Caboose
Cassel Brewery Co.

 

Hazy gold with a thick head and full lacing. Spicy citrus nose, inviting. Medium malt body with nice bitterness. Balanced between smooth and crisp.

October 7 2019

 

 

 

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Sept 21 2018 and served barely chilled . This marks the first time I've seen a "new" Cassel product on shelves around here in at least three years.

Pours a slightly foggy, translucent golden-yellow colour, with roughly one inch of soapy, foamy white head situated atop. It steadily dissipates over the next five minutes or so, leaving behind a smooth, creamy looking cap and collar ringed by a seductive coat of lace; looks superb, and the nose is also rather pleasant and fruity. I'm getting notes of mandarin orange, stone fruit, passion fruit, grapefruit and lychee, along with understated hints of earthy, floral hops.

Its flavours are along the same lines - quite fruity and hop forward from start to finish. There's some grainy pale malt sweetness at the forefront, but it quickly gives way to hints of apricot, orange and grapefruit by mid-sip, buttressed by slight accents of cantaloupe and passion fruit. The back end features a pithy, floral, weakly earthy/piney bitterness that carries on through the finish and lingers into the aftertaste for a few moments. Medium in body, with low carbonation levels that result in an exceedingly soft, silky-smooth texture - possibly my favourite aspect of this beer, as I find that it improves its drinkability.

Final Grade: 3.84, a B+. Cassel's Caboose IPA isn't the most exciting or novel pale ale I've had recently, but it's a respectable regional IPA in any event. It's always nice to discover a solid beer that has, until now, totally evaded my radar. Given the high level of quality competition in the IPA category (and this can's near-$4 price tag), I can't say with certainty that I'll be returning to this with all that much frequency, but it's certainly worth a shot if you're curious... and have access to a fresh supply.

Pours a clear gold with two fingers of head. Break is quick, with some lacing left behind. Smell is hoppy, floral and tropical. Malts come in on the end. Taste is surprisingly good,the hops are nice, bitter and pithy. Feel is good too, medium weight with a dry finish.

I expected nothing from this beer,but it surprised me and it was pretty good. I have to say it's fresh too...2.5 weeks. Maybe the freshness is the difference between my review and some of the others.

 

 

 

 

 

500ml bottle, gotten as a gift.

Pours a little flat and a little hazy. Lightly carbonated almost cask-like feel to this one. Translucent orange with a fast-dropping head. A bit of a grainy nose, hints of metal and grapefruit. Soft, silky mouthfeel. Big bitter finish and aftertaste. Solid IPA but seems to lack some depth.

This is the second bottle of this I've had and the first seemed to have a more pronounced grapefruit hoppiness. Could be QC issues, or it could be my tastebuds. I would try it again to find out.