Deschutes Brewery- Inversion IPA: Opinion Inverted
Saturday, September 25, 2010 at 3:18PM | by Jason 
Friday September 24th - I was able to toss a couple of brews from my GABF trip into my suitcase and thankfully they made it home in one piece. I grabbed a few that you can’t get here in Illinois one of which was from Deschutes Brewery. Now I’ve read and heard some good stuff about their Mirror Pond pale ale and had a chance to try a pint while at Falling Rock Tap House in Denver and I have to say that I was less than impressed. My tastes were called into question in regards to my dislike of Mirror Pond but to be honest (despite winning a ton of medals and awards) it’s not near as good as an Alpha King, Osiris Pale Ale or Bitter End, not even close. Mirror Pond would not even make it into my top 15. This was disappointing to me as I was really looking forward to enjoying what all the hype was about. While at a liquor store down the street from Left Hand Brewing Company I stumbled across some of Deschutes Brewery’s Inversion IPA and decided that I’d take it for a spin and hope my luck with this brew would be much better than it was with Mirror Pond. Here goes.
Deschutes Brewery classifies this brew as an India Pale Ale (IPA) and their website describes Inversion IPA as, “Our year-round beer answer to the siren call of the hop. Inversion’s trio of American hops deliver an over-the-top nose with hints of orange and grapefruit. Then we toss in seven days of dry-hopping for good measure. Because we can.
No mere hop sledgehammer, Inversion is a careful fusion. Crystal and Carastan malts woven throughout provide for a surprisingly soft, caramel complexity for an 80-IBU IPA.
Named for a local weather phenomenon where clouds hug the base of the mountain only to reveal clear skies further up, it can turn a beer drinker’s IPA preconceptions upside down as well.”
Inversion IPA pours a dark copper color with a 1” tan head. The aromas range from strong grapefruit and citrus to a subtle spice and bready malts.
Ahhh much better. Inversion IPA is complex as described. What I love about it is that it has a very citrusy hop bite that verges on spicy. I’m not getting much of a malt flavor but it is there and very complimentary. It is balanced and smooth and very tasty. Inversion IPA is a 6.8% ABV brew and at the first taste I could detect a slight alcohol warming which subsided as my glass emptied. This is a great IPA and a great craft beer. I could not be happier about my selection and giving Deschutes Brewery another shot. While I may have been disappointed with Mirror Pond, I am completely stoked on Inversion IPA. I am totally jealous of you North Westerners on this one, I’d love to get my hands on some more Inversion IPA. Looks like next time I’m out in Colorado I’ll have to bring a bigger suitcase.
ABV: 6.8%
Consumed: New Belgium Globe Glass
Verdict: Buy A Case
