy our thirsty customers.  Once a recipe has been dialed in, it can move onto the 50-barrel JV brewhouse or 150-barrel Huppmann system, both located at our production facility.

Keeping with our unconventional methods, Deschutes Brewery uses some innovative ingredients to keep taste buds intrigued.  “We have been working with Theo Chocolate in Seattle for Black Butte XXII test batches.  They are the only organic, fair-trade, cocoa nib to chocolate bar factory in the country, extremely high quality,” says Arney.  “The addition of fresh Seville orange with the chocolate in a beer, we may be the only brewery around to try that.  We’re also doing chili pepper experiments, to see what kind of spicy flavor attributes we can get from that.”  Other chili beers have been experimented with at Deschutes, such as Ancho Oh Be Joyful, which was a huge hit in the summer of 2009.

Other beers brewed with unconventional ingredients have been found at the pub, such as Phil’s Trail Ale which has the surprising addition of Meadowsweet.  “This herb smells just like snowbrush, which grows wild here in Central Oregon.  On an early morning out mountain biking on Phil’s Trail, you can just smell the snowbrush in the air.  We wanted this beer to have that quality,” says Arney.

Bold and hoppy brews such as Hop Henge, an 8.75% experimental IPA uses cane sugar instead of more malt to create balance but allow the five pounds of hops per barrel to power through.  Doc Holliday, a Belgian brown was fermented with huckleberries for a mild tartness, and the Plum Bob uses traditional English Pale Ale ingredients, other than the addition of plum extract which adds a funky zing to the flavor.

“With that beer, we wanted to try and get sourness without oak aging,” Arney says between sips of the tart concoction.

Barrel aging is another tool which is becoming more common to create new dimensions of flavor and also evoke a sour aspect in beer.  Deschutes now has hundreds of oak barrels in their library, some stained with bourbon and pinot noir.  Wild yeast, such as lactobacillus or brettanomyces, resides in these barrels and over a year or two’s time will transform a beer into a mouth puckering treat.  Additions of fruit, such as cherries in The Dissident, create a balanced beer that is flavorful and satisfying.

Deschutes continues to lead the industry in high quality, inspired beers. Check the pubs and the website for release parties and to find out what’s pouring near you.

- Laurel Bennett
Deschutes Brewery Bend Pub Server

Our newest seasonal, Red Chair NWPA, is now on tap all over the west. It quenches any mighty thirst before, during, and after epic days on the mountain. And it just might get you to the mountain as well!

During February and March, select events featuring Red Chair are happening on the hill and in town.

Look for it on tap at your favorite wateringholes, including:

• Taps Lounge at Schweitzer Mountain
• Noah’s Canteen at Silver Mountain
• The Bierstube at Whitefish Resort
• Flaming Joes in Spokane
• Blue Spark in Spokane
• Rico’s Pub in Pullman
• Eichardt’s Pub in Sandpoint

Red Chair will be pouring out of Woody, our giant wooden barrel, at:

• The Brewfest at Whitefish Resort (Mar. 6th)
• The Jimmy Huega Center Vertical Express for MS at Schweitzer Mountain (Mar. 13th)

Time spent with Larry Sidor, Brewmaster at Deschutes Brewery, sheds some light on the experimental nature of the beer known elegantly as Hop Henge.

Let us sculpt a figure, worthy of the ancients. We begin with an idea and a commitment. We employ new materials and exotic tools. We add passion and experience. Inevitably we fashion something that destiny will declare a heroic journey. It comes as no surprise then as we begin our discussion-the Brewmaster’s first words are, “As always, hopping is an adventure with Deschutes Brewery.”

What is this guy talking about? Hop Henge Experimental IPA has a one-track mind. It is obsessed with its’ role as a heavyweight hop personality. But not just regular, old heavyweight hops. We are talking about a fresh hop heavyweight. The question is how to achieve this without the harvest’s richest bounty-fresh picked hops. With a patent pending for the process, Brewmaster Larry Sidor reveals much about little. He details a new method for extracting everyone’s favorite gland, lupulin, from whole hop flowers. Approximately 3.2 seconds after he says “the measure of the efficiency of concentration”, my head begins to swim towards the dark recesses where I buried high school chemistry. Intriguing….but not my strong suit. The translation is simply this: fresh hop flavor and aroma available all year round. Heroic. Hop Henge brings an undeniably bright hop character to the table. Nothing dull or musty here. The citrus grabs hold of you like a snake charmer with a magic flute. This is the wonder of fresh hops. Have you ever walked through a hop field just before harvest? You want to…trust me.

“Just a minute,” you interrupt. “This is a big beer at 8.75% ABV. The IBUs at 95. This is nothing like the fresh hop beer you make!” True. Hop Henge is properly considered within the imperial realm. Traditional approaches to Imperial IPAs advise adding copious amounts of the highest alpha hops at every opportunity in the beer-making process. However, the resulting “IBU-vehicle” concoction, requiring a huge malt presence and unavoidable alcohol level for a quaffable balance, sometimes misses the mark. Sidor and his merry band of genies never settle for anything less than a bullseye. Armed with an unquenchable curiosity and a full house of hops, they asked “why not?”

Why not add Amarillo and Centennial hops to the malt in the grist mill? Why not utilize some Herkules hops (Germany’s answer to high alpha American hops, but with great aroma) in concert with the Millenniums and Northern Brewers in the kettle? Why not add the hottest hop variety in the country right now, Citra hops (since the Brewery has been tinkering with them for four years), into the hop back with the Northern Brewers and Brewers Gold? Who says you can’t add Cascades and Amarillos into the whirlpool? And maybe some pellets of Centennials, Cascades, and Amarillos into the fermentation tank (very unusual for Deschutes Brewery)? Or how about a seven-day dry-hopping with whole hop Citras just to round it all out? Whew! That was heavyweight….5.01 pounds per barrel, to be exact!

Additions. Extractions. Combinations. And fascination. Certainly a journey. A heroic journey. Examining Hop Henge like a tea leaf, in search of my muse, I smell this fantasy turned reality long before it glides over my palette. Orange zest and pink grapefruit serve as olfactory intoxicants. The carbonation not only tickles my nose, but makes my tongue feel like it is coated in bubble wrap gone mad. It deftly accents the bitter citrus I crave. Piney bitterness swells intensely. A clean, malty sweetness rescues me in the middle of the wave, just as I reach bitter overload. Only to be plunged deeply back into a complete, satisfying, hop immersion. I arrive suddenly back on shore, magically standing on two legs, with only the echo of a vibration on my tongue.

I am a hophead. And I am in love.

By Amos A. Amarillo