Saw this at the store by my house when I stopped in for chili fixins. Everything I’ve had from Deschutes brewery has been excellent.
Long long hop flavor and finish following a distinct bitterness. Half a glass and it is bone dry. At first there was a malty sweetness but thats gone now. Taste-buds wiped out by a citrus explosion spiraling out of control. They mention something about getting a smoother ride. Maybe not full on but this beer is a hop assault. ;D
I think some sweet sticky smoky ribs would pair up with this nicely.
The neck label says: Another slap at brewing convention. Another kick in the pants. Enjoy.
Funny you detected bitterness. I didn’t detect much, which makes this brew a bit schizo. Deschutes used to refer to it as an IPA, but now has renamed it to be a PNW APA. To me, it’s simply a “BIG” APA, which could be an IPA except for a decided lack of bitterness, which seems to be Deschute’s opinion below. They are referring to the older packaging when it was an IPA, to its current APA designation.
Deschutes Says:
April 26th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
They are the same beer, just different packaging. We felt that Red Chair was not quite bitter enough for an IPA but more interesting than a traditional pale so we renamed the style to NW Pale Ale.
I like Deschute’s limited offerings and seasonals better than their yearly round up. I’ve enjoyed the red chair over the last few years. Its not as hoppy as I’d like it to be but I think it strikes that “balance” we talk about so much. Good beer. I’ll keep buying it.