Deschutes Cinder Cone Red Ale

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

Best By Date 05/06/05, Sampled January 2006
Pours with a frothy, two-finger thick full tan colored head. The beer is a deep amber color that shows a brilliantly clear ruby color when held up to the light. The aroma is characteristically hoppy with an American accent; I get notes of sweet ruby-red grapefruit, and an undercurrent of herbal pine. There is a touch of malt evident in the nose as well, it reminds me of freshly crushed soda crackers.

The taste is certainly hop dominated from the get go; a nice, though not overwhelming, astringent bitterness carries from start to finish. There is a light malty sweetness, which plays up the fruity citrus hop notes. The hops are also notably pine-like, even more so than the aroma; in fact the grapefruit notes and the pine notes are about in an even balance in the flavor of this beer. The end has a strangely dry finish. I say strangely because there is still a bit of sweet malt lingering on in my taste buds, yet my mouth is dry. It definitely makes you want another sip of this brew. Besides the sweet malt, there is also a biscuit/ soda cracker note here, perhaps even a slight toasted malt note as well.

This is actually quite a tasty, quaffable brew. I was not too sure what to expect from this beer, but it is nicely hoppy, yet still has some interesting underlying malt notes that bring a needed complexity to this brew.

<font size=-4>Purchased from: <a href=http://www.58degrees.com/>58° & Holding Company, Tucson, AZ<font size=-1>

Bottled. Nice, ruby color with an ivory head. Sweet nose with tons of oranges, grapefruit and some roast. Man this beer smells good. Seems somwhat thin but really good for an amber. Slightly malty with some metallic hop bitterness ( i was surprised it didn’t have cascade...). Bitter finish. Nice session beer.

Bottle: Another delightful offering from Deschutes as it pours a cloudy reddish brown topped with a small light brown head. Spicy malts, hops and alcohol find themselves in the aromas as well as taste. The bitter aftertaste is refreshing. I guess I would describe the final feel as creamy hops.

(Bottle) Pours a lightly cloudy amber with a large off-white head. Aroma of pine, citrus, and caramel. Flavor of malt and citrus and pine hops. Enjoyable amber!

Pours a nice bright amber color. Aromas of grapefruit/pine with some roasty scents. Flavor is citrus mixed well with the sweet malt, nice hoppy taste on this one.

Bottle acquired in trade with DarkElf (thanks!). Bottle best before 06/03/05. Poured a darker and cloudy amber color with an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of pine (reminds me of wintergreen gum) and some citrus. Tastes of pine, light caramel, and other malts. I get some light spiciness as well.

Pours ruby with medium off-white head that diminishes to form good lacing. Nose is creamy and malty. The flavor is that of good amber ale, malty and mildly sweet with caramel and toffee flavors. Mild and pleasant aftertaste. Good.

Tap and 12 oz. bottle. The flavor seemed very strong when I first tried it at night, but during the day seemed much less intense. Medium body, with a creamy texture and average carbonation, and a long, smooth finish. The finish is really one of the best parts. It leaves you really wanting more. All in all, not bad if you’re playing poker or pool.