I have to admit, my friend (and accomplished brewer) Pete Devaris and I thought we were done reviewing Deschutes beers when we realized we had another beer in the box. Usually I review 2-3 beers in one sitting, so reviewing this beer fourth and knowing it was from Deschutes gives this review a meaningful difference from other reviews on this site. As such, take it with a grain of salt, but I think the review is fair and accurate.
The nose is earthy with a solid estery profile. Is it pinecone in the nose? Not really. More like beeswax – sappy and resinous. The beer is brilliantly clear, garnet in color, and has a nice head. It's well-hopped, but I wouldn't call it hoppy. A solid, fairly dry malt backbone holds up to a nice citrusy bitterness, a slight acidic bite and a powerful citrus hop flavor. The malt carries through to the finish. It's rich, creamy, warming, dry and lingering.
In all, this is a solid (though not amazing) IPA. It's got a fair bit of alcohol, a full-frontal citrus hop assault and a gorgeous nose. A well-balanced and quite big IPA.