Venturing further into the Deschutes’ lineup led to Buzzsaw Brown today. Similar to Green Lakes, Buzzsaw is a rich but subtle brew, with no bitterness.

Buzzsaw initially hits with a flavor reminiscent of a quality dark bread. Similar to the bread served at Outback. This is followed by a notable taste of caramel. It rounds out with the finish of a mild porter.

This is another Deschutes offering that goes well with food. They realize it, as well. From their website:
“Buzzsaw Brown is one of my favorite beers,” says Deschutes Brewery Brewmaster Larry Sidor. “The unique combination of European and American malts makes it a very food friendly beer that pairs well with a wide variety of flavors.”

Strolling the isles at the local grocery store I came across the beer section. This particular market has a decent selection of craft brews, and sure enough they had Hop Trip. Right next to it, though, was a 1 pint 6 oz bottle of Green Lakes Organic Ale. I decided to give it a whirl as I haven’t tried it before.

As is typcial for Deschutes, this is a killer brew! On first taste, it immediately reminded me of a lighter version of Hop Trip. Light fruit, mostly apple and orange. Light hops. There was no bitterness, and no bite from alcohol.

This would be the perfect brew to serve at a party - few in attendance would be able to balk at the taste. Plus, it strikes me as the type of beer that pairs well with almost all foods. I had it with a selection of cheeses and generic ritz crackers, and it worked out well. This often isn’t the case because of the strength of the cheese.

So for mild sipping, casual companies, and various lunches, opt for Green Lakes Organic.

I had caught word that my local gym was going to be open for about a half day on Christmas. Generally, I’m of the opinion that businesses should be closed for Christmas, but because we were pitched a 24/365 gym, I was somewhat disheartened to hear that it was only open part day. Nothing like falling short of the expectations one sets. Oh well.

Having heard the gym closed early, I decided to head over there in the morning. No luck. The gym was closed. In reality, this is probably a good thing. Employees shouldn’t have to work Christmas - although some stores ask for volunteers and pay double time, which is a nice option. Still, the cheap side of me wants to march in there tomorrow and ask for a one day refund.

For lack of a 10k, I opted to open one of my few remaining bottles of Jubelale.

We can get the obvious out of the way - this is a great choice for many occasions. Although, the Deschutes’ website lists “Cheese Plate” as a good food pairing, which I would disagree with. If you have an expansive and rich grouping of cheese, it can mess with the taste of the ale. The website also lists meatballs, and this I agree with completely.

The taste of hops is immediately noticeable - but it is not overpowering, or as strong as in other Deschutes’ brews like Hop Trip. There is a small note of brown sugar, which complements the hops. I’ve noticed a handful of reviews proclaim tastes of citrus - I don’t pick up on that so much as I notice the taste of apples. Maybe there is some orange in there, though. There’s also some type of syrup taste that I can’t put a name too. Almost like one of those woeful flavored syrups at IHOP. Although the impact is anything but woeful for this beer.

Everything is pretty mellow, which is nice as there is also little to no bitter taste. I can see why this is viewed as a food beer - the taste is not so one-sided as to make it a meal in itself, although it does stand alone as something you could enjoy while enduring the 9th running of a Christmas Story. Eh, who am I kidding… everyone loves that movie.