A taste of… Cinder Cone Red 2010

Deschutes Brewery
901 SW Simpson Ave.,
Bend, OR 97702
USA
541.385.8606

Preface: This is another sample sent by the folks at Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon. The following notes are made after a mouth wash with room temperature sparkling water. These notes have not been influenced by reading promotional material or any other review of this brew. It arrived via delivery service and has been stored in a cool, dry, dark place (a Brooklyn apartment). I am including this preface to inform the reader of any and all circumstances that might be conceived of a creating a biased review or a conflict of interest regarding the choice of words used in the following review. I could go on and on with semi-legal jargon but I guess you will just have to trust me eh?

The following are my tasting notes:

Appearance: This deep copper, almost amber colored brew throws a slight haze probably due to being served a bit chilly… close to 45F. The head is built from not-too-enthusiastic foam of light tan tiny bubbles. (Again, this might be caused by the low serving temperature.)

Aroma: The first sensation is almost all fresh picked hops (for those who have had the opportunity to experience a visit to a hop farm). The closest comparison is a just-mowed lawn of grass and mixed weeds. The second visit, with the olfactory sense already warned, reveals a few nuances to the original impression. Finally there is only the moment between lip and sip…

Mouth feel: The impression here is of a medium bodied brew with a lot of flavor to make up for any lack of fullness to the carbonation.

Flavor: The first impression is of a hop tea that is chased away by a sweet grain background sensation. The malt is less than assertive here. The second taste brings some citric flavors to the senses… orange, bitter orange and some grapefruit. The third visit has the flavor receptors calibrated and the hops flavors seem to fall into a balance with the malty grain sweet roast.

Finish: There is a rather long lasting tang of hops that stays on for a good while.

Comments: What we have here is a perfect pallet refresher. A field greens salad dresses with a simple olive oil and balsamic vinegar would be a fine accompaniment to this brew. Settled in between the main course and the cheese course this would be an ideal pairing.

NOTE:
The folks at Deschutes Brewery sent a “cheat sheet” with both the Cinder Cone and the Red Chair that said the following:

“That’s right, we are toasting a fond farewell to Cinder Cone Red this year, and making way for the Red Chair NWPA. Are you clutching your hair and screaming “WHY?!” Well, we’d love to bottle and distribute every beer we come up with, but if we tried that our team would be the ones screaming. Come give us your own words of farewell on our “Memorial Wall” and enter to win some great raffle prizes, including ski lift tickets, lodging, beer and more.
When: January 5, 2010 / 6 PM
Where: Deschutes Brewery Pubs – NW 11th/Davis, Portland & Bond Street, Bend.”

The Brewery: http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/

What others say:

BeerAdvocate: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/63/6502

RateBeer: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/deschutes-cinder-cone-red-ale/16999/