Here's to Beer! Deschutes Hop in the Dark

Ask any veteran taster, be it in beer or wine, and they will tell you to never let your evaluation be colored by a preexisting notion of a particular archetype of a style. You should judge each beverage on its own merits without holding it up to a specific model. However, I will admit that I find this very hard to do in reality. Just as I tend to evaluate a Saison with Saison Dupont in the back of my head, I have a notion that Hop in the Dark is everything I am looking for in a Cascadian Dark Ale, and it is one that I tend to measure others against.

And yes, I do call this style Cascadian Dark Ale. Sorry BJCP, but “American Style Black Ale” just doesn’t roll off the tongue as nicely. Black IPA doesn’t work for me either; since the “P” in IPA stands for “pale”, its seems a misnomer to me. No, this style truly was grown from Cascadian soil, just like the hops that give it such a pronounced flavor. If ever there was an embodiment of Northwest terroir in a beer, this would be it.

So, about the beer. A profound hops aroma greets you as you open the bottle, and certainly the classic aromas of piney resin and herbaceousness are there. But allow the beer to breathe a moment and the roasted malt aromas begin to shine through. The flavor reflects the roasted malts in its showing of espresso, cocoa and burnt sugar. Hops also make their presence known with pine, cedar, grassy herb and citrus rind notes. I also got a little Earl Grey tea, and a cooked citrus flavor that I would characterize as grilled orange. At 6.9% ABV and 70 IBU, it drinks surprisingly easily.

What really sets this beer apart from other examples of the style, in my opinion, is the masterful balance that is achieved between the malt and hops flavors. This balance is one of the key elements I look for when I evaluate a beer, and the way Deschutes has done it here is excellent, in a way that separates it from other examples I have had which are merely good. Complex flavor and superb balance put this one at the top of my list of favorites in the CDA style.

This beer pairs nicely with semi-soft, nutty cheeses such as Gouda, Port Salut, or Emmental, as well as buttery blooming rind cheese such as Camembert or Brie. Try it with a grilled cheese sandwich or a cheeseburger. There is also a potential as a dessert beer, as anything with chocolate or espresso will be a no-brainer pairing. Try a chocolate spice cake with malt ice cream, or espresso brownies. Cheers!

Rich Coffey is a chef and Certified Cicerone. Find out more about him here.