Citrus Noyaux
Cascade Brewing / Raccoon Lodge & Brewpub

 

 

 

50 cl. Bottle With cork stopper.
Blond Ale aged two years in cask with the addition of fresh orange, grapefruit and lemon peel and “Noyaux” apricots (including stones).
Immediately upon opening, lively citrus notes (especially lemon, grapefruit and orange in the background) and also of white grapes that emerge surrounded by a soft barrel scent.
As soon as it is poured, the citrus scent is released even more.
Deep golden color, light foam that disappears quickly.
In the mouth we find a body of medium structure but which, thanks to the aromatic range of which it is embellished, slips away in great simplicity.
In the mouth it is a spectacular beer: perfect balance between the fruity notes of citrus fruits that are protagonists at the beginning before a refined acid note, but not of brett, just of fermented fruit that gives a very slight astringency before a drier and drier finish , which also gives a little feeling of dehydration.
The tongue remains dry, on the palate a delicate fruity bouquet that also evolves into a floral one.
Well structured and very satisfying to savor.

really rad beer here, glad a scored a bottle. its done with the noyaux and a bunch of citrus, including lemon and grapefruit and orange, lemon being the most obvious to me. the beer has a cool weight to it on the palate, deep and dense and fuller feeling for a beer this sour, i really like that heft, and its not riding on grain flavor either, this is almost delicate from a malt standpoint, a striking feature of this. its a shade darker than expected in the glass, a brassy orange, but with immaculate clarity, i mean perfectly crystal clear, holding an inch of thick white foam too. very pretty in a white wine glass. it smells citrus forward, bitter and pithy and zesty and acidic all at the same time, the fruit going well with the clean bacterial sourness and adding some bitterness against the honey sweetness of the malt. this is very tart, vinous and tannic too, on the edge of too much, but the body and the oak rounds it out just enough, and its so clean. also there is a nice mineral profile that emerges which highlights the fruit at the peak of the pucker, so its quite dynamic, and maybe even necessarily this sour, which i dont always think with their beers, its an important part of the experience here, even to this degree. a neat nutty, almost essence vibe from the noyaux, amaretto maybe, vanilla to it too, really elegant and subtle, wonderful with the wine notes this has from the barrels, and although behind the citrus, can easily be appreciated. this is gorgeous beer overall, warms up nicely and has a ton of layers to it. expertly refined, very mature and interesting, nothing quite like this anywhere!

L: Golden yellow beer.
S: Forward apricot with a back smell of lemon.
T: A simple sour enteinement of apricot and lemon. Very simple but very enjoyable.
F: Lemon and apricot drink.
O: A simple mix of flavors that stand out and show what can be done with fruits.

Excited to try this one, on-tap in Nampa ID.

A: Clear gold with minimal white head and a little lacing.

S: Lemony-tartness and funk; apricot is there, with some general stone fruit notes and lactic sourness.

T: Apricoty fruitiness and lots of lemon peel, tartness does overpower the sweetness but there is a delicate note of almond and coconut underneath that. Grapefruit tartness as well.

MF: Sour medium/full body with a drying finish.

O: It delivers, I like the accenting notes of almond and coconut underneath the constant grapefruit/lemon tartness and start-to-finish stone fruit character; the noyaux kernels add a nice complexity to a fairly standard fruity sour.