Sticking to the West Coast of the USA but moving way up north to Oregon, comes another traditional American brewer – Deschutes. Perhaps not as brash as its southern cousins, their seasonal ‘Red Chair Northwest Pale Ale’ is still jammed full of hops (60 IBU’s no less), but countered by truckloads of malts, creating a well-rounded beer.

Bottle. Pours an immaculate deep copper with a reddish hue, medium off-white head and strong lacing. Subdued hop aromas of grapefruit, pepper, rye and a touch of pine along with bread and caramel malts. Initially quite spicy on the palate along with some pine needle bitterness. The caramel malts lead to a relatively sweet middle, along with well integrated warming alcohol, while moderately bitter hops take over the finish.

Appearance: 5/5
Aroma: 7/10
Flavour: 8/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 14/20