Chasin' Freshies 2016 - Centennial
Deschutes Brewery

3.92/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

"Best by 12/1/17"; drank 11/15/17 @ the Yarchives.

See-through orange appearance.

A rough pour yielded a HUGE off-white head; frothy lace.

Melon, banana, mango & dry grass notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Melon & banana flavors up front; dry grass notes on the finish.

Fruity with a nice dry balance; this is an above average wet hop IPA. I'd have another.

 372 characters

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

I tried a bottle of this at my neighbors house and it seemed more a Belgian white ipa than anything else. It poured a clear yellow with white head that left some lace. The scent had citrus peel and that began spice twang. The taste and Belgian like malt sweetness mixed with touch of citrus peel. The Mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall it's ok not as good as fresh squeezed.

 403 characters

3.84/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours a foggy, orange-wheat with a finger of foamy white head that retains very well. Lacing is prevalent throughout the glass. Aroma is run by dank, resiny hop notes, with additional interjections of rosemary, and lemon zest. Flavor profile follows closely with the aroma, with large, dank and resin hop notes opening up the flavor profile. Rosemary, lemon zest, and a zip of pine help round out the otherwise hoppy flavor. Mouth feel is slightly grainy, with an overall smooth, medium-thick consistency and texture. Overall, it's a nice beer that represents hops well. It is on the hoppier, biting side of the IPA spectrum, so be warned.

Served in a 12oz snifter.

 667 characters

3.95/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Best by 12/1/2016 - poured from a 12oz bottle into my Dogfish Head shaped pint glass.

Lightly hazy gold body with half a finger of off-white foam up top. Sandy lacing, faint legs, decent retention.

Lemon drops, rosewater, and tangelo zest in the nose. Lovely aromatics.

Pils character comes through on the palate - clean, sharp, yet malty - providing excellent balance for the persistent bitter and spicy punch of the hops - which are tasty, but slightly abrasive. The oats contribute some sweetness in the finish as well. While Centennial is supposed to be the star of this show, it's surprising how much flavor is derived from the malt profile.

Soft, medium-light bodied, refreshing (no DMS), and warming from the alcohol.

Well crafted, crisp, and unique, although the Bravo bittering hops have a certain potency which seemed to muddy the presentation of the Centennial hops (except for the aroma). A good beer, but I still much prefer Sierra Nevada's Celebration ale for my annual dose of fresh hops.

 1,011 characters

3.81/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

This beer pours a clear pale gold with a large head. The aroma is dank and marijuana influenced, with pine, lemon, grapefruit, and a dusky, sawdust note at the end. The flavor is of tart lemon, grapefruit peel, pine, resin, and woodsyness. The mouthfeel is oily and redolent, with bright carbonation. Overall this a nice fresh hop beer with plenty of oily qualities. Maybe a bit more malty than I would prefer, but still good.

 426 characters

4.06/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

355ml bottle poured into tulip.

Pours a slightly hazy golden yellow with one finger of off-white head that leaves spongy sheets of lace as it recedes.

Smells of orange and lemon peel, bread dough, sticky pine resin, cut flowers and grapefruit zest.

Tastes of dinner roll caramel malt, pineapple, more juicy citrus and earthy, resiny hops.

Feels light and creamy. Medium bodied with frothy carbonation. Finishes dry.

Verdict: Highly recommended. Very solid and dangerously drinkable.

 487 characters

4.06/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

12oz single bottle - obviously a new offering, given the different hop treatment, yeah?

This beer pours a slightly hazy, pale golden yellow colour, with a near-teeming tower of puffy, rocky, and somewhat chunky off-white head, which leaves a whole lotta random blotchy lace around the glass as it lazily recedes.

It smells of muddled domestic citrus rind, gritty and grainy pale malt, a touch of dank pine resin, and further leafy, weedy, and floral green hop bitters. The taste is rather floral up front, with some pretty perfumed notes, before the introduction of a sturdy pale and caramel-based malt backbone, some lemon, lime, and red grapefruit citrus fleshiness, and more leafy, earthy, and pine resin-forward verdant hoppiness.

The carbonation is quite thorough in its lilting and caressing frothiness, the body a solid medium weight, and actually fairly smooth, with a nice airy creaminess emerging shortly after take-off. It finishes off-dry, the floral and citrusy and piney and dank side of the hops still playing nicely with the lingering caramel-fed graininess.

Overall, this is another well-bred, and interesting fresh-hopped IPA, the Centennial varietal keeping things, er, real, I suppose (don't want to write 'fresh' twice in the same sentence - aw, shit!). Easy to drink, tasty, and worthy of checking out while the time, she is a-wasting!

 1,364 characters

3.9/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Aroma is citrus, sugar/candy and slightly dank hops. The flavor is Centennial hops, citrus, mild sugar/candy, malts and a mix of spicy, bitter and slight tartness in the finish.

 178 characters

3.32/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

Pours a beautiful clear gold with a well-retained cap of moderately foamy white head. Steadily carbonated and it leaves some small sticky rings and streaks of lacing. The aroma is a little anemic, with some mild bready malts and just a faint hint of hops that I can't really ID. The taste isn't bad but that's not a huge plus given it doesn't taste like much. It's oddly bland with some hops coming on at the finish. The body has a nice weight and feel on the palate with an enjoyable effervescence and a slightly dry finish.

 526 characters

3.08/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Look: A slightly hazy yellow color. Clear enough to see bubbles rushing towards the surface. A little less than one finger of foamy white head rests on top, but it dissipates to thin film rather quickly.

Smell: Was not too impressed with the smell. Lemon is the first thing I pick up, and there's a floral character as well. Sort of a grassy scent. The aroma was just underwhelming for me, and what was there was sort of lack luster.

Taste: Things improve a little here. Lemon is strong just like the aroma. There is also some grapefruit and some very subtle pineapple flavors. The hops really stand out, especially near the end, which is accompanied by some slight bitterness.

Feel: Crisp mouthfeel. Moderately high carbonation, but not overbearing for the style at all. It's a little more bubbly than I prefer, but I wouldn't subtract points just because of my preference.

Overall: I think fans of IPAs, especially fruitier IPAs, will enjoy this brew. I was a little underwhelmed, and the flavors and mouthfeel don't really do it for me, but I can see why a lot of people would enjoy this beer.

 1,116 characters

4.06/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

They kicked off New Beer Sunday (Week 610) just a short while ago & I am jumping in with some fresh/wet-hopped ales as they beg for consumption as early as possible. Not necessarily early in the day, but early in their shelf life. Dang! I did not realize that Deschutes' annual release features a single hop, in this instance, Centennial. 8=( I will have to be more diligent in coming years.

From the bottle: "2016 Release Fresh Hop I.P.A. featuring Centennial Hops"; "Family & Employee Owned Since 1988"; "Profile - Floral and citrusy, the enchanting aroma of the freshest possible hops."; "Bottle Conditioned for Quality [-] Live yeast added to the bottle allows this beer to age gracefully and stay fresher, longer. Keep bottles upright, and away from light & heat."

I was anxious to get this started following the Pop! of the cap, but since it is clearly marked as being bottle-conditioned, I decided to go easy on the pour. No worries as the resultant clarity was worth it plus an in-glass swirl raised a finger of puffy, foamy, bone-white head with good retention. Color was Yellow-Gold (SRM = 4 - 5) with NE-plus quality clarity, prompting The Gelt Gang of Mammon, Croesus & Midas to come into the Chez Woody kitchen from the living room, where they were watching football on television. If Victory Harvest Ale smelled of earthiness, this smelled like freshly-brewed mint tea with lemon! And I mean, freshly-picked mint leaves, too. I was reminded of making hop tea, at times with whole cones in a tea ball and others using part of a pellet. Very mellow. Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, a little bigger than the Victory. The taste was very citrusy, lemony-grapefruity with a light mintiness underlying the fruitiness. Man, this was like a glass of Celestial Seasonings' SleepyTime Tea. Incredibly mellow flavors. Finish was semi-dry, more citrusy than outright bitter and lingering well past the swallow. To be frank ('n' stein), I enjoyed the single-hop aspect of this beer, but I felt like it lacked the Ooomph! and depth of the earlier Victory offering. It may not be a fair comparison, but it provides a baseline for the day.

 2,137 characters

4.11/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pale yellow in color, with a sizable foamy white head. The dead dies down quickly to a cap atop the brew, with fantastic spider web like webbing left on the glass. The beer is crystal clear, with lazy lines of carbonation making their way to the rim of the glass. In the nose I get soft hints of citrus, grapefruit and lemon can be clearly noted. In equal parts I get pine, and sweet malt with a honey like scent. The only issue I have here is that the nose is so soft, it doesn't come out and tell you it's there, but instead asks you to dip your nose deep into your glass to find it. The flavor starts off with soft sweet malt, just as soft as the nose predicted. Then, suddenly you are hit with a hard, sharp, lemon note, followed by rising bitterness. Upon swallowing you are again greeted by that friendly malt profile, only to have it again ripped away from you, this time by a dominating pine note. The bitterness follows again, but a tad more subtly this time, growing in the aftertaste, and coating the tongue. Finish is very, very dry, no doubt a product of the bitterness. Mouthfeel is quite thick of an IPA, the thickest I've encountered for this style yet. Carbonation is there, but is largely hidden by the pine bite right at the end.

I would have liked a bit more depth and complexity in the flavors here, but overall this is a good IPA, but not my favorite by Deschutes.

 1,387 characters

3.58/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pale golden color with little white head. Nose hoppy, grassy, lemon peel, floral. Taste very floral. Hints of citrus and pine. Little bit of sweet malts. Finish clean and grassy. This one is very much like drinking flowers rather than the piney hops I'm used to. Not necessarily a bad thing but definitely different IPA than their others.

 338 characters

4.46/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a chalice.

Appearance: Pours a bright golden orange with a lot of rising bubbles. Big two finger white head that settles into a thin creamy layer.

Smell: A crisp and juicy hop forward aroma with a scent of citrus fruit and grass. Citrus hop scent of grapefruit, orange, lemon zest, and pineapple along with lime. Earthy and floral hops with some grass. Malt hints of caramel, cracker, and biscuit with some yeast. A pretty solid aroma.

Taste: Like it smells, a crisp and juicy hop driven taste with notes of citrus fruit and grass. Upfront citrus hop notes of orange peel, grapefruit, lemon zest, and pineapple with some lime. Earthy hop notes of grass. Background malt notes of caramel, grains, cracker, and biscuit along with yeast. A nice juicy taste.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Crisp, juicy, and drying on the finish.

Overall: A pretty good Fresh Hop IPA. Not as in your face with the ripe bitterness of other Fresh Hop brews but pretty good.

 1,026 characters

4.5/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear golden color with a tight, white head that leaves little bits of lacing.

Smells of citrus notes mostly.

Tastes of the citrus notes layered over a nice malt backbone. Hops lead off with notes of lemon and grapefruit along with some floral notes. This gives way to biscuity malt with some slightly syrupy sweetness. Fairly well balanced. Finishes fairly clean with a bit of lingering citrus.

Mouthfeel is medium with a smooth amount of carbonation.

Overall, this is a tasty IPA that features the Centennial hops well.

 537 characters

3.82/5  rDev -3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Appearance: Yellow, lots of particles in suspension, big head.

Smell: Lemony? Not usual for centennial hops. Smells all right.

Taste: Mild sweetness, then lemon and mild grapefruit, finishes dry but not particularly bitter.

Overall: Picked up a 6er because I needed some IPA goodness. For some reason I've never really loved centennial hops, and this beer illustrates that. Kind of different lemon aroma, sorta grapefruity taste but a little off. Still tastes pretty good and is nice and refreshing for a beer over 7%.

 530 characters

4.09/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is one of the best IPAs I've had from this brewery. Golden orange with a foamy tan head, mostly clear. The aroma is tropical fruit and tangerine. Floral notes and toasted malt. The flavor is bright citrus and orange blossom. Crisp finish- rewarding your mouth with some great hops flavor all the way through. Well done!

 330 characters

4.01/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Bam !! There it is: in-your-face Hops and Bitterness IPA. If you don't like either---
you must leave the room now!! If you can be patient, this beer actually mellows as it warms, so that those who might initially be offended, might actually find it to their liking. Clean, fresh, dry, and soft bitter finish. Deschutes does NOT make a bad beer. Nice job.
7.4% ABV.

 364 characters

4.41/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

So I popped one of the 6-pack and before I even lifted it to my nose, I knew I was in for a treat.

L: Golden, cloudy, with a faint tangerine color, big soapy head--12 oz made a pint crown impressively. Great looking lacing, but real slippery.

S: Thick aroma of dark fruit resin, pine, blood orange, grapefruit, roasted malt and some mildly sweet fruit...mango?

T: Bursts of explosive navel orange, mango, nectarine, grapefruit, banana, chocolate, roasted malt, and heavy pine bitterness that lingers pretty well on the finish, dissolving into pure charcoal.

F: A little oily but a great malt balance keeps it a solid beer without being too heavy.

O: I'm impressed. Looking into this, my only regret is not being old enough to buy the 2014 release with Mosaic.

 765 characters

4.21/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

From 12 oz bottle, poured into nonic glass. Pale golden color, half inch head that recedes quickly. Little carbonation. I have high hopes for this offering, the look alone is underwhelming.
Scent is slight citrus, along a tangerine-grapefruit line. Pleasantly surprised by some yeastiness and blended grains. Not as floral as I would expect from a centennial based IPA.
Any fear of disappointment left as the first taste. A rush of citrus flavors anchored with earthy grains and breadlines. The citrus follows the nose and spills over the tongue never losing its punch. It lingers to a fun contrast of bitterness and citrus-sweet tones. I'm sticking with pithy- tangerine, the mouthfeel is nice and down the middle, enough bubbly to carry the bright flavors. This is a treat. I tasted alongside some little snacks, and this is wonderful with BBQ for its contrasting bitterness to the sweetness and is strong enough to hold its own.

This one faked me out, I was almost sad when I saw it pour out but what a treat. I will be hoarding these as long as I see them on the shelves locally..

 1,099 characters

4.18/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Best by date of 11/30/16

Appearance - Pours crystal clear and high-yellow gold in color with a white, half finger head that dissipates quickly, leaving behind a few islands of suds stranded atop while a thin ring forms around the edge of the glass. Fair enough lacing, with thin, broken lines and small spotting making the bulk of it.

Smell - Citrusy aroma; lemony and orange. Berry. Leafy, twiggy character. Bready malt undertone.

Taste - Follows the nose. Bright citrusy flavor upfront and throughout. Orange and lemon. Maybe a hint of lime? Lesser notes of berry. A bit of leafy, stem-like bitterness. Malts sit beneath but hit on a bit of bread and even less caramel. Finish with a bit of earthy and pithy bitterness and some bright citrus sweetness.

Mouthfeel - Light-to-medium bodied with moderate, slightly tingly carbonation. Slick texture with a crisp, mostly dry finish.

Overall - Maybe the best version of Chasin' Freshies to date. Plenty of punchy bitterness while the subtler nuances fill in the cracks and complete the picture. I wasn't sure what to make of it at first, but it all started to come together as the brew warmed. This won't be my last sixer, that's for sure.

 1,192 characters

3.6/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Best by 12/1/16. 12oz bottle poured into a tulip. Pours golden with nice clarity and bubbles racing upwards; fluffy eggshell white head that slowly falls leaving great retention and sticky lacing. The aromas have a nice amount of citrus. Lemon and lime notes shine. Lots of bread and cracker notes. Slightly floral. Malts do their thing. The flavors basically follow the nose. More lemon and lime along with some grapefruit. Hints of banana. It's earthy with some fresh grass. More floral notes. Solid bitterness. Malts are there, but balanced. Finishes dry. Alcohol goes unnoticed. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied with active carbonation. It's fluffy and creamy. Smooth and easy to drink.

This is a solid IPA. It's very clean, crisp and refreshing. It might not be "flashy", but the craftsmanship is on point. Nice brew.

 818 characters

4.75/5  rDev +20.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Very excited to see this in 6 packs. Poured yellow with a nice thick bone-white head that stuck around and left good lacing. Aroma and flavors are like walking through fields of wild-flowers and stumbling across a small waterfall. This is delicate, refreshing, and as fresh tasting as can be imagined. It drinks almost like a refreshing pilsner, but it still makes room for those unique hop flavors without much bitterness and without chasing trends. I was surprised by the flavor but very much enjoyed it.

 506 characters

4.72/5  rDev +19.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

First of all, yay for 6 packs!

Aroma is herbal/floral with some grapefruit. The taste, however, is incredibly juicy, with a focus on citrus, mostly grapefruit. Delicate Pilsner malt body. Finish is spicy, herbal and bitter, along with lingering citrus. Very dry, very creamy. This is as fresh as it gets. My favorite Chasin' Freshies by far.

 342 characters