Deschutes – Chainbreaker White IPA Late March 2012

With the proliferation of new BLACK IPA’s hitting the market, I guess it’s no surprise to see a White IPA and I’m really excited to see where it’s coming from.  Deschutes Brewing Chainbreaker White IPA is a mild 5.6% IPA that uses Wheat in the grain bill and I really love the broken chain in the logo.  This will be bottles in 12oz packaging and I expect we’ll be seeing more hoppy partial-Wheat white IPA’s to come.  I’ll be curious to try this one and see how the wheat & spices play against the hops.

1/25 Press Release:

Bend, Oregon (25 January 2012) – Why not? That’s a favorite question around the Deschutes Brewery brewhouse. This mindset spawned the creation of Chainbreaker White IPA a hop-forward, citrus-packed beer with an unmistakably smooth character. The new beer is slated to be released at the end of March to the Pacific Northwest, with distribution expanded to the remainder of Deschutes’ 19 state network over the next few months.

“We’re always experimenting with new ingredients and new styles at the brewery,” said Cam O’Connor, brewmaster for Deschutes. “In the case of Chainbreaker our experimentation really paid off: the marriage of wheat, spices, yeast and hops have all come together to make a very drinkable, complex White IPA.”

The name Chainbreaker White I.P.A. was inspired in part by a legendary mountain bike race in Central Oregon called the Cascade Chainbreaker. The challenging race features a demanding course with multiple terrains, just as this beer challenges the palate to expand with a fusion of wheat and spice low notes alongside significant hop highs. Sweet orange peel and coriander round out the flavor profile for a refreshing ride.

First introduced at the Deschutes Brewery Bend and Portland pubs, as well as appearing at various special events, Chainbreaker White IPA was so well-received that the team decided to take it to the next level and make it part of the brewery’s year-round line up.

Vital stats: 5.6 % ABV; 60 IBUs

Chainbreaker White I.P.A. will be available in six-packs and twelve-packs in Oregon, Washington, Idaho starting in late March 2012. The beer will continue to roll out to additional states in the brewery’s distribution network later in 2012.