Deschutes Brewery Company in Bend, Oregon

So at some point (I apparently missed the memo), Deschutes Brewery changed its Red Chair IPA to its Red Chair NWPA. I believe it is the same brew simply under a new name. I saw a bottle of it the other day I picked it up, figuring it would make for a good review, especially since we are starting to see the first glimpses of spring/summer here. Later I discovered it was in fact the same beer, and our first review ever was the Red Chair IPA. I decided to go ahead and give it a re-review since it has a new name, and well I technically haven’t reviewed it before. I was pretty giddy about drinking and reviewing this beer because it has been a while since I’ve delved into some new IPA’s or at least anything outside the regulars: Blackfoot and whatever is on tap at the Red Atlas.

We had the Red Chair Northwest Pale Ale out of a little 12 oz. bottle which resulted in small, murky yet transparent orange zest colored samples. Despite the small portions, it packed quite an aroma, with a heavy citrus fruit nose and a floral piny backdrop. Given the refreshing summer smell, I expected a fairly mild bitterness with a lot of orange and grapefruit going on in this brew. To my surprise, it began creamy and smooth with light pine flavoring over a citrus burst, culminating in an intense bitterness that stuck on the back of the tongue.  A delightful little IPA that keeps you drinking. The bitter finish almost left the mouth dry, needing another dose of the Red Chair.

I’m excited to see this out in six pack as opposed to the bombers which we saw of the old Red Chair IPA last summer. The bomber wasn’t quite enough, though a figure a six pack of this would be sufficient for a few people to enjoy in the early afternoon. You’ll definitely want to be careful after a few of these since it weighs in at a nice 6.4% ABV.