One of the best things about living in the North West is the huge number of great breweries located within a few hours drive. This makes for a great selection of local craft beer in supermarkets that I sometimes take for granted.  While at my local store this week I picked up a 6 pack of the Deschutes Brewery summer ale called Twilight.

From my knowledge, Deschutes Brewery distributes to quite a few places across the US.  If their beers aren’t at your local beer store, then you’re missing out. Most of their brews are pretty dang good, and Twilight didn’t disappoint.

First off, I’m not a huge fan of the name. Maybe it’s the Twilight movies and books that ruined the word, but all I can think about while looking at the bottle is vampire boys glimmering in the moonlight. Not a good visual for drinking beer to.

Once I got past the name, things got a lot better.  Pouring into the glass, the color was a little more amber than I was expecting.  There was about a finger of head in the glass that receded pretty quickly (I had to grab my camera pretty quick to get a picture before it was gone).  It did however leave some nice lacing on the glass.

The smell was a nice blast of citrus with a a small hint of honey.  This is from dry hopping with Amarillo hops.  I must admit I am a huge sucker for Amarillo hops, which is why I think I like this beer so much.  Drinking it wasn’t to hoppy and it was well balanced with a nice light and slightly sweet malt flavor.

Once the glass was gone I was ready for another glass.  From the seasonal summer ales I’ve had this year, I’d have to say this is my favorite.  This is a great summer beer that is light, but full of flavor. It’s perfect for drinking while hanging out outside.

Overall I give Twilight an A-.

This is definitely a beer to try if you can.

Bitterness: 35 IBU
ABV: 5.0%
Availability: May-September

What are your thoughts on Twilight (the beer, not the movie)?

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