Article

Deschutes Deconstructed

When Gary Fish founded his Deschutes brewpub in Bend, Oregon in 1988 it was the first brewery in the city in modern times. Fast forward to the present and you will find over two dozen breweries, giving Bend possibly the highest number of breweries per capita of any place in the US. Is there something magical about the location? No, but the quality and selection of beers Deschutes Brewery pioneered fit perfectly with central Oregon region’s active outdoor lifestyle. And once Deschutes put Bend on beer lovers’ radars, other breweries followed suit.

Pinning the brewery down to a style at first seems simple as they have always had a solid lineup of pale ales, porters, and stouts. But dig a little deeper and you will see over the years they have established and followed various trends to remain relevant and consistently grow. They currently rank among the top ten largest craft breweries in the nation, producing over 300,000 barrels per year. If anything, they are the classic success story of America’s craft beer growth.

History

Coming to the brewing industry from a restaurant background, Fish saw opening a brewpub in Bend as an opportunity to build a great business in a place he wanted to live. The original plan was to focus on serving local customers with a selection of core English pub styles including pale ales, porters, stouts, and the like paired with great food.

That evolved quickly as the success of Deschutes soon exceeded the capacity of the original Bond Street location and grew into a new full production facility in 1993. They continued steadily increasing sales through the 90s at a time when other similar breweries stalled, expanding primarily up and down the West Coast. It is a testament to the loyalty of their fans and the brewery’s smart growth and distribution planning that they dodged that decade’s craft brewing crash and carried their momentum into the 2000s and up to today.

More recently Deschutes expanded to a second brewpub location, this time in Portland, Oregon. Then in 2017 they expanded to the east coast with a new tasting room in Roanoke, Virginia.

Through all of this the brewery has maintained its independence as a family-owned enterprise. It seems that they are unafraid to focus on steady and sustainable growth for the long term over chasing acquisitions and mergers.

Beer Lineup Core Brews

Deschutes Brewery’s core lineup includes solid American pub styles such as Black Butte Porter, Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Obsidian Stout, and their winter seasonal Jubelale. The brewery is best known for these beers and each has played a significant place in craft brew history over the past three decades.

Black Butte Porter

Black Butte Porter has no trouble holding its own in that pantheon of great robust porters that came out of the 80s. The combination of chocolate and crystal malt pair perfectly with the estery Ringwood ale yeast to create a smooth and silky dark beer. There’s a clear influence of English porters that keep this beer from being too hop focused, though it doesn’t quite have the nutty or toffee notes of its transatlantic brethren.

Mirror Pond Pale Ale

A fairly dark and malty example of a pale ale that leans towards an amber, Mirror Pond showcases Cascade hop character at every step in the process: Bittering, flavor, aroma, and dry hop additions. Over the years the brewery has experimented with pellet hops in test batches but sensory labs keep pointing to a grassy/vegetal quality. As a result they have stuck with whole cone cascade hops, which combine with the yeast to balance the beer towards a delicate floral character.

Jubelale

Long before it was fashionable for American breweries to offer seasonal beers, Deschutes released Jubelale for the holidays to their local brewpub customers. That tradition continues to this day though the distribution has increased. Each year the brewery showcases a different local artist’s work on the label in a show of support for the creative community. The beer itself is a winter warmer that derives its spicy notes from the hops, specialty malts, and yeast contributions. At 7.1% ABV it’s higher in alcohol than many of their other beers, but it’s far from boozy or unapproachable.

Brewpub Influence

But the selection doesn’t stop there. While the original brewpub in Bend and the new brewpub in Portland make up a small portion of total volume and revenue, they serve a critical role as innovators for new beers. The brewers who run these have large latitude to try out new styles and fresh takes on existing styles, either of which can eventually find a place in Deschutes’ main lineup. As a result, Deschutes offers a beer in almost every style you can imagine.

Bachelor Bitter

One special treat you can only get at the brewpubs is the local’s favorite, Bachelor Bitter. The beer is a slightly restrained take on the English ESB style that avoids the typical pitfalls that American brewers fall into making the beer too big, too hoppy, or too malty. Instead the focus is on a sessionable, balanced beer that invites great conversation with friends. This is often one of the cask options where the lower carbonation and warmer temperature make it even more drinkable. My mouth is watering just thinking about the many pints I’ve enjoyed while passing through Bend.

Embracing Hops

The brewery’s location near hop country in the Pacific Northwest has led the brewers to embrace and even add fuel to the explosion of IPA variations. Chainbreaker White IPA pairs a Belgian Wit yeast and malt bill with a generous dose of American hops. HopZeit, their newest fall release, starts with a German influenced malt bill of Pilsner, Vienna, and Munich malts and utilizes German hops including a new variety — Hull Melon, in a fermenter hop addition. On the other side of the color spectrum, Hop in the Dark Cascadian Dark Ale sets a high standard in the black IPA category. Hop Trip and Chasin’ Freshies explore different takes on fresh hop beers varying their hop variety and source. Fresh Squeezed IPA uses Citra® and Mosaic® hops to emphasize tropical and citrus qualities, while Pinedrops IPA looks to Chinook and Centennial for a decidedly more piney and resinous balance. They even look to their surrounding high Oregon desert for inspiration in Sagefight Imperial IPA, which includes sage and juniper berries. This past summer saw the release of the 4.5% ABV Hop Slice Session IPA that pairs the naturally citrusy qualities of Centennial, Galaxy™, Cascade, Azacca®, and Amarillo® hops with actual fresh Meyer lemons. All of that is to say Deschutes keeps the hop lover happy through its constant innovation in IPA variations.

Reserve Series

For those looking for something more substantial to share after a long day of skiing or biking Mount Bachelor, the Deschutes Reserve Series is the ticket. At various times through the year the brewery releases The Abyss Imperial Stout, a barrel aged imperial Black Butte Porter, as well as The Dissident, and The Stoic Belgian Quad. The Dissident is a particularly interesting beer that shares some qualities of a sour Flanders brown but packs a much bigger punch at over 11% ABV. To this they add local Oregon cherries and age for 18 months in used wine barrels.

I could go on for pages covering the nearly five hundred beers that RateBeer lists for Deschutes but honestly the best way to experience them is to get yourself to one of the pubs or tasting rooms and see what’s on tap.

Brewing Like Deschutes

I have found that many of the best breweries keep things simple and focus on top quality ingredients, solid execution, and excellent quality control. Deschutes is no exception.

In talking to Brewmaster Veronica Vega, she said that they generally approach a beer first from the malt bill. The bulk of the malt bill is of course base malt. To that they typically add one character caramel malt and a small portion of Carapils® for body.

They then layer in the hop character with a 60-minute bittering addition and a 30-minute flavor addition, which almost all of their beers have. For beers with more hop character the brewery adds 5-minute hopback and dry hop charges.

Depending on how you look at it, Deschutes has the luxury or the curse of having multiple pilot, brewpub, and production brew systems, and so recipes need to be executable on a wide variety of wort production and cellaring equipment. As a result the beers don’t tend to emphasize the fingerprints of any specific system.

As a production brewery, Deschutes uses a multi-step mash to maximize the extraction of their malt. Those schedules typically start at some point in the 110 °F (43 °C) to 120 °F (49 °C) range, ramp up and rest at a point in the 150 °F (66 °C) to 165 °F (74 °C) range, and then mashout at 170 °F (77 °C). The precise numbers vary based on the recipe. In brewing these beers at home you don’t have the same constraints and so can simplify down to a single infusion and a similar end result.

Ingredients

The beers are generally mostly domestic two-row malt with some optional munich base malt. There is typically one caramel malt to provide distinctive character. And almost all recipes have 5–10% of Carapils® for the body and mouthfeel that is a hallmark of their beers.

Deschutes brewers rely on Great Western for the bulk of the malt in their silos. Their caramel malts range from C15 through C150. Those specialty malts generally come from Briess. A few beers have some components of malted wheat or Pilsner malt but almost all of the base and specialty malts come from North America.

Deschutes uses both pellet and whole cone hops depending on the beer. They find that for beers like Mirror Pond, pellets can provide too much vegetal character and they prefer the gentle flavor they get from whole cone Cascade. The bulk of the bittering task is often achieved with Nugget or Bravo. For 30-minute, 5-minute, and whirlpool hops, Deschutes’ beers gravitate towards Cascade and Centennial hops as staples. As the discussion on IPAs earlier in the story shows, though, they pull in numerous other character hops when the beer calls for it.

The water in Bend has a very low ion content with calcium at about 6 PPM, for example. As a result the brewery has a clean slate to build up their water profiles. For the hoppy beers, that’s achieved almost entirely with gypsum additions. For malt-forward beers they split that with calcium chloride to hit their calcium targets.

Like many brewpubs of the era, Deschutes got started with the tried and true Ringwood yeast. The strain provides a quick turnover on batches of beer, imparting a complex estery English ale character before dropping clear and largely avoiding the need for filtering. Vega suggests running the yeast at lower temperatures (~63 °F/17 °C) to restrain the fruitiness. She warns that Ringwood can be difficult to manage but the payoff is worth it.

For a few specialty beers they pull in additional yeasts from Wyeast such as 3787 Trappist High Gravity and the witbier strains.

In pulling it all together the yeast, malt, and hops each play a critical part in the finished beer. By embracing what each can contribute you have wide latitude in coming up with something that would easily find a spot in one of their brewpubs.

When in bend . . . (or Portland)

While Deschutes is a brewery rooted in English traditions with a strong Pacific Northwest influence they don’t let that limit their creativity. The reason is perhaps the most impressive legacy to come out of Gary Fish’s original modest brewpub. They have built a community of brewers and a culture that fosters experimentation. Each of those experiments gets first hand feedback from their most loyal local customers and the best ideas are scaled up for a wider audience. Through that process Deschutes has developed the tremendous depth in both beers and personnel that’s enabled them to emerge as one of the most successful craft breweries in the country.

If you are anywhere near Bend or Portland, Oregon you need to get yourself to one of their brewpub locations to see what the brewery has to offer firsthand. While I’ve used a lot of ink to describe the beers, you will be equally impressed by their restaurant menu that includes salmon, boar, elk, and countless seasonal specials that pair perfectly with those latest creations on draft and cask or from their cellar. If you’re like me, the only downside will be that it will be tough to find motivation to move on to the other two dozen breweries in the area.

Brewmaster Veronica Vega

What’s the brewery equivalent of working your way up from the mailroom? Well Veronica Vega, current Brewmaster, certainly comes close with her journey that started as a tour guide at the brewery. After beginning her career in the biological field surveying for the National Parks service she found herself drawn to Bend, Oregon much in the same way founder Gary Fish had been. Prior to joining Deschutes her only experience with beer was on the consumption side of the equation.

Despite that, Vega moved quickly from giving tours to working on the production side of the house in the cellaring department doing fermentation management, transfers, centrifuging beer, and cleaning tanks. She hopped over the divide to the wort production team as a shift brewer to round out her experience.

It was at this time she filled in her knowledge through coursework at UC-Davis, culminating in a certification from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling (IBD). All this hard work paired with her passion set her up to become an assistant brewmaster, and she took over the reins at the original Bond Street Brewpub.

She spent four years in that role earning her chops while honing numerous beers at the pub level. In 2015 she was called up to be the Brewmaster, leading research and development at the production facility. She partners with the brewery’s other Brewmaster, Brian Faivre, who focuses on the technical side of things. In total it was about nine years from walking in the door for her first day as a tour guide to getting to that top brewer role.

When I asked for her advice to others getting into the industry, Vega emphasized that the path to running the show at a place like Deschutes requires a lot of effort, education, and persistence. She pointed to the need to work well as part of a larger brewing team to get the job done. Of course all of that doesn’t save her from the gentle ribbing she gets in the tasting room when the staff jokes that any of the tour guides would be happy to step in if needed.

Deschutes Goes Gluten-Free

When making beers for gluten sensitive drinkers there are two basic approaches: Either you brew a regular beer and then break down the gluten, or you avoid putting the gluten in the beer in the first place. Using the gluten-reducing enzyme Clarity Ferm (also sold as Brewer’s Clarex) you can reduce the gluten content below detection thresholds. But just because the level is lower than what common tests can measure it doesn’t mean the beer is truly gluten-free. And some drinkers have allergies to other proteins in wheat and/or barley, which this approach doesn’t address.

In formulating beers that avoid ingredients containing gluten, a common base fermentable is sorghum syrup. Many find the results to not be very beery, taking on a strong quality like a stale, alcoholic lemon-lime soda.

Deschutes has been experimenting with gluten-free recipes in their brewpub for a while. They’ve settled on an approach that avoids the sorghum syrup (and objectionable flavor) entirely. By using brown rice syrup for the bulk of the fermentables, relying on the malty/browning flavors from dark candi syrup, and finishing with a small amount of honey for a sweet and floral note they get a pretty reasonable approximation of a pale ale malt bill. The finished beer is something I’m happy to drink all day long and I’ve heard from several Celiacs that Deschutes makes by far the best of the true gluten-free options out there.

At various times they have have experimented with other gluten-free fermentables such as oat syrup. Try the Gluten Free Northwest Pale Ale recipe on this page and consider it a jumping off point for your experimentation across numerous styles.

Deschutes Clone Recipes

Black Butte Porter clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.058 FG = 1.016
IBU = 31 SRM = 32 ABV = 5.5%

Deschutes’ flagship beer — the one that started it all! A rich, creamy mouthfeel complements a layered depth, revealing distinctive chocolate and coffee notes.

Ingredients
9 lbs. (4.1 kg) US 2-row malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) US chocolate malt (350 °L)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Carapils® malt
12 oz. (340 g) US caramel malt (80 °L)
8 oz. (225 g) wheat malt
6 AAU Bravo hops (60 min.) (0.4 oz./11 g at 15% alpha acids)
1.1 AAU German Tettnang hops (30 min.) (0.25 oz./7 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
2.3 AAU Cascade hops (15 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Cascade hops (0 min.)
Whirlfloc or Irish moss (15 min.)
Wyeast 1187 (Ringwood Ale) or White Labs WLP005 (British Ale) yeast
5 g CaSO4, gypsum (if using reverse osmosis water)
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Mill grains and mix with 3.8 gallons (14.4 L) of 162 °F (72 °C) strike water and optional minerals to reach a mash temperature of 151 °F (66 °C). Hold this temperature for 60 minutes.

Vorlauf until your runnings are clear. Sparge the grains with enough 168 °F (76 °C) water to collect 6.5 gallons (25 L) of 1.044 SG wort. Boil for 90 minutes, adding hops and finings according to the ingredients list. Turn off the heat and chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 61 °F (16 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 63 °F (17 °C). Once at terminal gravity (approximately seven days total) bottle or keg the beer and carbonate.

Black Butte Porter clone

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.058 FG = 1.016
IBU = 31 SRM = 32 ABV = 5.5%

Ingredients
6.5 lbs. (3 kg) golden liquid malt extract
1 lb. (0.45 kg) US chocolate malt (350 °L)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Carapils® malt
12 oz. (340 g) US caramel malt (80 °L)
8 oz. (225 g) wheat malt
6 AAU Bravo hops (60 min.) (0.4 oz./11 g at 15% alpha acids)
1.1 AAU German Tettnang hops (30 min.) (0.25 oz./7 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
2.3 AAU Cascade hops (15 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Cascade hops (0 min.)
Whirlfloc or Irish moss (15 min.)
Wyeast 1187 (Ringwood Ale) or White Labs WLP005 (British Ale) yeast
5 g CaSO4, gypsum (if using reverse osmosis water)
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Place the milled grains in a muslin bag and steep in 6.5 qts. (7.4 L) of 151 °F (66 °C) water for 15 minutes. Remove the grain and rinse with 1 gallon (3.8 L) of hot water. Add water to the kettle to reach a volume of 5.5 gallons (20.8 L), add optional minerals, and heat the wort to boiling. When you reach a boil, turn off the heat, add the liquid malt extract, and stir until completely dissolved. Top up if necessary to obtain 6 gallons (23 L) of 1.048 SG wort. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops and finings according to the ingredients list.

Turn off the heat and chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 61 °F (16 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch yeast. Ferment at 63 °F (17 °C). Once at terminal gravity (approximately seven days total) bottle or keg the beer and carbonate.

Tips for success:
Chocolate malts — even in the same roast — can vary a bit from maltster to maltster. Experiment with chocolate malt from a couple of different sources if you would like to tweak the results of this recipe.

Mirror Pond Pale Ale clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.053 FG = 1.015
IBU = 40 SRM = 10 ABV = 5%

Deschutes leans on Cascade hops in this classic pale ale to give this beer lots of floral, citrus notes.

Ingredients
8.5 lbs. (3.9 kg) US 2-row malt
1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) US caramel malt (40 °L)
9 oz. (250 g) Carapils® malt
9 oz. (250 g) US Munich malt (10 °L)
5.6 AAU Cascade hops (60 min.) (1.25 oz./35 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
2.3 AAU Cascade hops (30 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
2.3 AAU Cascade hops (15 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Cascade hops (0 min.)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Cascade hops (dry hop)
Whirlfloc or Irish moss (15 min.)
Wyeast 1187 (Ringwood Ale) or White Labs WLP005 (British Ale) yeast
5 g CaSO4, gypsum (if using reverse osmosis water)
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Mill grains and mix with 3.5 gallons (13.2 L) of 163 °F (73 °C) strike water and optional minerals to reach a mash temperature of 152 °F (67 °C). Hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear. Sparge the grains with enough 168 °F (76 °C) water to collect 6.5 gallons (25 L) of 1.040 SG wort. Boil for 90 minutes, adding hops and finings according to the ingredients list.

Turn off the heat and chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 61 °F (16 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch yeast. Ferment at 63 °F (17 °C). Once you reach terminal gravity (approximately seven days total) add dry hops and wait an additional 5–7 days. Bottle or keg the beer and carbonate.

Mirror Pond Pale Ale clone

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.053 FG = 1.015
IBU = 40 SRM = 10 ABV = 5%

Ingredients
6 lbs. (2.7 kg) golden liquid malt extract
1.5 lbs. (0.7 kg) US caramel malt (40 °L)
9 oz. (250 g) Carapils® malt
5.6 AAU Cascade hops (60 min.) (1.25 oz./35 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
2.3 AAU Cascade hops (30 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
2.3 AAU Cascade hops (15 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Cascade hops (0 min.)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Cascade hops (dry hop)
Whirlfloc or Irish moss (15 min.)
Wyeast 1187 (Ringwood Ale) or White Labs WLP005 (British Ale) yeast
5 g CaSO4, gypsum (if using reverse osmosis water)
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Place the milled grains in a muslin bag and steep in 5.25 qts. (6.0 L) of 151 °F (66 °C) water for 15 minutes. Remove the grain and rinse with 1 gallon (3.8 L) of hot water. Add water to reach a volume of 5.5 gallons (20.8 L), add optional minerals, and heat to boiling. Turn off the heat, add the liquid malt extract, and stir until completely dissolved. Top up if necessary to obtain 6 gallons (23 L) of 1.044 SG wort. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops and finings according to the ingredient list. Turn off the heat and chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 61 °F (16 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch yeast. Ferment at 63 °F (17 °C). Once you reach terminal gravity (approximately seven days total) add dry hops and wait an additional 5–7 days. Bottle or keg the beer and carbonate.

Tips for success:
Ringwood yeast strains can often impart fruity characteristics if allowed to ferment at warmer temperatures, and this strain is also a frequent culprit for creating diacetyl (a butterscotch flavor that is a flaw) in beer. Deschutes Brewmaster Veronica Vega suggests keeping your fermentation temperatures low when using the Ringwood strain — around 63 °F (17 °F) to restrain any fruitiness.

Bachelor Bitter clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.055 FG = 1.016
IBU = 48 SRM = 16 ABV = 5.2%

This is a traditional-style English pub bitter that is only available on tap at the Bend brewpub. Features notes of caramel and is very earthy.

Ingredients
9.5 lbs. (4.3 kg) US 2-row malt
1.75 lbs. (0.8 kg) caramel malt (80 °L)
4 oz. (115 g) wheat malt
6.5 AAU Nugget hops (60 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 13% alpha acids)
2.3 AAU Willamette hops (30 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
2.9 AAU East Kent Goldings hops (15 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 5.7% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) East Kent Goldings hops (0 min.)
Whirlfloc or Irish moss (15 min.)
Wyeast 1187 (Ringwood Ale) or White Labs WLP005 (British Ale) yeast
5 g CaSO4, gypsum (if using reverse osmosis water)
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Mill grains and mix with 3.6 gallons (13.6 L) of 166 °F (74 °C) strike water and optional minerals to reach a mash temperature of 154 °F (68 °C). Hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear. Sparge the grains with enough 168 °F (76 °C) water to collect 6.5 gallons (25 L) of 1.042 SG wort. Boil for 90 minutes, adding hops and finings according to the ingredients list.

Turn off the heat and chill the  wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 61 °F (16 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch the yeast.

Ferment at 63 °F (17 °C). Once you reach terminal gravity (approximately seven days total) bottle or keg the beer and carbonate.

Bachelor Bitter clone

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.055 FG = 1.016
IBU = 48 SRM = 16 ABV = 5.2%

Ingredients
6.6 lbs. (3 kg) golden liquid malt extract
1.75 lbs. (0.8 kg) caramel malt (80 °L)
6.5 AAU Nugget hops (60 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 13% alpha acids)
2.3 AAU Willamette hops (30 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
2.9 AAU East Kent Goldings hops (15 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 5.7% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) East Kent Goldings hops (0 min.)
Whirlfloc or Irish moss (15 min.)
Wyeast 1187 (Ringwood Ale) or White Labs WLP005 (British Ale) yeast
5 g CaSO4, gypsum (if using reverse osmosis water)
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Place the milled grains in a muslin bag and steep in 3 qts. (3 L) of 151 °F (66 °C) water for 15 minutes. Remove the grain and rinse with 1 gallon (3.8 L) of hot water. Add water to reach a volume of 5.5 gallons (20.8 L), add optional minerals, and heat until boiling. Turn off the heat, add the liquid malt extract, and stir until completely dissolved. Top up if necessary to obtain 6 gallons (23 L) of 1.046 SG wort. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops and finings according to the ingredients list. Turn off the heat and chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 61 °F (16 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 63 °F (17 °C). Once you reach terminal gravity (approximately seven days total) bottle or keg the beer and carbonate.

Jubelale clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.073 FG = 1.021
IBU = 60 SRM = 32 ABV = 7.1%

Available from October through December, Jubelale features a deep red color and notes of cocoa, dried fruit, and toffee.

Ingredients
12 lbs. (5.4 kg) US 2-row malt
1.75 lbs. (0.8 kg) US caramel malt (120 °L)
1.25 lbs. (0.57 kg) US caramel malt (80 °L)
5 oz. (142 g) Briess Extra Special malt (130 °L)
4 oz. (113 g) Carapils® malt
3 oz. (85 g) roasted barley (300 °L)
9.75 AAU Bravo hops (60 min.) (0.65 oz./18 g at 15% alpha acids)
3.25 AAU Delta hops (30 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 6.5% alpha acids)
1.1 AAU US Cascade hops (30 min.) (0.25 oz./7 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
0.5 oz. (14 g) East Kent Goldings hops (0 min.)
0.5 oz. (14 g) German Tettnang hops (0 min.)
Whirlfloc or Irish moss (15 min.)
Wyeast 1187 (Ringwood Ale) or White Labs WLP005 (British Ale) yeast
5 g CaSO4, gypsum (if using reverse osmosis water)
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Mill grains and mix with 4.9 gallons (18.5 L) of 162 °F (72 °C) strike water and optional minerals to reach a mash temperature of 151 °F (66 °C). Hold at this temperature for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear. Sparge the grains with enough 168 °F (76 °C) water to collect 6.5 gallons (25 L) of 1.056 wort. Boil for 90 minutes, adding hops
and finings according to the ingredients list.

Turn off the heat and chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 61 °F (16 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch yeast. Ferment at 63 °F (17 °C). Once at terminal gravity (approximately seven days total) bottle or keg the beer and carbonate.

Jubelale clone

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.073 FG = 1.021
IBU = 60 SRM = 32 ABV = 7.1%

Ingredients
8 lbs. (3.6 kg) golden liquid malt extract
1.75 lbs. (0.8 kg) US caramel malt (120 °L)
1.25 lbs. (0.6 kg) US caramel malt (80 °L)
5 oz. (142 g) Briess Extra Special Malt
4 oz. (113 g) Carapils® malt
3 oz. (85 g) roasted barley
9.75 AAU Bravo hops (60 min.) (0.65 oz./18 g at 15% alpha acids)
3.25 AAU Delta hops (30 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 6.5% alpha acids)
1.1 AAU US Cascade hops (30 min.) (0.25 oz./7 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
0.5 oz. (14 g) East Kent Goldings hops (0 min.)
0.5 oz. (14 g) German Tettnang hops (0 min.)
Whirlfloc or Irish moss (15 min.)
Wyeast 1187 (Ringwood Ale) or White Labs WLP005 (British Ale) yeast
5 g CaSO4, gypsum (if using reverse osmosis water)
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Place the milled grains in a muslin bag and steep in 7.5 qts. (8.5 L) of 151 °F (66 °C) water for 15 minutes. Remove the grain and rinse with 1 gallon (3.8 L) of hot water. Add water to reach a volume of 4.5 gallons (17 L), add optional minerals, and heat to boiling. Turn off the heat, add the liquid malt extract, and stir until completely dissolved. Top up if necessary to obtain 6 gallons (23 L) of 1.062 wort. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops and finings according to the ingredients list.

Turn off the heat and chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 61 °F (16 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch yeast. Ferment at 63 °F (17 °C). Once at terminal gravity (approximately seven days total) bottle or keg the beer and carbonate.

Gluten Free NWPA clone

(5 gallons/ 19 L, extract only)
OG = 1.051 FG = 1.010
IBU = 43 SRM = 13 ABV = 5.4%

A hop-forward gluten-free pale ale cleverly brewed with brown rice syrup and Belgian candi syrup for a beer that gluten free and non-gluten-free drinkers can all enjoy! Brewed exclusively at Deschutes’ Portland Public House in Portland, Oregon.

Ingredients
6 lbs. (2.7 kg) brown rice syrup
1 lb. 1 oz. (0.5 kg) dark Belgian candi syrup (90 °L)
6 oz. (170 g) honey (0 min.)
9.8 AAU Nugget hops (60 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 13% alpha acids)
1.8 AAU Crystal hops (30 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 3.5% alpha acids)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Nugget hops (0 min.)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Crystal hops (0 min.)
Whirlfloc or Irish moss (15 min.)
Wyeast 1187 (Ringwood Ale) or White Labs WLP005 (British Ale) yeast
5 g CaSO4, gypsum (if using reverse osmosis water)
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Heat approximately 5 gallons (19 L) of water to boiling. Turn off the heat, add the brown rice syrup and candi syrup, and stir until completely dissolved. Top up if necessary to obtain 6 gallons (23 L) of wort and add optional minerals. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops and finings according to the ingredients list.

Turn off the heat, add the honey, stir until it is completely dissolved, and then chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 61 °F (16 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 63 °F (17 °C). Once at terminal gravity (approximately seven days total) bottle or keg the beer and carbonate.

Tips for success:
Brown rice syrup can sometimes be difficult to find at local homebrew shops. There are a few online suppliers if your local homebrew supplier does not carry it, but you also may want to experiment with pale rice malt or the dry equivalent, which is rice syrup solids. To use the pale rice malt, swap out the brown rice syrup with 15 lbs. (6.8 kg) rice malt and be sure to add amylase enzyme to the mash. To use the rice syrup solids, simply swap the brown rice syrup with 5.25 lbs. (2.4 kg) rice syrup solids, but expect a slightly lighter color in the finished beer.

Issue: December 2016