Beer Man: Pinot Suave superbly mixes wine, beer flavors
Beer Man is a weekly profile of beers from across the country and around the world.
This week: Pinot Suave
Deschutes Brewery, Bend, Ore.
I recently visited the World of Beer in Appleton, Wis., and was intrigued by the description of Deschutes’ Pinot Suave that was on tap.
The brewery describes the ale as a Belgian style, yet its grape character made it taste very different from any Belgian type I’ve had. It is made with grape must, and 80% of the ale is aged for 18 months in pinot noir barrels.
Its dark color and tan head was more akin to a porter because of the use of black barley, another factor making it different from Belgian styles. However, it does not taste at all like those dark English styles.
Pinot Suave had the best grape flavor I have ever encountered in a beer. As a measure of the brewmaster’s expertise, this did not interfere with the backgrounds of cherry, black currant, apple, dates and the pronounced caramel-toffee malt flavor. The tannic, tangy red wine character mixed well with the caramel.
Beer Man: Jubelale will warm up winter
As the beer warmed, notes of oak and vanilla came forward in the aroma and flavor. The ale was semi-dry, yet left a rich and creamy mouthfeel. The sweetness was medium and the hops were minimal (the beer is listed as having a low International Bitter Units measurement of 15).
The malt grains used in the 11.8% ABV Pinot Suave include black barley, superior pilsner, flaked oats, malted wheat, carared and melanoidin. These are a good mix and I’m tempted to homebrew a strong brown ale from them.
This is the second excellent strong dark ale I’ve had from Deschutes in the last two months; the last was its Jubelale. I was in a store the day before I wrote this and Jubelale was still on the shelf. It would make a great pairing with Pinot Suave for a pleasant wintry night of sampling.
While I had my sample of Pinot Suave on tap, it also is sold in 22-ounce bottles. The brewery distributes in about 28 states and its Beer Finder link is here.
Many beers are available only regionally. Check the brewer's website, which often contains information on product availability by mail. Contact Todd Haefer at beerman@postcrescent.com. To read previous Beer Man columns, click here.