Deschutes Cinder Cone Red Ale

Brewed by Deschutes Brewery
Style: Amber Ale
Bend, Oregon USA

Oak aged version at Oregon Brewer’s Festival brewer’s dinner 2007, and enjoyed several times as well in regular form--Poured a clear and clean red body with a fluffy white head. Balanced bitterness. I could drink this one all day. Slightly herbal and fruity. Yum!

06-Mar-07 (12 oz bottle, Best By 03-May-07: BevMo in La Jolla, CA) Scott, our Deschutes rep here in San Diego, stopped by my BevMo to conduct a tasting for our customers and Cinder Cone was probably my favorite. It’s a fairly clean red ale, very much a hops-forward beer without being really hoppy or bitter. The mix of old and new world hops are quite floral, yet suggest herbal tea at times as well. A bit of pine comes on toward the finish, providing medium bitterness from start to finish. Medium-sweet malts are both toasty and caramely, but are polite enough to deflect most of the attention to the hops. Yeast contributes a hint of orange stone fruit and perhaps a trace of butteriness. Floral hops really dominates the nose if I swirl the glass, but once that blows off, the beer has a fruity and grainy aroma. Medium-bodied, ample but soft carbonation, smooth mouthfeel. The off-white head pours to about a quarter inch in height, gradually settling to a broken film atop the hazy, deep amber body. Modest but intricate and attractive lace encircles the glass near the initial pour line, with a few random slashes below. Overall, an enjoyable beer that fits well in the Deschutes brewing philosophy and a very nice seasonal to look forward to.

20-Nov-05 (12 oz bottle: BevMo in San Diego/Carmel Mountain, CA) Here’s an aged bottle of Cinder Cone with a Best By date of 03-Jun-05 that I figured I’d drink to finish off the six-pack. I have to say, expired or not, this beer is still really nice. The flavor is still nutty, gently caramely, and moderately hoppy and bitter, with some grapefruit in there. Still flavorful and well-balanced, no loss of hops, no transition toward earthiness. Nutty, caramely and hoppy nose. Medium bodied, perfectly carbonated, soft and coating on the palate, kind of oily and slippery. Slightly hazy, medium amber color. The tall, off-white head shows excellent retention, maintaining a complete layer atop the beer. Doesn’t seem like this beer improves nor worsens with moderate aging, so no worries if the beer extends a few months beyond the expiration date. All numbers stay the same, except appearance because this beer pours better tonight than it did on tap at Humpy’s. (7, 4, 7, 3, 14 = 3.5)

18-Aug-04 (Draft: Humpy’s Ale House in Anchorage, AK) Flavorful, moderately malty, caramely and sweet, with a noticeable nuttiness, but also fairly bitter for nice balance. Has a mildly hoppy nose with a lightly malty, moderately sweet honey aroma. Light to medium body seems a bit on the watery side, but it’s passable. Reddish amber color. Light tan head fades to a thin sheen and small rim. (7, 3, 7, 3, 14 = 3.4)

Cindercone is always welcome back and gone too fast. My favorite Amber Ale. I am more of an IPA enthusiast.

From notes 12/29/2006. Pours a dark orange brown with a tan head. Heavy on the hops on the nose. Sweet, citrusy, and a slight touch of smoke. Also smells like chewed bubble gum. Flavor is heavy with hops, but lacking in elegance. Probably pushed just a bit too far I’d say. You get a slight punch in the mouth from the expected hop influece, but it isn’t rounded out at all. Feel is decent. Nice level of carbonation, but there is so much put into this one, that it makes it heavy and thick on the tongue. Drinkable, sure. It’s a pretty good brew (that is actually better when it is not cold).

12 oz bottle. Aroma sweet , malt and hint of toffee. Amber body with off white head and some lacing. Flavor had a sticky sweet malt with some caramel and mild to medium bitterness. Left a dry bitter aftertaste on the palate. Decent brew

12 oz. bottle - another solid offering from Deschutes that is neither ordinary nor expectional; nice malt aromas and sweet roasted flavors

Translucent and shiny copper in color with a bubbles-feeding-head mentality. Bubbles popping at the crest create an icy grey surface. Aroma speaks to succulent, sugary hops. Candi sugar is crusted on ruby red grapefruit, joining forces with buttered almonds, amaretto toffee and a hint of blood oranges to all form a rather well composed nose. Flavor swings in with brandy stewed nuts, diluted with holy water, and then get aided with a sprig of spruce. Buttery toffee is caught off the eastern seaboard and held in a perpetual standoff. Amicable bitterness hums dryly on the rooftop while gummy, cherry juice and caramel sap slide off of seasoned spruce needles. The medium body never changes directions, for better or worse. Oxidized pistachios ring with a touch of the tin nut can liner and a numbed, caramel amaretto toffee character perseveres until the slightly bitter end.

Ah Deschutes. They rarely brew a bad beer and this is no exception. Really pleasing malt, nicely balanced with some fresh hop character. Some astringency in the palate limits drinkability, but its still a nice drop, just not Deschutes best.