Skully Barrel No. 28: Cascara Sour
Paradox Beer Company

500ml Bottle
Bottle Conditioned
Released: June 2015
No. 3337 of 4800
A.K.A. Cascara Sour

Poured into a chalice a very nice dark brown color, nice carbonation, with a quick fizzy light tan head, which leaves some minimal sticky lacing behind. The nose is malty, yeasty, very tart, cherries, slightly spicy. The taste is very nice, malty, bitter/sour, yeasty, real nice funkyness, cherries. Medium body. Overall, this is a very tasty brew.

 

 

Acquired from an IP trade in beautiful Chicago, IL. Drank out of a Transient Artisan Ales Members Glass. Bottle 1819/4800 (that's pretty cool)

Look: Murky, swampy reddish brown. Pours with two fingers of rapidly dissipating head. Zero head retention or lacing to be spoken for. Low levels of small upward bubbles. Not the most appealing beer I've ever seen, looks somewhat concerning. Near the end of the pour definitely darker towards the bottom with a lighter/brighter color near the surface.

Smell: MUCH BETTER. Smells like a proper oud bruin with tart cherry and a touch of sweet vinegar. A touch of souring red fruit and dry red wine.

Taste: Well the added salt hits me with the first sip. Acetic acid hits me next with a bit of green apple peel and vinegar soaked cherry. Sour red wine soaked red berries, a bit of chocolate although maybe that is the coffee coming out in an unexpected way. It is quite tart though. Quite reminiscent of a oud bruin in a lot of ways, but with that minor chocolate note.

Feel: Medium heavy mouthfeel (6/10). The oak in the barrel comes out most in the mouthfeel. The beer is quite concise and drying. A touch of residual dryness dances on the tongue which leaves more wanting. A bit coating.

 

 

this is one of the best paradox beers to date, and a real highlight of this now extensive series. i love cascara, and think this is probably the best use of it in a beer that i am aware of. big fan. slightly pink color, with a nose of rooibos tea and sweet gummy bears. you get the earthy part of the cascara, but not much of its bitterness, which makes a lot of sense in a beer this funky. one of the few from these guys thats as bretty and funky as it is sour and acidic. still quite puckery, but there is a horsey cheesy weirdness from the yeast and the oak underneath it and its great in combination with the cascara. a slight dried cherry or cranberry flavor in there at the end, and some tannins from the wine barrels and the cascara. impressive depth and originality, a great use of a tricky ingredient, and finally a beer from these guys with a little carbonation. it warms up well too, getting even more sour. i wonder how this one will hold up with extensive ageing, im not sure it would benefit from being any more sour than it already is. one of my favorite paradox beers to date. well worth picking up.

 

 

 

 

Bottle served in a tulip. Pours a dark brown with no head. Nose is slight funk and cherry. Taste is rather mellow with cherry and spices. Funk is rather light.

 

 

 

Very interesting beer. The coffee cherries are used instead of the beans. Lends well to this style, but still a bit of a confused brew.