Beer of the Weekend #484: Chainbreaker White IPA

There has been a lot of buzz regarding Deschutes’ arrival in Iowa and today was the day. Or at least it was the “soft release” date. John’s received a delivery and I grabbed a sixer. Why not? (Actually, I completely missed the big display of cases in the beer room and had picked out a sixer of Fort Collins’ Rocky Mountain IPA until Joe Hotek told me Deschutes was in.)

The beer of the weekend is Chainbreaker White IPA, brewed by the Deschutes Brewery of Bend, Oregon.


Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The “BEST BY” date printed on the label is “10/31/13.”

Appearance: Poured into a tulip. The color is cloudy, lemonade straw. A finger or so of thickish head left a bubbly skim, ring around the edge, and lacing along the glass.

Smell: Lots of coriander and pepper spice upfront. It has a nice base of bready malts, a little funky yeast that complements the spice, and a spritz of lemon.

Taste: It has a full-bodied mouthfeel and the coriander, pepper spice, and complementing yeast funk dominate. They merge seamlessly so I can barely tell them apart. Bready pale malts and lemonade-like lemon round it out.

Drinkability: A good beer. The flavor and aroma are both strong and enjoyable.

Fun facts about CWIPA:

-Style: Let’s just call it “White IPA.”

-Price: $7.99/sixer at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.

-Alcohol content: 5.6 percent ABV.

-Food pairings: Listed on the beer’s webpage are “Crispy Fish Tacos with Avocado and Tropical-Fruit Salsa, Grilled Spicy Sausage and Egg Breakfast Sandwich, Almond Orange Crusted Chicken with Fennel Arugula Salad.”

-IBU: 55.

-Calories: 180 per 12-ounce serving.

-Since the name is bike-themed, I thought there would be a quirky story behind it on the beer’s webpage. Nope.

-Written on the underside of the cap of my first CWIPA was “BRAVELY DONE.”

-As I said, today was Deschutes’ soft release. Along with CWIPA, there were only three other beers: Black Butte Porter, Twilight Summer Ale, and Fresh Squeezed IPA. (I do not remember if Mirror Pond Pale Ale was available or not.) Having just browsed the Deschutes website, I am eager to see Inversion IPA, Deschutes River Ale, and Red Chair NWPA.


The Quiet Man’s grade: B.

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