Brunch Line
Cascade Brewing / Raccoon Lodge & Brewpub

Slightly hazy, amber color. Thin, white head. Funky aroma with notes of grape and citrus. Sour taste with a somewhat astringent finish. Going to miss their beers.

 

Cascade Brunch Line 2017 — Barrel Aged Wheat and Blonde Ales, Chardonnay Grapes abs Orange Zest added

No appreciable head but practically sparkling carbonation, highly fizzy. Pours a deep hazy ambered orange (I always aspirate some of the yeast back in, I know some hate that, but I love yeast).

Sour aromas present of course, mostly tart, not particularly funky. Musty grapes, Lemonish, almost a dry scent malty/yeasty notes present but very backseat

Taste follows the nose, a lightly puckering sour at first leads into a dry, mildly grainy, vinous grape must taste. Wine tannins and a general oak aged taste is great here, mild but not subtle! Citrus zest is present as well, in that gently puckering way, thick and dry with citrus compounds rather than fleshy. Mild grain notes and pleasant, mild sourdough bread on the far end of the finish.

Medium-ish bodied, carbonation looks sparkling but isn’t quite there, the bubbles are small and compact, but it’s definitely an effervescent feel. A lot of the stars of this beer are on the mouthfeel. It’s lightly tart, only slightly puckering (just around the edges of your palate), and it’s a very dry finish. Pleasant all the way through. The sourness is much less funky and overwhelming, and is more a typical classical sour, subtle and as smooth as a sour beer can be. The ABV% is not noticeable whatsoever. You’d be forgiven for thinking this is a low ABV beer. Barrel aging took all the edge off of it and smoothed it beautifully

It’s not exactly the most complex sour I’ve had but it’s pleasant and enjoyable, no rough edges, smooth and evened throughout, with a lot of tannins, minerality to the body.

 

 

Another review from Sour Fest 2019 at Hops & Pie in Denver, CO. One of the two collaborations between Cascade and Beachwood at this festival. Was a mixed bag comparing them, both good, downsides, the other had too much fruit juice to it, this one is too strong.

Anyhoo, pours a relative standard slightly darker golden color, decent clarity. 1/3" white head. Aroma was all about that chardonnay, you can hear those who have hit the wall shrieking about day drinking and their crazy ex when you sniff this one.

Taste and mouth feel wise, the high degree of alcohol and orange zest bitterness create quite the 'big bitter beer' struggle. Hot and bitter seem to act as multipliers for each other. But, as the palate adjusts, the back half isn't nearly as abrasive as the first. I think beer could be a treatment for canker sores. I guess they were going for a mimosa kind of beer, I dunno, I liked it, didn't love it, could really like it if it was more like 6.9% instead of 9.6% but Cascade gonna Cascade.

2020-06-06
500ml bottle split between a pair of WABL sample glasses. 2017 vintage.

Pours mostly clear light amber / bronze-golden. Medium head on the pour, medium head after a couple minutes. Lots of carbonation. Smell is tart and vaguely fruity. Smells a bit like sour or margarita mix.

Taste is very, very tart. Lemon, sweet tarts primarily. Not sure I get much else.

Mouthfeel is very dry. Overall, good beer.

 

 

 

2017 vintage. another creative and brilliant sour from these guys. this one done with chardonnay grapes and orange zest in white wine barrels, real mature, puckery, and clean for its shockingly high abv, which remains in the background the whole time, crazy delicate for its strength. it has the classic cascade sour profile, a little more bacterial than bretty but with both agents in full swing, well dried out, and with a bright citrusy pucker that i know from so many of their other beers. i think the orange element is great, its robust and is present from start to finish, nice with the sourness, and really making such a mature beer seem alive to me. the grapes are nice, fermented down to dry so a little more subtle than i thought they might be, but with the wine barrel treatment and the orange, i do get the mimosa vibe they were going for with this one. plenty of oak and tannins here, some clean minerality, fresh juice orange essence, and a crisp white wine backing. i can still taste the wheat malt too which i like, the alcohol is real well hidden, and its not so sour like some of their beers that a single glass feels like a lot, not as harsh. effervescent feel is a good call and overall this is really well executed. cascade just keeps continuing to impress each time i have a beer from them...