Beer Me! — Deschutes Brewery — Bend, Oregon, United States

Read about our trip to Germany and Prague at
The "Beer Me" Blog!

This is not the official web site of

Deschutes Brewery

901 SW Simpson Avenue
Bend OR 97702
Telephone: +1 541-385-8606
Hours: Monday-Saturday noon-4:00pm.
Brewer: Brian Faivre
[Contact] [Update]

Notes

Opened: 1989

Annual Production: 400,000 bbl

Contributors: Andrew Martin, Ben Kehs, Richard R Tinurelli, Siegfried Binge

Updated: February 27, 2022

News

2020-05-28: Beautiful Future: How Deschutes Uses Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning to Brew Better Beer (Craft Beer & Brewing)
2020-03-24: Deschutes Lays Off More Than 100 Employees After Closing Pubs and Tasting Rooms due to Pandemic (Brewbound)
2018-12-16: More Industry Layoffs as Deschutes Cuts Jobs (ProBrewer)
2015-08-03: Veronica Vega named brewmaster at Deschutes Brewery (she started as a tour guide) (Craft Brewing Business)
2012-03-16: Deschutes Brewery expanding capacity by nearly 50% in 2012 (Beerpulse.com)
2011-06-09: Deschutes brewmaster to leave company after eight years, start his own brewery (Beernews.org)
2010-12-03: Deschutes Brewery - The Tour (CraftBeer.com)
2010-06-14: Less is More – Larry Sidor, Deschutes Brewery’s Head Hopster (In Hop Pursuit)
2008-01-19: Demand draining specialty beer dry (The Oregonian)

Beer List

18th Anniversary Pilsner

Bohemian-Style Pilsener
20th Anniversary Black Butte XX

Specialty Beer

11.00% abv.
- Date: August 1, 2008 (#7234)
  
  Package: bottled
  
  Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR
  
  Score: 17 points
  
  Appearance (3)
  Black. Big brown head.
  
  Aroma (3)
  Roasty. Malty. Mild coffee.
  
  Mouthfeel (9)
  Big and silky and malty. Huge sweet coffee character. Resiny bitterness.
  
  Overall Impression (2)
  It will get smoother with age. "Porter brewed with chocolate beans and coffee added."

20th Anniversary Wit

Belgian Style White (or Wit) / Belgian-Style Wheat

5.50% abv.

Date: October 12, 2008 (#7460)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 17 points

Appearance (3)
Golden, with some haze. Huge head.

Aroma (3)
Fresh malt, with a citrusy spiciness.

Mouthfeel (9)
Light body, low carbonation. Lots of sweet malt. Floral, fruity flavors. Finishes clean.

Overall Impression (2)

Bachelor ESB (formerly Bachelor Bitter)

English-Style (Extra Special) Strong Bitter

Awards:

Bronze Medal, 2010 Great American Beer Festival
Gold Medal, 2010 World Beer Cup
Gold Medal, 2008 Great American Beer Festival
Silver Medal, 2007 Australian International Beer Awards
Gold Medal, 2006 Los Angeles County Fair Competition
Gold Medal, 2006 North American Beer Awards
Bronze Medal, 2004 Great American Beer Festival
Gold Medal, 2003 Los Angeles County Fair Competition
Honorable Mention, 2003 North American Beer Awards
Silver Medal, 2001 North American Beer Awards
Silver Medal, 2000 North American Beer Awards
Silver Medal, 1999 North American Beer Awards

Date: January 11, 1997 (#1997)

Package: bottled

Place: Kamuela Liquor Store, Kamuela HI

Score: 16 points

Overall Impression (3)
Amber, very fine carbonation, big head. Fruity-spicy hop aroma. Good body...initial maltiness gets washed away by a wave of hop flavor.
Date: July 29, 1993 (#214)

Package: draught

Place: Full Sail at Riverplace, Portland OR

Score: 17 points

Overall Impression (3)
Amber, clear, looks flat. Fruity hop nose. Bitter...a small hop bomb. Pretty clean.

Bendsch

German-Style Kölsch/Köln-Style Kölsch

Awards:

Silver Medal, 2003 Great American Beer Festival

Black Butte Porter

Brown Porter

5.20% abv.

Awards:

Gold Medal, 2011 European Beer Star
Gold Medal, 2010 US Open Beer Championship
The Americas Best Stout & Porter - Porter, 2010 World Beer Awards
Bronze Medal, 2009 Great American Beer Festival
Gold Medal, 2007 Australian International Beer Awards
Silver Medal, 2003 Los Angeles County Fair Competition
Gold Medal, 2003 North American Beer Awards
Silver Medal, 2002 Brewing Industry International Awards
Gold Medal, 2002 North American Beer Awards
Gold Medal, 2000 North American Beer Awards
Gold Medal, 1999 North American Beer Awards
Gold Medal, 1996 Great American Beer Festival

Date: March 1, 2002 (#4270)

Package: bottled

Place: Real Ale Festival, Chicago IL

Score: 16½ points

Overall Impression (3½)
Deep dark red, thick head. Roasty hop aroma. Medium body, chocolatey, real nice hop flavor.
Date: January 18, 1997 (#2006)

Package: bottled

Place: Kamuela Liquor Store, Kamuela HI

Score: 17½ points

Overall Impression (3)
Dark red, almost black, fairly high carbonation, OK brown head. Chocolate, hop aromas. Nice smooth body, big black malt and chocolate flavors. Sweet, but bitter enough to give a great balance. Carbonation is a bit high. Excellent Porter.
Date: September 28, 1996 (#1802)

Package: bottled

Place: Great American Beer Festival, Denver CO

Score: 19 points

Overall Impression (3½)
Dark brown-red. Chocolate aroma, hint of coffee. Great mix of black malt, bitterness, coffee flavors. A bit astringent.
Date: July 28, 1993 (#197)

Package: draught

Place: B.Moloch / Heathman Pub, Portland OR

Score: 15 points

Overall Impression (2½)
Black opaque. OK head. Some bitter hop aroma, some black malt. Very bitter hops. Some astringency. Very bitter.
Date: July 27, 1993 (#174)

Package: draught

Place: Full Sail at Riverplace, Portland OR

Score: 14½ points

Overall Impression (3)
Opaque DARK red. Coffee aroma! Bitter. Some coffee flavor. Thinner than I'd expect, but not out of line. Residual sweetness.

Date: September 15, 2007 (#6631)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 17 points

Appearance (3)
Bright golden. High carbonation. Moderate foamy head.

Aroma (3)
Fruity, malty.

Mouthfeel (9)
Big body, smooth. Hugely malty. Very alcoholic. Very fruity. Yeasty. Some bitterness.

Overall Impression (2)
Pretty nice Tripel.

Date: October 20, 2007 (#6663)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 14½ points

Appearance (3)
Hazy red-brown. Big foamy head.

Aroma (2½)
Floral. Grassy. Sweet malt.

Mouthfeel (7)
Light-medium body, fizzy. Big toasty sweet brown maltiness. Big brown sugar flavor. Sweet finish.

Overall Impression (2)

Date: January 16, 1997 (#2003)

Package: bottled

Place: Kamuela Liquor Store, Kamuela HI

Score: 12½ points

Overall Impression (2½)
Golden, some haze, OK head. Spearmint aroma, like gum. Malty flavor and good body, but with a weird sharp bitterness riding on top. Not very well-balanced.

Date: October 20, 2013 (#9284)

Package: bottled

Place: Hy-Vee Stony Brook, Omaha NE

Score: 16 points

Appearance (3)
Yellow, hazy. Dense head.

Aroma (3)
Piney, citrusy. Yeasty.

Mouthfeel (8)
Medium body, fizzy. Wheat malt flavor. Citrusy. Mild grassy, piney hop flavor. Low-medium bitterness.

Overall Impression (2)
Much more White than IPA.

Date: October 20, 2007 (#6657)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 17 points

Appearance (3)
Red. Some haze. Huge dense head.

Aroma (3)
Huge floral, fruity, grassy hops.

Mouthfeel (8)
Medium body, moderate carbonation. Lots of spicy hops and lots of caramel malt. Real nice balance. Dry, fruity finish, with not a lot of bitterness.

Overall Impression (3)

Date: July 5, 2013 (#9220)

Package: draught

Place: Krug Park, Omaha NE

Score: 17 points

Appearance (3)
Bright copper-amber. Thick head.

Aroma (3)
Candy orange.

Mouthfeel (9)
Reasonably thick and very malty. Candy orange flavor, medium bitterness. Sweet caramel malt, toasty. Fruity hoppy finish.

Overall Impression (2)
Brewed in collaboration with Rogue and North Coast.

Date: October 26, 2018 (#9929)

Package: bottled

Place: The Casual Pint, Omaha NE

Score: 15½ points

Appearance (2½)
Golden, some haze. Low, short-lived head.

Aroma (3)
Malty, mildly smoky. Some banana, fruity esters.

Mouthfeel (8)
Medium body, fizzy. Sweet malt and a noticeable oaky-dill note. Warming. A little yeasty. Grassy, mildly resiny note. Loads of esters all the way through.

Overall Impression (2)
Bottle-conditioned.

Date: July 22, 2008 (#7200)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 16½ points

Appearance (3)
Really red. Thick dense head.

Aroma (3)
Huge grassy hops and intense caramel malt.

Mouthfeel (8)
Big body, moderate carbonation. Loads of sweet caramel malt. Big grassy hop flavor. Fairly bitter, but pretty well-balanced.

Overall Impression (2½)

Date: July 19, 2008 (#7194)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 18 points

Appearance (3)
Red-amber, with some haze. Thick dense head.

Aroma (3)
Fruity, grassy, resiny hops. Alcohol.

Mouthfeel (9)
Big body, fairly fizzy. Lots of caramel malt, and lots of spicy, resiny hop flavor and bitterness. Real nice balance. Long bitter finish.

Overall Impression (3)

Date: May 21, 2017 (#9736)

Package: draught

Place: The Original Draught House, Omaha NE

Score: 16 points

Appearance (3)
Golden, dense head.

Aroma (3)
Floral hops.

Mouthfeel (8)
Light-medium body, smooth. Big floral hop flavor, medium bitterness. Malt is way in the background.

Overall Impression (2)

Date: February 3, 2007 (#6308)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 18½ points

Appearance (2½)
Amber. Lots of tiny flakes. Massive dense head.

Aroma (3)
Mild graham cracker malt. Very mild earthy hops.

Mouthfeel (10)
Medium body, low carbonation. Creamy. Hugely malty. Very nice grassy hop flavor, mild-moderate bitterness. Excellent balance.

Overall Impression (3)
Real nice beer, brewed with fresh-picked hops from the Willamette Valley.

Date: January 20, 2007 (#6294)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 16 points

Appearance (3)
Very hazy red-amber. Moderate dense head.

Aroma (3)
Earthy, resiny.

Mouthfeel (8)
Medium-big body, smooth. Really bitter. Resiny hop flavor with some caramel malt.

Overall Impression (2)
Good beer, but it doesn't have the balance of Big Sky IPA.

Date: January 11, 2003 (#4590)

Package: bottled

Place: from the brewery

Score: 17 points

Overall Impression (3)
Very deep bright red, low head. Intensely malty aroma, toasty, raisiny, vanilla. Big body, very low carbonation. Huge vanilla character, great big caramel malt and just a hint of toastiness. Big vanilla finish.

Date: February 12, 1998 (#2388)

Package: draught

Place: Ryan's Grill, Honolulu HI

Score: 15 points

Overall Impression (2½)
Deep dark red, not quite clear. Chocolate, ginger, nutmeg aromas. Fairly thick, big sweet chocolate flavor, some hints of spice late.

Date: November 20, 2009 (#8021)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 16½ points

Appearance (3)
Red. Some haze. Low head.

Aroma (3½)
Dark caramel malt. Roasty. Alcoholic.

Mouthfeel (8)
Medium body, moderate carbonation. Sweet caramel malt. Mild fruity, grassy hops. Low bitterness. Grassy finish.

Overall Impression (2)

Date: November 13, 2009 (#8015)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 16 points

Appearance (3)
Red. Some haze. Moderate head.

Aroma (3)
HUGE biscuit-caramel malt. Fruity, grassy hops.

Mouthfeel (8)
Huge, malty, sweet, caramel, fruity, grassy.

Overall Impression (2)
"Best after 4/20/10".

Date: May 10, 1997 (#2067)

Package: bottled

Place: from the brewery

Score: 17 points

Overall Impression (3)
Amber, clear, low carbonation, big head. Nutty aroma, like wheat bread. Full body, very well-balanced. Good Cascade flavor in the middle, big and malty fore and aft. Long malty finish. Formerly an IPA?

Date: July 28, 1993 (#186)

Package: draught

Place: Full Sail at Riverplace, Portland OR

Score: 11 points

Overall Impression (2)
Chill haze. Deep yellow. Hoppy nose. Thin. Bitter. Not big enough for an IPA.

Date: January 18, 1997 (#2007)

Package: bottled

Place: Kamuela Liquor Store, Kamuela HI

Score: 18 points

Overall Impression (3)
Perfectly black, big brown head. Chocolate aroma. Smooth, black, fairly sweet, with a long black malt finish. Pretty tasty.

Date: February 18, 2017 (#9692)

Package: draught

Place: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Omaha, La Vista NE

Score: 18½ points

Appearance (3)
Bright golden. Dense head.

Aroma (3½)
Clean malt. Mildly fruity.

Mouthfeel (9)
Light-medium body, fizzy. Clean malt flavor with a corn (grain, not DMS) note. Mildly fruity flavor — nowhere near as fruity as it was described. Clean moderately bitter finish.

Overall Impression (3)
Real good beer. Brewed with "Tettnang Mandarina" hops.

Date: June 12, 2005 (#5715)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 16 points

Appearance (3)
Golden. Hazy. Thick head.

Aroma (3)
Grassy, lemony.

Mouthfeel (8)
Medium body, smooth. Big grassy hop flavor — lemongrass. Lots of caramel, with a hint of smoke. Very sweet fruity finish.

Overall Impression (2)

Date: January 29, 2018 (#9814)

Package: draught

Place: The Casual Pint, Omaha NE

Score: 18½ points

Appearance (3)
Black. Thick brown head.

Aroma (4)
Rich chocolate, mildly roasty malt. Very mild alcohol.

Mouthfeel (9)
Thick, smooth. Fiercely malty. Lots of alcohol. Fairly bitter and grassy. Some coconut. More grassy bitterness in the finish.

Overall Impression (2½)
Whopping big complex strong beer.

Date: February 24, 2022 (#10927)

Package: bottled

Place: Wine, Beer, and Spirits Grand Island, Grand Island NE

Score: 18½ points

Appearance (3)
Completely black. Thick dense head.

Aroma (3½)
Some alcohol, some oak. Roasty, chocolatey malt. Earthy.

Mouthfeel (9)
Thick and smooth. Huge chocolate malt, roasty. Grassy, resiny hop character, medium-big bitterness. Lots of chocolate all the way through. Chocolatey, resiny finish.

Overall Impression (3)
Tasty and complex and even stronger than it tastes.