This is the Rootin’ Tootin’ low gluten ale from Deschutes. They just opened a new brewpub downtown, so this probably won’t be the last beer from them I talk about in the next few weeks.
First, however, I have to say; that is a terrible name for a beer. Or at least, it’s a terrible name for a Deschutes beer, which commonly names their beers after mountains, rivers or some kind of natural phenomena: Mirror Pond, Inversion, Black Butte, Obsidian. This is…well, really out of character for them, and I probably would’ve not ordered it under normal circumstances, just because of the name. However, it was 1) a free pint {they were having a ‘test opening’} and 2) it was made with sorghum instead of the usual malts, so I figured I’d give it a try. I am a sucker for new beers that I haven’t tried before.
The nose is very, very floral-almost perfume like and quite strong; unfortunately, it is not backed up by anything else. I am making the presumption that the reason this beer doesn’t have much body is because it is using sorghum, instead of the traditional 2 or 4 row malts. This might be good for people who have a gluten intolerance, but the drawback is that there isn’t enough body to this beer to support the floralness of it. I felt a bit like I was drinking a very light flower. I initially thought that this beer might go better in the summertime, when it’s hot.
Then I noticed the finish, which was quite dry so despite being a very light beer, it wasn’t
very quenching. I wanted some kind of maltiness, or perhaps a touch
of bitterness,to help offset the hops, and I just wasn’t noticing any.
This beer might appeal to some people; I didn’t notice any off flavors that would make it undrinkable, but it wasn’t for me.
A pint for Dionysus 