Deschutes 19th Anniversary Golden Ale

Jay Brooks

18 years ago

The newest beer from Deschutes is in celebration of their latest anniversary. The 19th Anniversary Golden Ale is also part of the Bond Street Series, which are put out in 22 oz. bottles for a limited time. All of the brewers at Deschutes get together and each pitches a style/recipe of beer they want to make in the pilot system as the next Bond Street beer. The brewers then debate the choices and pick the one they all like best, which is then the next beer in the series.

Inspired by the original Deschutes Brewery & Public House on Bond Street in downtown Bend, the Bond Street Series highlights a handful of our beers that began at “the pub.” These local favorites, both old and new, are brewed in small batches a few times a year, displaying Deschutes Brewery’s diversity and creativity.

From the press release:

“We felt we had to do something special to mark our 19th Anniversary,” said brewmaster Larry Sidor, “so we took a vow of silence and brewed our first Belgian style ale ever to be bottled.”

The straw colored Strong Golden Ale is made from an impressively international list of ingredients that acknowledge the diverse roots of craft beer. “We used Czech Saaz, Slovenian Golding, Pacific Northwest Liberty, and Brewers Gold hops,” said Sidor, “along with French pilsner malt, and Belgian white candy diamonds and bitter orange peel from the island of Curacao for a little extra kick and sizzle.”

The vow of silence, a nod to the Belgian monks who brew some of the world’s most revered beers, may have been the biggest challenge for the brewers at Deschutes. About half way through adding the 180 bags of malt, one of the brewers inadvertently exclaimed, “Good Lord, this is a lot of malt.” Keeping with the spirit of their Belgian counterparts, another brewer answered, “Amen, brother.”

Deschutes Brewery, a pioneer of Oregon’s craft beer industry, opened as a small brew pub in Bend in 1988. As the central Oregon town made the transition from timber and ranching to an outdoor lifestyle destination, the brewery expanded. Deschutes produces 160,000 barrels of craft beer in several distinctive styles which are available in bottles and on tap throughout the region. A new brewpub is scheduled to open in Portland next year.

The 19th Anniversary Belgian-style Strong Golden Ale will be available from June through September in 22-ounce bottles and limited draft.