Although currently buried in snow, the Twin Cities have something to look forward to at the end of March. Starting the week of March 29th, Oregon’s nationally renowned craft brewery, Deschutes Brewery, will begin selling its beer in Minnesota. Continue Reading »

Deschutes Brewery’s seasonal “Cinder Cone Red” is slated to cease production very soon, with “The Last Run of Cinder Cone: Celebrating the Life of Cinder Cone Red” happening on January 5th, marking the end of an era for this popular northwest seasonal amber ale.

Read a previous post about Deschutes Cinder Cone Red.

Beer: Red Chair IPA
Brewery: Deschutes Brewery
Style: American India Pale Ale
Suggested Glassware: Pint Glass

The Red Chair IPA is named after the oldest operating ski lift at Mt. Bachelor. I don’t know if that is supposed to be inspiring because it is still around or terrifying that it may fall apart at any moment. Nonetheless this addition to the Bond Street Series of Deschutes beers uses seven varieties of malt to obtain “a plush body with satiny caramel favors” and tones down the hop bitterness letting the malt come through. Continue Reading »

That’s right people, the big bad beer tax that was proposed in Oregon was shot down like the terrible idea it was. When I caught wind of this, first I was pissed, then I was confused, then I wasn’t confused, then I was pissed again. Basically a group of Oregon politicians led by Democrat, John Krasinski look-alike, Ben Cannon from Oregon’s 46th District looked to shoot the Oregon beer industry in the face with ridiculously high taxes, I guess to try and make up for other budget shortcomings. TERRIBLE IDEA. If an industry is thriving, don’t destroy it with high taxes. I may be biased, but I’m fair, so if you’re unfamiliar with the issue, check out this article interviewing Gary Fish of Deschutes Brewery and a Rep. Cannon staff member that we ran as the Final Word in the April/May issue of Mutineer Magazine and also on the blog while this was still an undecided issue.

Beer and Food Pairings are springing up at restaurants all across the country. While in the Pacific Northwest I attended just such a dinner at Dukes Chowder House in Tacoma, Washington where Executive Chef Bill Raninger created a menu with each course paired to a unique Deschutes beer, as well as used the beer as an ingredient in many of the dishes. Deschutes is a Pacific Northwest brewery that was founded in 1988 by Gary Fish and has two locations; one in Bend, Oregon and one in Portland, Oregon. Here is a recap of the beer and food that was enjoyed at the dinner. Continue Reading »

Beer: Cinder Cone Red
Brewery: Deschutes Brewery
Style: American Amber/Red Ale
Suggested Glassware: Pint Glass

Named after a volcanic cinder cone turned ski resort, Deschutes Brewery’s Cinder Cone Red exhibits one of the same qualities that this pillar of Central Oregon’s Mount Bachelor does, its dark red color. As the warmer weather melts the snow “Red Hill” begins to show its face . According to David Gadd, Cinder Cone Red, “teeters on the brink of world-class. Gorgeous to look at, with constantly shifting coloration ranging from ripe apricot to molten magma. The slathery head gets all over the glass and stays there, while the crushed velvet texture delivers up lacquery flavors that put a shine on the palate thicker than a triple coat of Verathane. The complex, never-ending hops notes are the icing on the cake. Killer beer.” Sounds to me like a great way to enjoy the coming summer months.

The following are two full interviews from our Final Word article in the April/May issue of Mutineer Magazine with Deschutes owner Gary Fish and the other being with Representative Ben Cannon’s office.

Alan Kropf: What do you think about the Oregon beer tax?

Gary Fish: If it was a one hundred percent increase people would think that was ridiculous; this is a two thousand percent increase, it’s hard to even comment on something that is so outrageous. They [legislature] have know idea how the private sector actually operates and they think this won’t hurt when it’s going to hurt a lot. Continue Reading »

Beer: Deschutes Jubelale

Brewmaster: Larry Sidor

Brewery: Deschutes Brewery

What is the perfect food to pair with this beer?
“I love food so that’s a hard one, I would say broccoli cheddar soup would go great with that.”
Continue Reading »