Agreed. This clone is very close to the original, which I had on tap in Oregon, as well as from a bottle in OR and WA. I took a trip to the OR/WA area last fall, sampled this brew and fell in love with it. I don't think Deschutes ships as far as PA because I couldn't find any Deschutes anywhere, so I had to make it myself. Ordered the extract kit, as well as an additional 1 oz. of Cascade hops. 2 weeks in primary, 2 weeks in secondary, dry-hopped 1 oz. of Cascade hops the last 7 days, then kegged. Force-carbonated for 2-3 days at 30 psi, dropped to 10 psi, poured a pint and it is delicious. Easy batch with fantastic results. Nice foamy head retention and sweet aroma. Clarity is perfect (used Irish Moss). Finish is perfect. My batch came out pretty much dead-on at 5.5% ABV. I believe the original is 5.7% (according to sources online). My starting gravity was 1.052. I'm only 2 pints in to my keg but I know this kit is a keeper. Highly recommended. Very impressed with Austin's clone kits so far. This is a perfect session beer if you like the style. I can drink this stuff all night. Even if you have never tasted the original Deschutes version you will like this kit if lightly-hopped pale ales are your thing, this is a balanced beer overall. I would love to have an endless, cold supply of this brew.
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