Brewed exclusively for PDX Beer Week 2012, this full-bodied NW IRL is the result of a Deschutes-Hopworks collaboration. HUB brewer Jaime Rodriguez championed this emerging style and the end result is amber smooth and massively hopped with locally grown Cascadia, Simcoe, and Amarillo. This lager is then dry-hopped twice for even more of that distinctive Portland hop bite!
Pours light coppery-red with a tan head. Smells of piney hops -- likely the result of the afore-mentioned double dry-hopping.
Taste is similarly hops-forward, with a strong, piney Simcoe flavor that really shines through. Light malts as you'd expect from a lager. I found this style to be really interesting... it's basically an overly-hopped light amber, the result of which is really,
really tasty. Drinkable and refreshing with some really delicious hops flavors, but not nearly as heavy or intense and your usual IPA.
PDX Beer Week 2012 may be long-over, but I stopped by
Belmont Station over the weekend and they still have plenty of bottles of India Red Lager still available... go get it before it's gone!!