Cascade Ale
Grizzly Peak Brewing Company

 

Overall I like Grizzly Peaks offerings a lot, but this one seemed to fall short. I was expecting a hop blast (or at least a one-up on their regular pale ale) but that's not what I got. The best thing about this one was the smell--it smelled richly of hops but the rest fell short. It was served in a pint at a temperature that seemed even higher than cask-temp and although looked alright, had quite a thin mouthfeel. The taste was decent, although if served a bit colder the hops could have been brought out a little better.

On tap over the weekend at the brewpub,poured a slight hazed peach-like color with a tight but thin white head.Big cascade aromas somewhat piney and citrusy,with an underlying caramel sweetness,the hops provide a nice flavor profile but it just seemed to lack enough malt to make it a real winner the hop presence is there no doubt a well defined citrus/piney element is there.It was ok but it needed more of something,all in all still not all bad.

A: Medium orange color with a dense head of foam, and lower carbonation. Pretty clear when held to the light. Served a bit too cold, but i've had worse.

S: Lots of cascade hops, and it shows. Very similar to an IPA, but lacking the "over the top" hop character exibited by that style. Dense floral character, and a light caramel malt note.

T: Again, very hoppy, but not over the top. The cascade hop flavor is dominant, but is accentuated by the addition of malt and a light bready note. Nicely done.

M: Average cask presentation. Slightly creamy, but again, the colder presentation kind of masked the overall feel of the beer.

D: Good. I'd be happy to have this again. I like how it pushed the limits on hops without being a full blown IPA Hop attack.