Californian Gary Fish established his brewpub concept, Deschutes Public House, in downtown Bend in 1988. Named after the Deschutes Rover, Deschutes was Central Oregon’s first brewery. Fish hired John Harris (founder of Ecliptic Brewing Co.) from McMenamins. Legislation and a growing provincialism for locally crafted beers soon turned the microbrewer of Mirror Pond Pale Ale and Black Butte Porter in obscure Bend, Oregon into a macro success, as the state’s largest brewer by barrel count. Deschutes Brewery is still family and employee owned, the brewery is known for brewing a diverse line-up of award winning beers including the popular Fresh Squeezed IPA, Black Butte Porter, and Mirror Pond Pale Ale. With a second brewpub in Portland’s Pearl District that has become a popular destination for craft beer lovers from around the world, Deschutes Brewery now ships beer to 29 states, the District of Columbia, and internationally from its main brewing facility located on the banks of the Deschutes River. In conjunction with Peaks and Pints’ Deschutes Can release Party at 4 p.m. today we offer a flight of Deschutes beer we call Craft Beer Crosscut 3.3.18: a Flight of Deschutes Brewery. Catchy, huh?

Deschutes Pear And Bergamot Sour Ale

4.3% ABV, 18 IBU

The Deschutes Sour Series is a new offering from Deschutes Brewery. An innovative and creative series of stainless, lacto soured beers that vary in the use of fruit, hops, spices and specialty ingredients, all maintain a harmonious and clean acidity ranging from mild to medium. This series combines two trends among craft beer consumers: an emerging interest in kettle sours and a movement toward fruit-flavored beers. Peaks and Pints has tapped the Bend brewery’s new Pear Bergamot Sour Ale with crisp, semidry flavor that’s not too tart, sports pear and citrus flavors with a kiss of tart berries. It has a delightful finish that lingers on sour pear and a brisk sour golden base.

Deschutes Black Butte Porter

5.2% ABV, 30 IBU

Deschutes named its porter after a stratovolcano in the Deschutes National Forest near its brewery in Bend, Oregon. While there, grab a fresh pint of one of the loveliest porters in the country. The aroma bears a hint of nuttiness, followed by the unmistakable smells of rich yet soft milk chocolate. Black Butte Porter is slightly bitter in the first sip, but mellows out with a chocolate and roasted finish. As creamy and chocolaty as it should be, this is the porter all other porters strive to be. 

Deschutes 2017 The Dissident

10.5% ABV, 25 IBU

With apologies to The Abyss, this oud bruin is a favorite of Deschutes’ Reserve Series. The Dissident is a Flanders-style sour brown ale, sometimes referred to as an “Oud Bruin” (old brown) beer. It’s an earthy beer, soured through the use of a percentage of beer brewed with wild yeast. Deschutes brews The Dissident with Oregon Montmorency cherries, and it is fermented and aged in pinot noir and cabernet oak barrels for 18 months. A wonderful dark cherry aroma immediately fills the room followed by strong oak presence and spicy, earthy yeast are present behind the cherry. The Dissident has great tart cherry flavor that is complemented by notes of red wine, oak and vanilla. The use of dark Belgian candi sugar provided a bit of molasses.

Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA

6.4% ABV, 60 IBU

From one of Oregon’s most heralded breweries, Deschutes, comes Fresh Squeezed, a Citra-hopped delight. The mouthwatering, delicious Fresh Squeezed IPA receives a liberal dosing of Mosaic and Citra hops for a mango, pineapple, orange and grapefruit morning fruit cup. While the initial flavors are sweet and fruity, a good dose of hop bitterness comes through near the end, keeping it all in perfect harmony.

Deschutes Hop Henge Imperial IPA

8.3% ABV, 90 IBU

Hops don’t always taste how you’d expect, especially experimental varieties. Even after they’re chopped and dried, you can’t be sure how the bittering agent in beer will interact with sweet malt and hungry yeast. For several years, Deschutes’ Hop Henge Imperial IPA has been dubbed experimental – as brewers annually redesign the beer with a different blend of hops, ingredients and techniques. Deschutes brewers folded their white lab coats and stored them. They’re so satisfied with this year’s Hop Henge that it’s being added to the brewery’s year-round offerings. Featuring Chinook, Cascade, Centennial and Galaxy hops, this beer is a terrific combo of west coast and tropical hopping.