Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, Oregon. Crafted for Explorers Everywhere Since 1988. 5% alc./vol. Best by 02/19/15.
Time to re-discover this beer for reasons I'll get into after the notes.
Appearance: clear, copper-toned, with a large and lasting, lace-leaving head of creamy foam. Looks just about perfect.
Aroma: soft and slightly sweet at first, with a growing bitterness. Unfolding esters of citrus fruits and pine, matched with caramel malt character.
Taste: Snappy hop bite up front that lasts and lasts. Body is clean and malty, leaning toward medium in heft, with a lingering hoppy finish. Beautiful bittersweet hop kiss continues throughout, sliding back down the throat, lasting well into the next venture between lip and cup. Well-balanced and definitely drinkable. A classic Pacific northwest session pale ale. Just about right on.
So, end of notes. And now, this. I may have mentioned my efforts to tie up loose ends. Meaning: closing in on beers I haven't covered here yet, which I definitely should. Looking at the list of Deschutes beers here, I noticed the glaring omission of Mirror Pond Pale Ale, and bought a single bottle at Lake Wine & Spirits. Next, I checked on BeerAdvocate, for I was certain that I'd taken notes on a bottle before. And here's what I found, from January, 2003, 12 years ago.
"Tiny head, near violet in color. Aroma: loads of fruitiness: strawberry, melons, raspberry, very tasty. Finish is swift, though, and body is weak. I'm becoming bored very quickly. Hops don't provide much spark on the palate, feels a little flat. Maybe it's supposed to , but I feel a bit let down.
I did like Black Butte Porter, and Obsidian Stout, but this one did little for me."
How very green was my palate then, how immature my judgment. Now, I wonder how I got the bottle, for it was before I began trading. Did I bring it back from my visit to Portland in the fall of 2002, or did I take notes while there? I don't recall at all.
But wait, there's more. I added this addendum to it in 2010, it seems: "(P.S., Seven years later, I'm a little embarrassed with this review. Now that it's becoming prevalent in my hometown market, I intend to review a freshly tapped pint someday soon.)"
I don't remember exactly when Deschutes arrived in our market, but I did tap some kegs of Mirror Pond at the Blue Nile quickly afterward. And I never fulfilled that promise from the apology, until now, this one, though, from a bottle. I've certainly enjoyed every pint I've had locally for the past 4 or 5 years. Honestly, I don't know what I was thinking, this is an quality pale ale.
Neck label reads: "Bottle conditioned to keep your beer fresh and enhance the flavors our brewers intended. This may leave a fine layer of yeast in the bottom of the bottle." Wait, there's more. "A distinct hop nose and deft balance made this pale ale an instant classic. It is aromatically complex, multi-layered and unmistakably honest. Your handy compass of "right" when exploring beer."
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