Midnight Kascadian Dark Ale
Kulshan Brewing Company

 

I buy growlers of the Kascadian Dark regularly. It has a very floral smell and almost fruity taste you wouldn't expect out of a Cascadian Dark Ale. Its definitely not the strongest or darkest Dark Ale out there, but I'm a fan for its complexity and unique taste.

 

I had this one on tap at the Tap House Seattle. As with most standard beers here it is served in a shaker pint.

The beer is dark brown - black with a sticky light tan head.

Pine and roasted malts in the nose.

It is pretty good. Pine and resin overlaid over medium roasted malts. It has a touch of bakers chocolate mid-glass. Everything works together.

Creamy & slightly thick mouth. It was a nice beer and I would have no problem ordering this one again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dark brown and moderate brown head with good retention and lacing. Pine aroma with roasted notes. Piney hops with light roasty linger and a moderate hop finish. Balanced with chocolate sweetness. Smooth feel and light body.

A little on the sweet side but it’s not overly roasty like many examples. A very easy drinking beer with a simple and clean flavor profile.

 

Served in straight pint glass. Poured a nice black color with a good amount of translucence and about 1/2 inch of light khai head that had OK retention and good lacing.

The aroma was mostly a good mix of malt and hops, with just a gentle enough amount of roast to notice. The flavors were pretty similar, nicely balanced malts and hops. The biggest problem I have with this style is that the roasted flavors don't seem to pair well with strong hopping. This beer avoids that pitfall by having just enough roast in the background to notice, but not so much as to overpower the other features.

The body was good, smooth, even and well balanced. Drinkability was good, this is a CDA that I'd have a couple of. Overall, a very nice example of one of my least favorite styles. Worth trying when you visit the Fourth Corner.