Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale

The Deschutes Brewery is in Bend, Oregon. Their pale ale is 5.0% ABV. The bottle asks, "If you could only listen to one album forever, what would it be?" A Hobson's choice.

The beer pours a clear copper in color with a tall, thick, almost creamy, head of off-white foam. The aroma is hard to reach through the dense head, making it mild, There is fruit, citrus, lemon, and malt. The taste is a beautifully balanced pale ale blend of malt and hops, toasted malt and light caramel, and citrus, sweet orange, lemon and grapefruit. The finish is moderately bitter and quite dry. The mouth is smooth and creamy, yet carbonated. Refreshing and elegant. This is a top notch classic pale ale. I want to drink this out of a tap at the brewery.

2017: The beer pours amber and copper in color. There is a half-inch of off-white head. The aroma is mild, light caramel, light lemon, light plum. The taste follows the aromas, toasted and lightly roasted malt, caramel, and fruit. The finish is lightly bitter. The beer drinks smooth with moderate carbonation. I did not like this nearly as much as last time; the bottle is not old, but not super fresh either, I'll have to try it again.