I love beer. After now having visited over 545 different breweries, it’s fair to say I have sampled a lot of beer (follow me on Untappd). From post-race pints and run club meeting locations, to beer miles and relays, running and the kegged nectar seem to go hand-in-hand in Oregon. Our Kegs and Legs feature is where beer drinking runners like me can go to find some new favorite beverages.
Check out previous posts here!
There are a few “macro” breweries out there that promote low-calorie beers as a way to cater to “fit” and “young” people. Maybe it’s being from one of the beer meccas, but even if those beers were zero calories, there’s no way in hell I’d sacrifice a local IPA or porter for it. But there is something to be said for lighter and lower calorie options out there. In the past few years, we have reviewed quite a few offerings from Deschutes Brewery, and the just sent us their Wowza! Lo-Cal Hazy Pale a 100-calorie per 12 ounce can offering.
Before we jump into it, let’s start off again with a little snippet from our previous posts about Deschutes:
Deschutes is an Oregon success story – growing and expanding into many states, with plans for an operation in Roanoke, VA – all while staying true to the local scene and remaining employee owned? Despite their growth, they remain super committed to environmental causes and sustainability. I have been to their large production facility just west of the Deschutes River near the Old Mill district in Bend. They also have a brewery/restaurant location in downtown Bend a relatively new (a few years) establishment in The Pearl in PDX.
This beer combines Simcoe, Citra and Cashmere hops and brings forward a surprisingly fruity smell and taste (they define it as “notes of candied orange and passionfruit while Callista hops deliver blackberry”). They also added Chicory Root, a natural inulin fiber in an effort to keep the calorie count low while still adding balancing the flavor profile. Clearly it’s been a well-received beer as was initially only available this past Fall in Portland for Blazers games. The clamoring for a more extended release has quickly followed.
Beer:
- Wowza! Lo-Cal Hazy Pale
- ABV: 4.0%
Brewery: Deschutes Brewery (Facebook)
- 901 SW Simpson Ave Bend, OR 97702
- 1044 NW Bond Street Bend, OR 97703
- 210 NW 11th Ave. Portland, OR 97209
