The Evolution of the Craft Beer Renaissance: Deschutes Red Chair NWPA

1989: {Calling Mr. JK on the Phone} Dude, I had the best beer ever! Deschutes Red Chair Pale Ale! It is amber colored, has all these cool flavors, and tastes like nothing I have ever had before! And get this: It comes from the Pacific Northwest where all those cool bands that Hag listens to come from! Awesome! What? Fuck you, I know the Cowboys suck, Jerry Jones is an asshole, and Jimmy Johnson doesn’t know what he is doing…they are on TV now? Damn it, the phone cord is not long enough for me to reach the remote, I gotta go!

1998: {AOL Instant Message to Mr. JK} Hey, I tried this beer the other night, Deschutes Red Chair Pale Ale, from Oregon, so you know it was great. Some brewery called Deschutes. Lots of hops in it. Bitterest beer I have ever had. It was excellent. …Sorry, someone just called my phone and my internet connection was lost for a few minutes there. What do you think of this Lewinsky chick?

2003: {Email to Mr. JK} Hey, I tried this beer from Deschutes called NorthWest Pale Ale. I think they are trying to establish ‘Northwest Pale Ale’ as a specific genre. It is ok, I have had better, but I would definitely drink it again. Lots of hops, and lots of malts, nice color to it too. On another note, the Return of the King reviews are awesome, we need to go see it soon.

2007: {Text Message to Mr. JK} Pckd up 6 of Dschutes NWPA, ok stuff, not much else at bodega, sort of wild card to find. Need anything else for bbq/

2012: {Mr. JK reads my blog} I recently tried Deschutes Red Chair Northwestern Pale Ale. It pours a somewhat hazy copper color, with a strong aroma of grassy bitter hops. It tastes a bit sweeter than it smells, but that initial sweetness gives way to a soapy burnt flavor on the back end. This is a beer that has most of the component parts to be a decent drink, but does not quite put it all together. Everything seems to be operating at cross purposes, and it just never tastes quite right. It is not awful, 5.5/10, but it is a beer I will not be revisiting any time soon, as there are many better beers out there to drink.

I would have loved this in the past, but now it is just Meh