Deschutes River Ale | Deschutes Brewery
Brewed by:
Deschutes Brewery
Oregon, United States
deschutesbrewery.com
Style: American Blonde Ale
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 4.00%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
No notes at this time.
Added by Jason on 02-27-2013
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Ratings: 704 | Reviews: 130
Reviews by Steamer:
4/5 rDev +7.8%
Steamer, Jan 25, 2014
More User Reviews:
3.87/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Rich amber with luxurious head of off-white suds. Lovely lace on my Sierra Nevada pint glass.
Aroma: Malty — I get a tasty, toasty bread character right off the bat. Nice and light.
Taste: Toasty and sweetly malty, light in hop character and body but well tasty and enjoyable. River Ale may not be flashy, big, or bold, but it remains a flavorful and well-done session ale that I would gladly enjoy time and again. Prost!
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look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Rich amber with luxurious head of off-white suds. Lovely lace on my Sierra Nevada pint glass.
Aroma: Malty — I get a tasty, toasty bread character right off the bat. Nice and light.
Taste: Toasty and sweetly malty, light in hop character and body but well tasty and enjoyable. River Ale may not be flashy, big, or bold, but it remains a flavorful and well-done session ale that I would gladly enjoy time and again. Prost!
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2.86/5 rDev -22.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2 | overall: 3
I'm not a fan of the style, so it is difficult to provide a fair review.
No complaints about the look. Nice, slightly hazy gold color, not much of a head, some lacing (for those who care about lacing).
The smell is... mild. Faint hops. No unpleasant.
Taste is also mild, like the smell. Faint piney hops - nothing floral that I can detect. It's not bad, just not that memorable.
The feel is the worst attribute - to my taste buds. Watery. Mildly carbonated.
I guess this is what people would call a "session beer." It would take many people 3 or 4 of these to get a "buzz." Probably better consumed outside on a hot summer's day. The beer just doesn't have enough "substance" for me.
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look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2 | overall: 3
I'm not a fan of the style, so it is difficult to provide a fair review.
No complaints about the look. Nice, slightly hazy gold color, not much of a head, some lacing (for those who care about lacing).
The smell is... mild. Faint hops. No unpleasant.
Taste is also mild, like the smell. Faint piney hops - nothing floral that I can detect. It's not bad, just not that memorable.
The feel is the worst attribute - to my taste buds. Watery. Mildly carbonated.
I guess this is what people would call a "session beer." It would take many people 3 or 4 of these to get a "buzz." Probably better consumed outside on a hot summer's day. The beer just doesn't have enough "substance" for me.
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4.02/5 rDev +8.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12oz brown bottle with a freshness date.
Bright golden hue, perfect clarity. A head that other beer are jealous about adorns the top. Very aromatic; crackers, faint citrus, herbal, slightly floral, hop spice and grassy. Very crisp with a lighter body, expected being only 4.0%. Bready with grassy undetones, even hop flavor throughout and the bitterness at 28 IBUs is at an ideal level for balance. Orange pith, faint mint and a bit herbal with a mildly biscuity drying finish
Extremely drinkable and more than enough flavor to go around for its size, well done Deschutes!
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look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12oz brown bottle with a freshness date.
Bright golden hue, perfect clarity. A head that other beer are jealous about adorns the top. Very aromatic; crackers, faint citrus, herbal, slightly floral, hop spice and grassy. Very crisp with a lighter body, expected being only 4.0%. Bready with grassy undetones, even hop flavor throughout and the bitterness at 28 IBUs is at an ideal level for balance. Orange pith, faint mint and a bit herbal with a mildly biscuity drying finish
Extremely drinkable and more than enough flavor to go around for its size, well done Deschutes!
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4.05/5 rDev +9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Serving glass: Poured from bottle into Imperial Pint.
Appearance: Bright gold with foamy white head that is fairly persistent with some nice lacing.
Smell: Sweet citrus, biscuit and toast, light spiciness. Aromatic at first but fades.
Taste: Very delicate malt backbone of toast and biscuit. Nice hop balance, which includes notes of citrus, tropical fruits and even berry. I am surprised at the traditional hop makeup of this, I would have guessed new hops such as mosaic. Slightly spicy on the finish, but not bitter at all. Just balanced and easy drinking.
Feel: Smooth and creamy light body with low carbonation. Crisp, dry and a little tingly.
Overall: Both subtle and complex, which is not each to do. Supremely drinkable.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Serving glass: Poured from bottle into Imperial Pint.
Appearance: Bright gold with foamy white head that is fairly persistent with some nice lacing.
Smell: Sweet citrus, biscuit and toast, light spiciness. Aromatic at first but fades.
Taste: Very delicate malt backbone of toast and biscuit. Nice hop balance, which includes notes of citrus, tropical fruits and even berry. I am surprised at the traditional hop makeup of this, I would have guessed new hops such as mosaic. Slightly spicy on the finish, but not bitter at all. Just balanced and easy drinking.
Feel: Smooth and creamy light body with low carbonation. Crisp, dry and a little tingly.
Overall: Both subtle and complex, which is not each to do. Supremely drinkable.
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4.35/5 rDev +17.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Had at the Bryant Lake bowl on tap.
A: Brilliant straw gold with a ½” creamy white foam collar that leaves thick lace.
S: Citrus and light grains
T: The palate starts with light fruit and light grains and then it dries out with a slight grapefruit rind bitterness, fairly light.
M: medium body and carbonation.
O: A refreshing, easy to drink beer.
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look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Had at the Bryant Lake bowl on tap.
A: Brilliant straw gold with a ½” creamy white foam collar that leaves thick lace.
S: Citrus and light grains
T: The palate starts with light fruit and light grains and then it dries out with a slight grapefruit rind bitterness, fairly light.
M: medium body and carbonation.
O: A refreshing, easy to drink beer.
355 characters
3.65/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.97/5 rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
easy to drink, like a pale ale light
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look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
easy to drink, like a pale ale light
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3.09/5 rDev -16.7%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Mild yellow pour, seemed to have a little obscured haze throughout it instead of looking a little more professional.
Thanks to Reno Dave for bringing this to March Madness 2013, was a nice, simple palate cleanser, something so many neglected to account for. Aroma was negligible, if anything. Just sweet toasty malt in the smallest amount noticeable.
Taste, pretty marginal, some different yeast like ester flavor going on, also came across like there was a 10% wheat bill almost. Kind of a head scratcher. Stays away from the hops, but heck, even their inversion ipa seems to go that direction lately. Carbonation is substantially high. Some belgian hay in the mouthfeel.
I dunno, Deschutes used to be a brewery that was in my top 5 purchase history. Now, they seem to put all the hops into their bombers and kind of neglect the 6 packs. Heck, even Abyss is less bourbon barrelled than ever. This one wasn't bad, but it was just kind of there, to help wash away the mouth before the next beer.
A big no thanks to David Hurley of the El Dorado Casino sports bar area. Don't renege on promises made about our three days of bottle share half-way through. Integrity counts. Let us enjoy this beer next time instead of hassling your paying customers.
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look: 2.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Mild yellow pour, seemed to have a little obscured haze throughout it instead of looking a little more professional.
Thanks to Reno Dave for bringing this to March Madness 2013, was a nice, simple palate cleanser, something so many neglected to account for. Aroma was negligible, if anything. Just sweet toasty malt in the smallest amount noticeable.
Taste, pretty marginal, some different yeast like ester flavor going on, also came across like there was a 10% wheat bill almost. Kind of a head scratcher. Stays away from the hops, but heck, even their inversion ipa seems to go that direction lately. Carbonation is substantially high. Some belgian hay in the mouthfeel.
I dunno, Deschutes used to be a brewery that was in my top 5 purchase history. Now, they seem to put all the hops into their bombers and kind of neglect the 6 packs. Heck, even Abyss is less bourbon barrelled than ever. This one wasn't bad, but it was just kind of there, to help wash away the mouth before the next beer.
A big no thanks to David Hurley of the El Dorado Casino sports bar area. Don't renege on promises made about our three days of bottle share half-way through. Integrity counts. Let us enjoy this beer next time instead of hassling your paying customers.
1,252 characters
4.2/5 rDev +13.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
It’s nice to see a golden ale with character, the Deschutes River Ale named for the Deschutes River which runs through Bend, OR. Big slightly hazed golden body with a billowing white head appears in my new Roundabout brewery imperial pint glass. Fine speckled lacing is left behind on the sides of the glass.
Aroma has citrus hops mellow but there, with a grassy hay fresh cut grass character as well. Nice full on lighter biscuit malts in there extremely limited simple ingredients can create a clean dead on sessional ale as proved with this is beer from Deschutes.
Flavor is liquid bread with some citrus earthy dank hops assertive bitterness mellows as the bread like malt sweetness arises on the sides of the palate to finish pretty clean, blind tasted you may think this was a lager. I love the low alcohol, 4% abv and packed with flavor we need more of this style.
Mouthfeel rich malt layers provided a nice body with some girth to it, mellow to moderate carbonation level goes down smooth nice crisp dry finish very much feels like a lager with more body.
Overall, incredibly impressive golden ale as they describe it on the label, I know I could drink this as a dessert island beer for sustainability.
1,220 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
It’s nice to see a golden ale with character, the Deschutes River Ale named for the Deschutes River which runs through Bend, OR. Big slightly hazed golden body with a billowing white head appears in my new Roundabout brewery imperial pint glass. Fine speckled lacing is left behind on the sides of the glass.
Aroma has citrus hops mellow but there, with a grassy hay fresh cut grass character as well. Nice full on lighter biscuit malts in there extremely limited simple ingredients can create a clean dead on sessional ale as proved with this is beer from Deschutes.
Flavor is liquid bread with some citrus earthy dank hops assertive bitterness mellows as the bread like malt sweetness arises on the sides of the palate to finish pretty clean, blind tasted you may think this was a lager. I love the low alcohol, 4% abv and packed with flavor we need more of this style.
Mouthfeel rich malt layers provided a nice body with some girth to it, mellow to moderate carbonation level goes down smooth nice crisp dry finish very much feels like a lager with more body.
Overall, incredibly impressive golden ale as they describe it on the label, I know I could drink this as a dessert island beer for sustainability.
1,220 characters
3.6/5 rDev -3%
12 oz bottle with a BB date of Sept. 2014. Purchased in Eugene and consumed on the banks of Oregon’s McKenzie River.
4.25 3.75 3.4 3.6
Appearance: clear deep amber with a semi-durable, sudsy bone-colored head. Excellent lacing.
Aroma: herbal/floral hops with a good bit of biscuit malts.
Flavor: Low-medium hop intensity in this ale is about that of a typical Pilsner. Mild+ bitterness.
Feel: Lively medium carbonation. Near medium body.
O: well crafted but unexceptional.
496 characters
12 oz bottle with a BB date of Sept. 2014. Purchased in Eugene and consumed on the banks of Oregon’s McKenzie River.
4.25 3.75 3.4 3.6
Appearance: clear deep amber with a semi-durable, sudsy bone-colored head. Excellent lacing.
Aroma: herbal/floral hops with a good bit of biscuit malts.
Flavor: Low-medium hop intensity in this ale is about that of a typical Pilsner. Mild+ bitterness.
Feel: Lively medium carbonation. Near medium body.
O: well crafted but unexceptional.
496 characters
Deschutes River Ale from Deschutes Brewery
Beer rating:
3.71 out of
5 with
704 ratings