Fresh Squeezed Old Fashioned
Deschutes Brewery

Not very IPA like, this very much feels like a strong beer cocktail. Lots of fruit and spice and alcohol, but the hops are very well disguised, although there’s a slight bitter aftertaste that I couldn’t quite place. I like beer cocktails so also I tried it with ice and a slice and a cherry, and it didn’t improve it, but the result wasn’t bad either maybe the addition of whiskey into it as well would be nice. Hmm.

Perhaps the most beautiful color ever gazed upon in a beer. A Rich reddish-brown hue that just screams 'old school cocktail'.

Bottled on March 18, 2025, enjoyed in a CRUX Snifter in late-summer 2025.

Whiskey (soft) / orange / candied hoppiness…it's all there. Bottle states “11.9” ABV.

Probably more of a December sipper than Summer refreshment.

Hard to consider it related to Fresh Squeezed IPA. This is not in the same universe as 99% of Imperial IPA’s. It drinks more like a barrel-aged old-ale sipper with a twist of orange bitters.

Purchased at the Deschutes Brewery tasting room in a 4-pack of 12 oz. bottles ($20). Uncertain about the breadth of its current distribution (late summer 2025). If you see it, grab it for the cold winter months - it’ll provide a wonderful winter sipping nightcap.

Appearance:  On draft into a teku glass at the Portland location. Color of reddish black tea. A little over an inch of dirty tan foam that was reduced to a ring in 60 seconds.

Aroma and Taste:  Malt, nuts, caramel sweetness, browned butter, booze, tea, more cherry than orange, raisin, bourbon barrel, musk. Tastes nothing like Fresh Squeezed but that's not a bad thing. I think they were just using the name to get our attention.

Feel:  Good carbonation. Thin and a little dry. Not syrupy or creamy but not baseless either.

Overall:   Fantastic complexity. Just the right amount of everything. Consistency is perfect. My only complaint is that it's not at all reminiscent of Fresh Squeezed as was advertised.

Deschutes did a good job with this beer even though it doesn't taste like a normal beer. It's like a barrel-aged one that wasn't in the barrel very long. It has the notes of an Old Fashion drink, but don't notice the hop notes. It has some bitterness throughout. In the long run it is more like a barleywine or a barrel-aged beer. Not what you would expect from a beer.

Draft at the Taphouse. Mahogany pour, small ring of bubbly head. Malty aroma, caramel, bourbon, cherries. Taste is sweet, malty, bourbon, orange peel, cherries. Boozy.

Pours a dark copper, rust color with a thin finger of head. Smells like bourbon barrel, some lemon, a little hop. Tastes lemony, some light bourbon barrel flavor, citrus hops that have a little kick on the aftertaste, alcohol, some treacle, not much malt, a little barleywinish in that regard.

In closing, it’s not quite on the level of some of my favorite barrel aged IPA’s like Doom and Burton Baton, but it’s an interesting and pretty tasty beer that’s its own thing and happy to find some today, cheers!

real strange, the barrel aged ipa has always been a weird thing, super hit or miss, and while this tastes nothing like the original fresh squeezed, and really doesnt even drink all that hoppy, i quite liked it as a cocktail inspired beer, the bourbon and the orange peel do nice things to this, it seems heavier, darker, sweeter, and more malt forward than the original, im sure this recipe has been beefed up some to support the aging and such. reddish amber colored, not a lot of head from the tap but its better carbonated than it looks like it is. the nose is fading hops, sweet orange and zesty lemon, caramelized grain character along with vanilla forward whiskey, not overdone on the barrel treatment, it doesnt overwhelm the other elements, slight alcohol presence, wintery spiciness, and i can almost smell a bitters element giving more authenticity to the cocktail track. bourbon and cola in the taste, sweet brown sugar and toffee, oily orange essence, piney hops now come into play, woody but less oak barrel more white pine lumberyard, neat. its dried on the palate in feel than it actually tastes, and its easy to drink for what it is. some neat fruitiness from the grain as it warms, not quite cocktail cherry but definitely a raisin thing, warming vanilla from the bourbon, some solid hop bitterness at the end, more bitterness than flavor, and this is where i can accept it as an ipa after all. neat idea here, and fine execution, im just not sure how well the base beer is really suited to this kind of jazzing up, and it ends up making me miss what fresh squeezed used to be when it first came out, a game changer back then. good job not overdoing it on the extra ingredients or on the bourbon presence, nice after dinner sipper, more fall than spring, but a cool effort overall.

Bottled 3/7/24- 10.7% abv. Opaque reddish/mahogany with short off white head leaving minimal lacing. Nose has a sweetish cocktail scent with hints of citrus and booze. Taste follows more or less with some lingering barrel notes on the dryish finish. Interesting enough but prefer original fresh squeezed.

 

 

L: Reddish body. One finger frothy head.
S: On the sweet side, but not overly. Candied cherry, caramel, hints of citrus, a few floral notes, and of course a bit of bourbon.
T: Follows the nose. Candied cherry upfront, caramel sweetness, candied citrus peel, a bit of lemon zing, a medicinal quality to everything, bourbon finishing out the body, and slightly syrupy cherry and orange on the finish.
F: Low moderate carbonation, quite smooth and light, medicinal on the tongue, warm and boozy on the finish.
O: I was 50/50 on this being good or terrible. Turns out it’s really, really well done. Not too cloying or boozy, not too syrupy, and not overdone with adjuncts. I’ll even seek it out moving forward.

 

Ye olde State College Pletcher's Beer Distributor provided our taste of this puppy! Found a 4-pack there and brought it home for lunch at D&M Bell's, New Year's Eve, 2020. The initial smell is one a sour and slightly sweet bourbon barrel with a hint of spicy cedar. On to the flavor! You're definitely hit with bourbon barrel with the first sip, and a nice warm sensation in the chest. I'm also getting clementine rind. This is a very different one for sure, but I like it!

On tap at Deschutes Roanoke

A- pours a clear deep amber with a one finger foamy white head that has good retention and leaves some lacing behind

S- citrusy hops, orange peel and bourbon barrel dominate the nose, undertones of cherry and orange liquor

T- hoppy and citrusy up front, followed by plenty of oaky bourbon that adds hints of caramel and vanilla. The finish gives more citrus with plenty of bourbon on the linger

M- medium body with moderate carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel that continues into the finish

O- a nice variation that bourbon drinkers will enjoy

 

A-pours looking like maple syrup, in terms of color as well as opaqueness
S-bourbon and orange liqueur
T-bourbon forward, orange rind, vanilla, above-average sweetness
M-medium (-) body, refined carbonation, oily/sticky finish like a WCIPA
O-as advertised

Deschutes BA Fresh Squeezed Old Fashioned DIPA, 8.1% ABV. Pours copper with a small finger of white head that left a foamy ring of lacing. Nose is orange, bitters, and cherry - old fashioned. Taste follows, with slight bitterness. Excellent mouthfeel, overall excellent to outstanding. This is better than the competing entry from Central Waters.

Poured from a bottle into a tulip.

Pours nearly clear amber with a nice modest but staying foamy head. Excellent lacing for sure.

The aromas evoke the cocktail for sure. The bourbon/fruit marriage is a winner with bourbon and vanilla notes forward but not overwhelming melded with some orange, bitters, and oaky goodness.

The flavors aren't quite as smooth, with the bourbon aging being a bit heavy-handed. If this was a stout or other dark brew, it would be really good. It ends up being a bit too strong for an IPA. Still, the flavors are quite interesting and true to the flavor promised on the label. Bourbon, bitters, and orange peel all work together pretty well.

The brew is beyond medium but isn't a heavy quaff. Not a "repeater" but despite the 8.1 ABV, it's very drinkable.

Interesting and definitely worth a try. But if they had taken this one out of the barrel a little earlier, it would have been special, I think.