Mirror Pond Pale Ale Bratwurst,Deschutes Brewery and Public House, Portland,OR

Downtown in Portland's Pearl District, I find myself in the popular and busy Deschutes Brewery Public House. It's Happy Hour time and I'm looking at a tempting Bratwurst.

Mirror Pond Pale Ale Bratwurst

This happy hour offering comes as a plump bratwurst nestled in a housemade Hoagie--no hot dog buns, please. On top, Deschutes piles on warm apple sauerkraut and must-have whole grain mustard to give you that gratifying brat experience. Biting into the brat itself, you get all the succulent goodness of the sausage. As you nibble down to the apple sauerkraut and mustard, your taste buds receive a pleasant jolt of spicy tanginess. After munching and savoring, we take a sip of the brew.

I chose the Deschutes Bachelor Bitter because it was the Happy Hour beer of the day--always a good choice. As usual, Deschutes did not disappoint; the bitter came across with a sweet malty taste along with a light bitterness. Spicy and with good body,  the bitter proved to be a agreeable accompaniment to the brat.

Bachelor Bitter

I usually go to Happy Hour so that I can try an appealing appetizer and then order dinner. However, this time I decided to pass on dinner and go with a second pint: I chose the Chainbreaker IPA, a lighter drink than the bitter. The Chainbreaker is a White IPA, brewed with wheat and pilsner malt--a noble experiment.

The IPA drank down cleaner and crispier than the bitter, really easy drinking. The Chainbreaker IPA would  have also been a good choice to complement the brat. Either brew would be welcome for a sit down.

Sunday-Tuesday:	11am-10pm
Wednesday & Thursday:	11am-11am
Friday & Saturday:	11am-12am

Happy Hour: Monday-Friday: 4pm-6pm

210 NW 11th Ave, Portland OR
503-296-4906

http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/locations/portland