Descender IPA

Good Life Brewing Co.

Bend, OR

Now available in cans (only in Oregon), Descender IPA is brewed with Cascade, Centennial, Galaxy and Chinook hops.

ABV: 7

ABW: 5.5

COLOR: 7.5

BITTERNESS: 70

ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1068

AVAILABLE: ID, OR, WA

Descender IPA hails from the Central Oregon outdoorsy community and beer Mecca of Bend, but it surprisingly isn’t yet on everybody’s radar. That should change, and soon, as this is a solidly made Northwest IPA. Citrus aromas start things off in this amber-colored ale, with hints of caramel sneaking in for brief moments before fading away again. Citrus comes into play again on the palate, along with a juicy tropical fruit blast and a malt backbone that deftly balances it all out. Ending with a piney and pleasantly bitter finish, this beer lingers longer than a Bend sunset after a long day on the slopes.
- Lisa Morrison

According to the description, there are 70 units of bitterness in this golden ale, which proves, yet again, that statistics do not convey the whole picture. The beer, in fact, seems to fall on the sweet side of bittersweet, thanks to the fulsome malt base and the juicy fruitiness of the hop-sack-fresh hops. This is a solid U.S.-style IPA with typically bold flavors. Cleansing pine and zesty grapefruit bombard the taste buds, adding their own kind of tangy burn to accompany the gentle heat from the alcohol. The finish is very dry, with a piney bitterness burrowing away into the palate.
- Jeff Evans

Lisa Morrison
Lisa Morrison, aka the Beer Goddess, talks beer every day at her beer store and taproom, Belmont Station, and on a weekly radio show in her hometown of Portland, OR.

Jeff Evans
Jeff Evans is author of the Good Bottled Beer Guide, The Book of Beer Knowledge and Beer Lover’s Britain. More of his writing can be found at www.insidebeer.com.