Cascade Brewing Barrel House

MtnSoup

Colorado

4.7/5  rDev +2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I've had this spot on the list for awhile, and it did not disappoint. Was on a biz trip and only had time to visit one brewery, so this is the spot I chose.

Was able to try just about every sour they had on tap (Raspberry Wheat, The Vine, Apricot, Noyaux, Blueberry, Vlad the Imp-Aler, Kriek, Manhattan NW, etc). They also had two live barrels - one of which was a Fruit Loops Sour (which was quite tasty). I was really impressed by how many of their sours they actually had on tap at one time. They also had Cinnamon Apple, and several very impressive/surprising blender tap specials (Chocolate Bourbonic Plague was pretty outstanding).

I can't wait to head back - their food was also surprisingly good (as it's often an area that's overlooked at breweries...not the case here).

The atmosphere was great - big garage bay doors to let in natural light (as the sun was actually out this day).

Prices were also very reasonable...I recommend buying a bunch of the beers and sending them home if you're not local - you can buy limited bottles online, but they have many, many more available at the actual barrel house.

05-20-2013 21:51:21 | More by MtnSoup

HarmonMW

Michigan

4.73/5  rDev +2.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75 | $$

Stopped in for a quick visit here, tried two 2-sour samplers which were outstanding. Had to run to catch a flight, but before I left another employee asked if I had tried the Glueh Kriek. I told him no, that I was just coming through on my one day in Portland, so he grabbed me a glass of it for free. Did not try the food, so I can't vouch for that. Portland is obviously stacked with breweries, but if you're a fan of sours, this place is a must visit. Highly recommended.

05-18-2013 22:51:33 | More by HarmonMW

slander

New York

4.68/5  rDev +1.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

Bent, past tense, and a hell of a ride in, it was. Now navigated in nineish on a Thursday, no Wednesday (I have no perception of time or space at this point), Belmont, and that must be it there. I think it’s safe to say we’re going to do some time here before heading out to Jon’s, I mean, we’re already going to take some shit for missing dinner; might as well get our sour on…

Parked past and give Phil a few steps to get his smoke on. Brick front building with some yellow baby lighting strung. Up & in, through a garage door; a most common theme in the Pac NW, it seems. And settled in at the bar to the rear; straight, marbled laminate topped with a wood lip, panel base, shiny kick plate, & piping foot rail. Seating for 10 on stainless steel stools, squozen in tightly, and then a shorty sideways end piece seating another ‘3 Davo’ (yes, that’s now an accepted standard unit of measure).

Barback is stainless steel drainage below 3 barrel ends to both sides of center on a split green backing. There are handles everywhere, and it’s um, involved, to tell what’s what and where. To the left side, 2 barrel ends with a single tap each, and a 3rd with 4 taps, and then 2 taps in between each barrel extending from the wall (I think that’s 8); and then the 3 barrel ends to the right hold 4 handles each, and then there are 2 handles in between each of those extending from the wall (so, another 16), I think there’s space for 24 in all. Glassware in a handful of sizes shelved below the length. 4 x 8 horizontal board above, listing draft selections & ABV’s in 2 rows, and smaller boards on the ends listing barrel selections, and bottle, growler, & grenade pricing; track spots highlighting the show.

The room itself is kind of hangerish, with rounded to the ceiling cross beam rafters. Black fabricy ceilings with wide drop lamps, cement floors, lime colored walls and panel windows up front. A few logo label pieces (The Vine & Sang Noir) for the lookin’ at, flats on 2 walls opposite and the far corner, and a swag display to the side side, as well. 5 fabric backed & green leather booths running the far wall; brewery pics mounted above, and lanterns atop. And then barrel tables across the floor in 2 rows of 5. And out front, 6 bar counter spurs on the railings 3 & 3, and nearly a dozen and a half green picnic tables down below barrel penned.

So, it looks like they’ve got 22 taps, a fairly even split between ‘things sour’ (Razberry Wheat, Summer Gose, Strawberry, Apricot, The Vine, Honey Ginger Lime, Sang Noir, 2011 Kriek, Elderberry, Barrel Aged Bruin), and ‘not’ (Portland Ale, Red Eye Rye, Cascade IPA, RyePA, Saison De La Maison, Saison Rouge, Saison Minuit, Saison Fume, Summer Solstice IPA, Summer Weizen, Oblique Coffee Porter), plus 2 live barrels (Cherry Bourbonic Plague, Bourbon Barrel Aged Fruit Blend).

A max of 2 tasters at a time for $2 each. Needless to say, we’re doing pairs due to time restraints, by which I mean, they may want to close up and go home at some point. Pairs; The Vine (white wine grapes, love) & Sang Noir, Elderberry & Strawberry, Honey Ginger Lime (strangely tasty, Phil wants to mix it with Gin, I don’t blame him) & Apricot (I very much so do dig), and the Kriek & Razberry Wheat. And then I moved to done with the (amazing) Summer Gose we had 3 nights ago in Seattle.

Revisiting 2 days later, fuck it; I’m having at the Saisons (Saison De La Maison, tropical fruit & spiciness; Saison Rogue, red saison, sweet fruitiness; Saison Minuit, black saison, chocolate, spices, sweet milk chocolate; Saison Fume, smoke gives way to bandaid phenolics, why do I have to taste them?), and now onto sours once more (Cherry Bourbonic Plague, sour cherry pie, crazy dark fruits; Barrel Aged Bruin, wood, sherry flavors, good Oud Bruin), and another Summer Gose.

All in all, Strawberry, Apricot, The Vine, Honey Ginger Lime, 2011 Kriek, Summer Gose, Barrel Aged Bruin, & Cherry Bourbonic Plague were the best of ‘em.

Board at the end of the bar listing charcuterie, cheese, hummus, soup & daily specials. I had the Italian vegetable soup with orzo, it was amazingly kickass. Phil had the cheese & fruit plate. It came with cherries, pickled things including a brussel sprout I was kind of freaked out by, and some honey he keeps going on about (best honey I’ve ever had!) I had planned on also taking in the cheese & fruit plate on the heels of the soup, but was preoccupied by sours; distracted, derailed, deceived.

And on the revisit, Janet & Ed ordered the cheese & fruit plate, so I got to try the crazy honey and fresh bell pepper hummus (excellent). And the soup is now a seafood chowder (clam, shrimp & crab). I am having a bowl.

Chill house. Lots of friendly folks all revved up for the brewer’s festival tomorrow and tomorrow; a picnic, parade, and 3 or 4 days of bad behaviors. Yeah man, sorry about dinner Jon. Good goddamn sourz things happening here.

11-21-2012 16:00:36 | More by slander

inlimbo77

Delaware

4.58/5  rDev -0.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $

Dined and drank at the Barrel House on 9/2/12 with my wife. Amazing tap list that night, as with most nights there. I think there was about 18 or 20 things available. Also, 4 different bottles to carry out. We did a number of sampler pours along with a few full pours of stuff. The waitress was more than helpful with our selections and prompt in bringing our drinks. The food was very affordable but also delicious and cutting edge in a simple way. The only downfall was the lack of some nice dessert items to sample with the Diesel BA stout they were pouring, but they did provide us with some dark chocolate nibs that paired nicely.

Two big thumbs up for me and from my wife who isn't a beer drinker.

09-10-2012 20:34:21 | More by inlimbo77

Scotchboy

Idaho

4.45/5  rDev -3.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

One of the higher points on an awesome trip to Portland. Loved this place.

A: Great feel to this place, lots of tables sitting on barrels, tables out front on a nice patio, with a large garage door that can be opened up to connect all the seating together. Medium sized bar with some more seating there.

Q: Everything was great quality here; clean, good food and beer, great presentation.

Service: I heard that there might be some issues with service here but our server was awesome, brought us out tasters of whatever we wanted to try, talked to us about sours, suggested beers, and kept a good eye on us.

Selection: Great tap selection with lots of barrel-aged limited release beers and one-offs. Several bottles are available to purchase and take off-site too, which is nice (hint-hint HotD). Mostly sours and barrel-aged fruit beers here but there was also a Coffee Porter and some hoppy beers on tap.

Food: Decent food, we tried an awesome cheese plate filled with bread, pickled veggies, tart fruits and several cheeses - it all paired wonderfully with the sour beer. Food took awhile to get made, but it was also a fairly busy day.

I'd recommend this place in a heartbeat.

08-06-2012 18:10:33 | More by Scotchboy

Mebuzzard

Colorado

3.8/5  rDev -17.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $$

Diagonal from the Green Dragon in East Portland...or whatever you call it. Large open doors connect the outside seating to the inside. Row of booths along the inside left side. Small bar.

Good selection for sour beers, all have a different twist and are pretty darn good. I had several, but too much sour for and I'm not feeling well. So i stopped.

Service isn't not good, but a bit "quippy". No worries, but some people could be persuaded to leave b/c of this. Not me. I had beer to drink.

Nice prices, although the samples were petite for the price. If you're there to sample all of their beers, better split it between days. It's either a pint or a thimble. Food? Not sure...

07-26-2012 06:50:10 | More by Mebuzzard

KDawg

Illinois

4.6/5  rDev -0.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

This is easily one of my favorite places to visit when in portland. Cascade has generally around 9 of their sours running with another 9-10 of their other brews.

The place is always relaxed and there is a rustic, yet sparse, feel to it on both the inside and outside. It doesn't get too packed here and you can generally find a seat even when it's popping.

The service is great. They are enthusiastic about their brews and very knowledgeable. They are always very friendly too.

The food is pretty good. It isn't completely amazing, but that isn't what it's about here.

07-02-2012 23:00:22 | More by KDawg

Flightoficarus

Washington

4.65/5  rDev +0.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

The first of several stops of my mini-brewery tour on a Portland visit!

A - Despite being located more around the industrial/warehouse section of downtown, the inside is immaculate and clean. Nice and upscale, yet simple vibe to the place. A great environment to relax and savor the beers offered.

Q - Truth be told, I'm not even all that into sour ales that much (though I do like them), or maybe I just wasn't as much before? While there is a decent variety of options, this place specializes is sour and barrel-aged ales, and is the only place I know of like this!

Cascade brewing could to Portland as certain Abbey Monasteries are to Belgium. Tried a sample set of various offerings, my favorite of which was probably Nightfall (A wheat beer/sour ale hybrid). Quality of everything was top notch. There's only so much I can say from one visit, and this review, but from what I've seen, I'm not sure it gets better than this for the sour ale fans.

S - Service was great and friendly. The bartender did a good job of explaining the flavors of their many offerings.

S - As stated prior, the biggest sour ale variety I know of anywhere in the NW, at the least.

F - Tried some of the pork medallion w/orzo. Simply delicious!

V - I give like 2 and 1/2 $ signs overall. Most definitely worth the stop if you're looking for some unique beers to try. Be prepared to spend some time to try what you can though!

03-31-2012 22:58:04 | More by Flightoficarus

dirtylou

Washington

4.73/5  rDev +2.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

We spent a really long time here on a weekend trip to PDX. The barrelhouse is an attractive building with a nice new brick exterior, tons of outdoor picnic tables and tables/booths on the interior.

There are three tv's throughout the interior that were showing ncaa tournament games. The music selection on this particular night was pretty cheesy.

The tap list was ridiculous. My expectations were very high, and this place somehow obliterated them. Nearly 25 beers on tap, with a heavy focus on barrel aged sours. Blueberry, kriek, pater, sang noire, nouveaux, multiple other blueberry varietals, the vine, and on and on.

There were 3 bottles available for purchase - kriek, blueberry, sang royal.

The food was good, not great. A meat/cheese/pickle assortment was quite nice, but the sandwiches were pretty average.

Incredible place - will likely never go to Portland without stopping here.

03-26-2012 21:59:27 | More by dirtylou

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev -10%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$

Wow. This is a brewery that is serious about their beers, particularly sour beers. A fairly small place, the bar hold about 10 people with tables and chairs for several more. Basic no-nonsense decor, with tap handles jutting out from large barrels in the wall. Service was friendly and generally attentive. Lots of good beer to choose from with an emphasis on aged/vintage sour ales. There were two "live" ales on tap when I visited, and they were great as well. A few pale ale and porter selections for the more tender-palated. Food was decent, but definitely overpriced. I would definitely call this a must-hit place when visiting the area.

12-30-2011 04:32:37 | More by Rifugium