Bean to Barrel Triple
Cascade Brewing / Raccoon Lodge & Brewpub

 

i believe the name of this is bean to barrel, not beans, at least that what my label says, 2017 vintage. surprised more folks havent reviewed this one, a couple of legends collaborating on this one in cascade and mikkeller. a super woody sour tripel base, done with cocoa nibs, a super interesting combination. i actually bought it thinking it was coffee not cocoa, but it was a pleasant surprise when we cracked it and looked a little closer. its got a nice pale orange color with an average white head on it, lively enough, but not like a classic belgian, not that high or lasting, but it looks nice. the aroma is striking, immediately less sour, acidic, vinegar forward than a lot of the cascade sours, more funk to this, and it seems like the tartness that is here is balanced by some grain sweetness and the richness of the cocoa, along with an absolute ton of oak softening the edges but kind of heavying the beer up overall in a very favorable way. it tastes like liquid lumber, intensely oak forward which is awesome, woody all the way. the cocoa has some bitterness to it, a light brownie sort of desserty element with a honey note from the grain, and is obvious even in an otherwise robustly flavored brew. not overly sour, i could have easily had the whole bottle myself if i wasnt sharing, and the cocoa doesnt seem to have faded at all over time, at least not that i can imagine. the base beer isnt all that belgian to me, more funk and bacterial tang than belgian yeast, but the whole thing is very cohesive, extremely unique, woody as heck, and frankly quite memorable. effervescent in feel, well hidden alcohol too this drinks a lot lighter than it is. not surprise from cascade and mikkeller, but this is pure fire, i wish i bought two. hoping they get together and make more beer in the future!