#127: Deschutes Brewery » Chainbreaker (White IPA)

My first visit to Philly's lauded, historic Monk's Cafe...

The Brewery: Deschutes Brewery (Bend, OR)
The Brew: Chainbreaker (White IPA)
Availability: Draft, Bottle (year-round)
ABV: 5.6% | IBUs: 55
Rating: 9/10
Location: Monk's Cafe (Philadelphia, PA)

The Story? Before my road trips and vacations were beer-driven, they were concert driven. This trek down to one of my favorite U.S. metropolitan areas initiated from the desire to finally see one of my favorite experimental hardcore bands, Circle Takes The Square. I've also had my eye on getting down there to Monk's Cafe, for their extensive and oft-changing list of world-class beers. Two birds and so on... I was traveling on my own for a change and thus on my own time for beers and bands.

Despite my morning starting off with a minor flood of water from a broken shower which reached all the way to the basement, a brief white-out on the road, and typical inbound Philly traffic jams, my determined self arrived within standard deviation of my goal time.

Monk's Cafe was easy to find, just a block over from bustling 15th Street. Dark and cozy, there's a front bar and back bar, and thankfully you can order brews from either at either. With a table for one in the back bar and I order up a burger with ardennes-style ham & a nutty, Belgian cheese along with Deschutes Brewery's Chainbreaker White IPA.

Deschutes beers are only available in a few speckled locations east of the Mississippi, besides Illinois, so I usually jump at the chance to give one a try. My last bid on Deschutes yielded a glass of one of my new favorite beers.


The Beer? Chainbreaker is an American-Belgian hybrid, brewed with Belgian yeast and Cascade and Citra hops. My glass arrives, filled with the translucent, yellow brew with a finger of lacy head.

The alluring citrus nose invites me to dive right into this one and it's beautiful with the perfect level op hops. Mild, bitterness threaded with orange and sweet grapefruit augmented by a perfectly prickly Belgian-style carbonation, but not too much to be distracting.

Sweet, bready malts provide a wonderful backbone while modest, but highly complimentary herbal and floral flavors nod in. This is pretty much the perfect start to what should be a thrilling and stress-reducing escape.