Refreshingly crisp and enjoyable
Written: Jul 30 '01 (Updated Jul 30 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Enjoyable and refreshing
Cons: Not quite enough in flavor or body
The Bottom Line: An enjoyable, if a little light, refreshing pale ale that verges towards an IPA. Not exceptional but certainly worth trying.
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| andaryl's Full Review: Mirror Pond Pale Ale |
I have to start out this review by adding to John’s (bruguru) comments in a recent review explaining his passion for beer and suggesting something along the lines of beer to many being nothing more than a case of flavorless lager to drink and get drunk. (I may have twisted the message a little there).
I have to echo John’s thoughts on beer and say that beer, with all its styles, and different interpretations by different brewers, is a subject of much fascination to me. Each beer I drink provides me with a different experience, different flavors, different textures, each having its own individual character. I drink many styles of beer, so often I go a couple of weeks, or even a month without trying some of my favorite beer styles.
Tonight I reacquainted myself with pale ales, the most common style of ale, having not drunk one in a couple of weeks. I was also trying out a brewery that was new to me, Deschutes from Oregon.
Brewer’s Description
“Tawny colored, full bodied Pale Ale. This ale has a distinctive, lingering hop flavor attained by adding copious quantities of Cascade hops throughout the brewing process.”
Awards
I was initially attracted to this beer by the “Beverage Testing Institute’s” rating of 92, which is a comfortable 5 stars on epinions scale. I later discovered a few other notable credits:
* Gold Medal, American Pale Ale Category, West Coast Brew Fest 2001
* Silver Medal, Bottled American Pale & Amber Ales, 2001 Real Ale Festival, Bottle-conditioned Beer Awards
* Silver Medal, American-style Pale and Amber Ale, 2001 Real Ale Festival, Individual Category Awards, Cask Ales
* Gold Medal, Pale Category, 2000 California Brewer's Festival
* Gold Medal, American Pale Ale Category, 1994 Great American Beer Festival
Tasting Notes
This beer pours with a slight level of liveliness, resulting in a white foam that is not too enduring. The body is a pale slightly hazy orange amber color, with promising signs of carbonation. There’s a nice appealing fresh fruitiness to the nose, a floral hoppiness, and a nice mellow maltiness that hints towards caramel.
This is pretty light on the palate for an ale, with a slight spritzy carbonation that combine to make this fairly easy drinking and refreshing. The hop takes charge of the flavor, offering a soft melon and lemon citrus freshness throughout. There’s some pale maltiness supporting the lighter hop, although not as distinct as I would have guessed from the aroma, offering very light suggestions towards caramel as well as some smooth mellow comfort in the middle. The finish reinforces the fruitiness, with a crispness and a subdued lemon tang and sourness that suggest something of an IPA. The malt makes a come back in the aftertaste and balances very well against the citrus.
Verdict
I wouldn’t say that this is a remarkable or outstanding ale that should be on everyone’s shopping list. I do feel that the flavors and the body, while enjoyable do not quite go far enough.
All that said, this is a very enjoyable and refreshing beer and certainly something I will enjoy again in future. It’s a god session beer, and suited well to 6-pack drinking. I’d probably class this a little closer to an IPA than a pale ale, and if those are your beers of choice you should certainly give this one a go.
Food
This beer doesn’t dominate the palate too much and would make a good accompaniment to food. When I have a beer with a citric tang, I usually like to balance it with charred light meats such as grilled pork chops and applesauce, while grilled whitefish would also work.
Availability
I was lucky in obtaining this one from my wife’s recent visit to San Francisco as they do not distribute to Southern California. Their beers are only currently available in Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Montana, Idaho, Northern California, Hawaii, Nevada (Reno) and Wyoming (Jackson Hole).
The brewers recommend that those seeking their beers check out “The Belmont Station.” The telephone number is 888-892-2337.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
andaryl
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 - Top 500 |
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Member: Andrew Smith
Location: The Desert, So Cal
Reviews written: 219
Trusted by: 174 members
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