Back for only the third year of production, Deschutes Brewing‘s vintage-dated barley wine, Mirror Mirror, hasn’t been produced for five years and marks a time to remember. The landmark Bend, Ore. brewery (with a recent brewpub addition in Portland) has been producing multiple seasonal series and standard staples in Oregon’s beer world since 1988. The Mirror Mirror Barley Wine originates from a double batch of Deschutes proprietary Mirror Pond Pale Ale that is doused in English malts and hopped with Cascades and Millennium varieties then oak-aged for 10 months in varying barrels that once held Oregon Pinot Noir, Tempranillo and Malbec. Special treatment produces a distinctive beer, a barley wine with aromas of fig, caramel, cocoa, toffee, bread and beyond while the palate is equally wealthy in full-bodied flavors of caramel malts, brown sugared cream, fig and plum like a holiday sweet bun, finishing rich and round.
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