One Way or Another
Cascade Brewing / Raccoon Lodge & Brewpub

Intense, red color. Medium-sized head. The aroma of blackberries, cherry pits, oak, and some funk. Sour taste with distinctive fruity notes. A very good sour.

i feel super lucky to have been able to drink a bunch of cascade beers this week, and that idaho does so well with getting their stuff, especially because we dont get a ton of cool beers into this market, its great to have them. this one is delicious, marionberries and meyer lemon zest together in a wine barrel aged sour, super sour indeed, back to that bracing cascade acidity, but the fruit flavors are amazing, remains fresh despite this being a few years old i think, and overall this has to be one of the better ones i have had from them in awhile! gorgeous deep purple color on this, no real head at all, looks almost like a glass of red wine, high shine and good clarity. the nose is very tart, but once i get used to that and through the mouthwatering i get fresh ripe blackberry, juicy and drippy and high summer, and i get the piquant zest with an orange and lemon vibe together, lemongrass, wine tannnis, light vanilla from the oak, pie character to the berries, a baked or stewed depth to them, wow. the flavor is awesome, also exceedingly sour, i could not have a ton of this because of that, but the flavors rule. very natural berry and tons of it, well in front of the lemon for me, which is lost in the taste a little to the acid wash. jammy for sure, port wine notes, black currant character too with the tartness, heaps of oak, a little wild funkiness as well in the mix which comes out more as it warms, not a ton from the malt but i dont miss it. overall very complex, well refined, and unique, a great mix of flavors, mature as can be, not quite carbonated enough, highly vinous and sour, but deeply interesting. loved it! cascade rules.

edit: just as good from the more affordable little cans, meyer lemon super bright, more poppy than i remember, more on equal ground with the marionberry, so a little different than i recall, but so good, acidic and red winey, dont need to drink a ton of this, but this is one of their more approachable beers i reckon, summery and fun, cocktail vibes too. elite modern sour ale!

Cellared 5 years.

Unknown age bottle poured into a pilsner glass. Hazy light purple color, nice foamy pink head. Sour lemony, marionberry nose, as expected, nice and punchy. It tastes like very, very sour marionberries, and some lemony character from the Meyer lemons, which are more evident on the finish along with some oaky tannin. The feel is rather thin, but it finishes very crisp and dry.

This sour ale is aptly named: it is incredibly sour, however, it is still quite refreshing.

 

L: Had this beer on-tap at Whole Foods, poured into a pint glass. Had a purplish / red color and a very cloudy consistency. There was a quarter inch of foamy, fairly long-lasting head. So-so lacing.

S: A very nice aroma of berries, citrus fruit, pine, wood, and malt.

T: Tasted of a bit of wood (oak, from the barrel aging), a tinge of malt (very fleeting), lots of berries (blackberries, in particular), a bit of pine (an odd inclusion, but welcome), and some citrus fruit (lemon, in particular). This is an incredibly sour, yet wholly likable flavor. It's pretty aggressive, but not off-putting. Tasty stuff.

F: A well-carbonated beer with a sharp, lively finish. Medium-bodied.

O: A well made, easy to drink sour. Drinkable.

 

 

Poured from 750ml bottle into glass. Label is dated '2016'.
Mostly clear body on the initial pour, gets a little cloudier with each subsequent pour. Color is purplish red or how blackberry expresses in beer. Fizzy head quickly bubbles away, leaving an interrupted thin ring fed by bubbles. No lacing.
Aroma is tart with lemon and berry. There is some oak barrel, along with funk and leather. Has a touch of sweetness.
Taste is heavy with blackberry and lemon. Mostly tart but a little sweet. Has touches of oak barrel and funk. Very dry at the end.
Mouth feel is active, with fizzing bubbles in each sip. Close to tooth scraping through the profile,
A well blended and executed sour ale. Belt in for the ride: sour, dry, fruity (citrus and berry), oak barrel, and a touch of funk.

 

Appearance: Pours cloudy and blackberry juice colored; the frothy head fades quickly to a ringlet with an island floating in the middle; a few shards of lacing

Smell: Very tart, with the Meyer lemon and marionberry tones distinct; slightly funky

Taste: Tart marionberry flavors emerge first, with the Meyer lemon building, through the middle; oak and funk arrive, in the middle, and maintain their position through the finish; acetic and vinegary in the aftertaste

Mouthfeel: Medium body with low carbonation; very puckery

Overall: A very nice use of the fruit here to develop a flavor profile that is definitely not for beginners

 

 

Poured with a beautiful blackberry tint to a pale beer which made the pour look a little like iced tea. A sweet little bit of color in the beer. Fat head of tan foam that fell fast enough. Nose is punch like with blackberry and lemon peel. The lemon peel is so strong but not tart smelling. Hop spice and a bit of phenolic spice fill up the nose. A light clove but faint in the background. Grassy hops. Drinks with a bit of malt fullness but dry. Tempting tart blackberries and soft sweet grasses. Lemon peel so vibrant. Crisp bubbly finish and no hop bitter to linger. When I tasted all the hops in this beer, and you can taste them even though the Marion berries are full in their flavor, I thought which hops are these?