Cascade
Brasserie Bièropholie

Review from BeerAdvocate magazine Vol. II Issue VIII:

Label touts "66 IBU" with a "cascading" waterfall, while the website talks about the Cascade hop variety, its use by American brewers who prefer the hop, the Brits who think it's an inferior variety (quoi?), and how it needs to be all about balance. Enough talk. Bring it.

Leathery copper topped by a creamy, tan head with lace and legs. Complex nose of must, resins, dense hop, floral, and suggestion of mint. Smooth with a medium body and even consistency, turning coarse with a strong, fresh-cut grass and semi-vegetal flavor, bark, and leafy hop character that continues with oily resins, some charring, and a watery citrus segueing into a nondescript semi-sweet fruitiness that gets lost quickly. Finish is dominated by the various hop characters that have embedded themselves onto the palate. Extremely tannic. Leathery. Dry. Bitty hay. It all lingers on for too long.

This is like chewing a wad of wet grass on leather. It's not overly pleasant; unbalanced and sort of one-dimensional in an overpowering sort of way as a result.

Refreshing hop nose fitting of the waterfall on the label, as well as the hops referenced of the name. Its a murky, tawny, reddish brown with lots of sediment. There's an unusual medium caramel malt flavor that takes the forefront over bitterness from both hops and chocolate malt. Characteristic Cascade flavor of pine and citrus.

While the head is wispy and shy, carbonation is plentiful enough to whisk it back with a swirl. Feel is thick with a sharpness from the dark malt. All in all it fits more as an American Amber Ale, and lacks a bit of hop flavor for an American IPA, but it's got a great nose and it's worth trying.

received as part of a CanBIF from notdan. Thanks!

It pours a deep dark russet colour with a big frothy head. This is the darkest IPA I have ever seen. The head retention and lacing are wonderful.

The smell is sweet, like a caramel and grapefruit flavoured Jollyrancher.

It's a sweet malt with a bitter piney taste to it. Fruity. The sweet grapefruit in the aroma is more of a pith in the taste. It definitely has an American IPA taste to it, but with the balance shifted more towards a caramel malt than in most IPAs.

It's slightly prickly and carbonated, but fresh. This is a very enjoyable IPA. I could see myself drinking a lot of these.

Bottle acquire in trade with tiggmtl (thanks!).

Poured a dark reddish-amber color with an averaged sized off white head. Nice strong citrus orange aroma with caramel. Tastes of oranges, grapefruit, caramel, and pine. Not overpoweringly bitter - has a nice malt balance.

Notes from 5/28/05

12 oz bottle picked up at Rahman in Montreal.

Pours a hazy brownish red, medium sized light tan head forms, some tight lacing on the glass, good retention. Smell is nice, very fresh, caramel, grassy hops, tons of citrus/grapefruity goodness, grains, jasmine, quite nice. Taste is very malty, some caramel, very bready, grains, orange/citrus, some floral, crackery, again a fresh jasmine kind of character, balanced bitterness, very smooth. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with low to medium carbonation, goes down easy. Nothing crazy but very solid. Think this is just a fresh bottle as I think its a lot better than previous reviews.

Got this one from northyorksammy recently. Thanks!
A little hazy and quite dark, burnt orange colour with some red. Not much of a cap, just a thin skim of fine bubbles. Smells sweet, some caramel and sugar, and citrusy hops. Bitterness carried through from start to finish and felt moderately high. Thin caramel malt character filled it out with not a lot of hop flavour, though there was a bit of citrus in the finish. Some diacetyl. Medium bodied with low carbonation. Felt slightly underattenuated. Not one of my favourites from this brewery.

Pours a deep amber with a small off-white head that diminishes to a persistent cap and laces somewhat. Pine, caramel and grapefruit on the aroma reminds me why I love IPAs. Much the same in the flavours, with a very good balance struck between the malt aspects and the wheat. Medium bodied and carbonated. huge drinkability.

received bottle via trade

Appearance: Pours a dark copper color with a medium off white cap. Settles to a lacey ring with an island of foam. Appears unfiltered.

Aroma: Dark fruit, lots of diacetyl, grapefruit hops.

Taste: Overflowing with diacetyl. Grapefruity bitterness, cloying astringency.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied.

Final Statement: Not sure how old this is, but has been in my fridge for a few months now. Still, shouldn't display this much diacetyl, a few other beers I've had from these guys showed similar flaws.

This version was released in April 2008, the little brother of Cascade Plus.

Paired this with a chicken & rice soup and a ham & cheese sandwich (yum!)

Poured from a 341ml. bottle.

Appearance: Amber, bronze-colored body, a bit hazy but i could see the Stella Artois marking through the glass. Lots of tiny bubbles with a thin 1-2 finger head that recedes quickly.

Smell: Whiff of bitterness with some pine & citrus.

Taste: Moderate bitterness with a pine-like quality. Hops are well balanced with the rest of the brew. A bit of citrus, not much.

Mouthfeel: A bit floral with good carbonation in the mouth, felt alive & fresh. Not too light or too heavy. Nice subdued bitterness, but not overwhelming. Nice sensation as it mildly pricks the tongue. A slightly bit chewy (?) as it warms.

Drinkability: Could have easily had another, drinkability is very good.

Overall: A solid, dependable IPA. Nothing ground-breaking but satisfying nonetheless.

I haven't seen this one before. We discovered a depanneur in Hull that carries all kinds of Quebec micro-brews and Belgian imports; a bit of a beer paradise.the label itself is cheap looking but the beer is what counts and it is very nice. As the name suggest this is made with cascade hops.

It pours with a nice tan head that lasts throughout the life of the glass. it's an amber colour and has a thick hoppy scent that tells you right away that this one is not for those who fear hops.

The taste is different than other indian pales I'm used to. This starts with a strong hoppiness which passes into a sweet malty caramel and ends with a bitter coating on the tongue and throat.Quite a treat really. Sweeter than what I'm used to in a pale ale but well done.

A: Copper-bronze with an off-white head, some retention & lace.

S: Pine & grapefruit citrus, toffee, caramel & bread.

T: Pine & grapefruit citrus, assertive bitterness (but not harsh), toffee, buttery caramel, nut bread. It's 66 IBU, but it doesn't seem like it.

M: Moderate body is smooth & creamy, modest carbonation, well-attenuated, dry finish.

D: Very good.

341 mL (?) bottle into a pilsner.

slightly hazy copper orange with a ton of foamy off-white head that leaves huge chunks of lace and falls into a lumpy peak. takes a few pours to get it all in the glass.

nice aroma. sweet, slightly burnt caramel and graham crackers with some bright, fresh citrus and floral hops. a tad too much malt for an IPA, but pleasant nonetheless.

taste has a piney, floral hoppiness with a nice caramel undertone. medium body with a stinging carbonation and a slick, oily finish. taste is fairly straightforward, but drinkable and pleasant. much bolder than other canadian IPAs.

Pours a brilliantly clear, amber color with copper highlights. The beer is topped by a frothy, two-finger thick, light tan colored head. The aroma is interestingly hoppy, but also has quite a bit of noticeable malt too. The hop notes are made up of citrus, with grapefruit being prominent, and a light herbal component. There are also notes of caramel, sweet crystal malt, and hints of toffee.

The mouthfeel has a soft creamy component to it, but overall is lightly spritzy with the carbonation and has a light though full character. The taste is lightly sweet, though not as much as the aroma might suggest. The hops are quite evident in this beer; a solid bitterness rides throughout this beer from beginning to lingering end. The citrus notes are a lot more muted than I was expecting, in fact the hop flavor is instead quite herbaceous with notes of pine and even some notes reminiscent of basil.

The hops are quite evident in this beer, but with a name like Cascade I expected more of a citrus focus for this beer. The beer is still quite tasty, and is quite a hoppy beer overall, but for some reason a part of this strikes me as a bit out of balance. The herbal hop character and the ample bitterness make this beer almost bracing in character. It is definitely enjoyable though.

Dark copper in colour with medium-high carbonation and good lacing. Dominant citrusy cascade hop aroma, along with some earthy notes and a good dose of caramel. Flavors are what you’d expect from an all cascade IPA: citrus, pine, caramel, and a bit of black pepper. It’s got a good amount of bitterness, and an almost leafy quality. Definitely a good one, although somewhat predictable.

Contrary to many of the other reviews I read on this beer, I really enjoy drinking this IPA. I will admit that it is not a beer of great complexity but sometimes that is just what I need. Something simple, tasty, and thoroughly satisfying... and this beer is all of these and then some.

Deep copper robe drawing on caramel highlights with a generous and clinging head of cream coloured foam that is rightly tenacious. The appearance makes my mouth water.

Aromas are simple but juicy and pleasing. Powerful notes of malt and cascade hops mix to yield a candy-like aroma profile that just begs to be whiffed!

In line with the aromas, the flavour profile mimicks surprisingly the smells. Very malty and rounded malt feel and taste is judiciously complemented by a bracing and long bitterness which lingers as you have another sip. Some faint hints of fruit and caramel permeate the malt and hops in the middle but never manage to carve a significant place in the flavours profile.

I wish this were not a seasonal so I could enjoy this through the summer like the fall as it pairs well with so many of the BBQ recipes I perform on my grill.

Santé

SMD

One dimensional bitter even astringent IPA, lace, amber, noticeable cascade aroma, quality and freshness, but not exceptional. I did not find the balance here. Significant carbonation. Weaker link in their lineup. Did not work at all for me today, maybe another day.

Pours out a deep hazy chestnut, caught me a bit by surprise as it resembles a dunkel or seriously dark amber rather than any IPA I've ever encountered. But that's Bieropholie for you, always pushing the limits and playing around with styles. A nice 2 finger creamy off-white head which settles to a frothy cap and leaves a thin wall of lace in its wake. The aroma is mild but pleasant, light citrus hops sharing the hot tub with some well-behaved mild caramel malt. The darker malt blends curiously with the hop presence, it throws me off a bit, I'm not used to this sort of combination. The piney grapefruit rind of the cascade hops is first to greet you on the sip, whereas in the middle the malt pokes its head out, toasted and faintly chocolate. The hops then knock the feet from under the malt and slide into the finish with only a lingering chocolate wafer flavour appearing on the aftertaste along with the citrusy resin. The mouthfeel is soapy, almost chewy, it coats the palate and tongue. An interesting offering from this brewery, they are definitely not shy in the experimentation department, and this dark malt IPA will testify to that. I'd definitely have another, but its not something I would reach for every day. Big thanks to Goldorak for BIF-ing this to me.

Bottle: Poured a hazy brown color ale with a huge bubbly head with average retention. Aroma of dry hops and with some roasted malt. Taste kind of surprise me since I thought that Cascade hops were more floral and sweet then bitter but this is still very enjoyable nonetheless. Another fine beer from Bieropholie and a nice experiment.

Tried this beer just after I tried the golding IPA. The aroma started out with cascade notes. That quickly gave way to a caramel malt aroma. The hop aroma quickly demminished. Some astringency in the flavor, tends to linger. Still not an IPA like most American examples.

341 mL brown bottle.

Pours a rich, earthy brown with a slight haze. A finger of white foam shrinks to a collar very quickly.

Intense citrusy aroma with hints of resinous conifer.

Notes of bitter grapefruit and a tea-like astringency meld with a malty backbone of caramel and brown sugar. Hops dominate the middle and leave a very long grassy and sweet aftertaste. Mouthfeel is creamy, coating the lips, and carbonation is moderate.

Tasty, but the use of Cascade hops only makes this a somewhat unilateral brew.