Today, June 27, marks the thirty-second anniversary of Deschutes Brewery here in Bend. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the brewery is not hosting an anniversary party this year, but it is releasing its Black Butte XXXII in 12-ounce bottles for the first time. Today’s reviews are a nod towards the big day, though going in a different direction: the three Modified Theory “crafted hard bevvies” the brewery released under a new brand.

The concept behind these beverages is a sort of “non beer” FMB type drink that can be enjoying straight, over ice, or as a mixer in a cocktail. They tick the “lifestyle” marks of having low sugar and are crafted to be gluten-reduced (though not gluten free) and appeal to non-beer or, perhaps, beer-adjacent drinkers in a similar vein to hard seltzers and other alternatives. Conspicuously, the branding is entirely free of the “Deschutes” name (though to me, the packaging design does bear its fingerprint).

These are still malt beverages, however, and in fact the base is essentially a sour ale. Each of the flavors is created by blending with various fruits, spices, and herbs and the final result works to varying degrees, as you’ll see.

Deschutes had sent me all three flavors back in March, along with some extras. When the pandemic hit, the brewery decided to pull back on the big marketing push it had planned for the line (for obvious reasons), but you can find them all on the shelves.

Since these bevvies are designed to drink straight or as a cocktail mixer, I decided to do both in my reviews; six ounces straight to taste and review as beer (adjacent), the other six mixed in the suggested cocktail recipe that came on the cards for each. Let’s dive in!

Tarocco Orange Vanilla

The website says, “Naturally sweet Sicilian blood oranges mingle with an array of warming spices, real vanilla, cardamom and nutmeg-derived mace to create a unique, bold flavor.” TOV is 5.5% ABV, and has 3.4 grams of sugar, probably from the oranges. The full calorie count is 179, with an overall 16g of carbs.

As beer:

Appearance: Orange! Kind of looks like an orange soda, and there is a touch of haze. The head is fizzy, crisp, and orange-tinted.

Smell: Fresh blood orange zest and juice—like just-sliced oranges. A hint of tart, a bare hint of sweet vanilla for an initial impression of orange cream soda.

Taste: Orange peel and a slight lactic acid tang. Orange oil, tart-fruity, and the vanilla does give an essence of orange soda. Goes tart in the finish, with a touch of orange peel bitterness. No alcohol.

Mouthfeel: Light, bitter in a pithy direction, leaving a slightly oily and tart coating in the mouth.

Overall: I think it’s a bit too orange-pith bitter for what’s intended, but it certainly doesn’t drink like beer and is pretty mild as a sour. I like the orange character in general.

As a cocktail:

The recipe card is for Blood Orange Bourbon, and calls for 6 ounces of TOV, 1.5 ounces of bourbon, combined over ice and garnished with a wedge of blood orange. I used Evan Williams Kentucky Bourbon (black label), and I garnished with a strip of orange peel since I didn’t have a blood orange. I didn’t use the shaker jar or stirrer for this, just a shot of bourbon over ice topped with TOV in an old fashioned style glass.

Result: Frothy, creamy foam going orange color. The bitterness comes out more with the bourbon, more like orange pith and oil, with kind of an old fashioned cocktail flavor thing going on. Might be fun to muddle with a cherry.

Northwest Berry Lavender

The website says, “Juicy berries fresh picked from the Pacific Northwest and mingled with aromatic lavender create an intriguing hard bevy.” The berries are marionberries, raspberries, and blackberries. It’s 5.5% ABV, 0g of sugar, with an overall 170 calories and 14g of carbs.

I’ll be honest, I approached this with a touch of skepticism because of the lavender, which can go in a liquid handsoap direction really easily.

As beer:

Appearance: Rose-pink in color and clear; there’s a touch of gold at the edges which is pretty. There’s not much of a head; it was fizzy at first then fell quickly.

Smell: Subtle all around, with hints of herbal lavender, and hints of darker berries.

Taste: Light flavors of just-underripe berry with a not-too-sour maltiness. If lavender is here it’s quite a light touch and is more earthy than herbal.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied, earthy-herbal impression, a touch malty towards the back.

Overall: Quite subtle.

As a cocktail:

The recipe is Boozy Berry Bevy, which combines 6 ounces of NBL with 1.5 ounces of gin over ice and garnished with a fresh blackberry. The PR package had included an airplane-sized bottle of locally-made Crater Lake Gin, and for this one I went full mixer.

Result: There’s a nice herbal bitterness that plays off the gin and is earthy, junpery, and there’s a bit more lavender coming out of the flavor—though there’s no real “berry” flavors here as they get tamped down by the herbs.

Tahitian Lime Agave

According to the website, “Zesty Tahitian limes mingle with Aji Amarillo peppers, real agave, and Himalayan sea salt in this refreshingly tart and sparkling hard bevy.” It’s also 5.5% ABV with 0g of sugar, and overall has 170 calories and 14g of carbs.

As beer:

Appearance: Bright and clear pale golden yellow color, with a fizzy, white, crisp head.

Smell: Super subtle aroma that reminds me of lime zest and mineral water.

Flavor: Quite light, with a sour lime flavor that stays quite mellow and never gets too tart or biting. Crisp, mellow, just a hint of lactic acid. No alcohol, no note of pepper either.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied and crisp, with a slight acid bite and a touch of fizzy carbonation.

Overall: Lime is what stands out here and it’s super mellow; as a “beer” it’s my favorite of the three.

As a cocktail:

The recipe for Margs Made Easy calls for 6 ounces of TLA with 1.5 ounces of tequila, over ice with a garnish of fresh lime. I used the mixer on this as well, and had a (generic) white tequila to mix in.

Result: It goes in a margarita direction all right, not surprisingly, though it’s subtler and I’ll note I didn’t have any fresh lime to garnish—which would do well with a squeeze of lime as well. The “beer” is light enough that I get the bitterness of the tequila nicely. It’s good and refreshing.

Final tally: As “beer” my preferences in order are Tahitian Lime Agave, Tarocco Orange Vanilla, then Northwest Berry Lavender. As cocktails, I think they all worked well for the suggestions so I’m not sure I have a preference. I’m not a huge cocktail drinker, but I do believe I would prefer the Modified Theory bevvies in cocktails rather than straight just because they seemed to play so well that way.

These are certainly worth trying out, even if you’re skeptical of the “FMB” type concept. I don’t know when this new brand is going to get its time in the spotlight, but I know Deschutes had planned a big rollout before the pandemic, so that may yet happen at some point.

And happy 32nd anniversary, Deschutes Brewery!