Big Bad Wolf Dark Strong Ale With Cascara
Counterbalance Brewing Company

A very dark amber brown with nice swirls of foam in the chalice. The aroma is fruitcake and jam. Spritzy and malty in the mouth and no sigh of the alcohol.

Dark, burnt grain flavor along with the sweet malt. The dried cherry flavor is thoroughly interesting and the sweet fruity note is quite delicious. A woody, dark aftertaste with hops and blackberry seeds. This would be the way to make a Winter Warmer-- dark fruit and not too sweet. From the 375 ml bottle purchased at Elizabeth Station in Bellingham.

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown with a thin khaki head that dissipates to patches with light lacing. Aroma of dark malt, coffee, cocoa, molasses, dark dried fruit. Flavor is dark toasted biscuit malt, plums, coffee, cocoa and a hint of cherry. Medium bodied with light creaminess. An interesting dark strong ale, unlike anything else I've tried. The malt body is complex, with dark toasted malt like a porter, but with plummy fruit in equal intensity, the cascara adds a coffee like flavor and the flavor of cherry without cherry tartness. The residual aftertaste is mildly fruit tart, but has malty, molasses notes. This almost seems like it shouldn't work, but it is interesting and flavorful, inviting further tasting. Well done.