Cascade Brewing Barrel House

UA8

Washington

5/5  rDev +8.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

After a visiting quite a few of the Portland brew houses this is my favorite. The staff are very friendly and the beer selection is a sour lovers' dream. Even their non sours such as their Scotch ale are some of, if not the best examples of the style that I have tasted. The 80 Shilling Scottish is like a visit to Scotland with hints of Scotch, smoke, and peat. And absolutely perfectly crafted beer and that's coming from a guy who generally does not enjoy malt forward beers.

As for the staff they are very personal able and friendly. Willing to chat about the beer and knowledgeable as well. Kirsten (server) and Biscuit (bartender) were awesome. Both really went out of their way to talk about the beer and to share some info. Great folks.

If you're in the area and enjoy beer you would be missing out to not stop by and have a taster or pint.

06-12-2011 01:36:29 | More by UA8

dragonWhale

New York

4.94/5  rDev +7.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$$

Goddamn what a place. Bout time too. Been in the new joint a couple times before opening, got to see it without all the drywall and am amazed at how its come together.
Granted, aesthetically pleasing, maybe not, a bit aseptic, but that's fine. Showed up on a Friday night and the bar was jamming, ordered a Vlad and sat at one of the community style tables and took it in. Spent time just looking at the menu, then admiring the German-style picnic tables, people sharing space. This place is gonna be rocking and people are going to get cozy with each other. Love it. Maybe I was just excited, but it seemed like everyone there was stoked to be there and having a great time. If they can keep the excitement (I see no reason why not), this place is gonna be a destination spot for a long time to come.
Quality sucks.
After ordering the Vlad Friday night, came back in Saturday morning to pick up some bottles. The fine gentleman asked me if I'd like another Vlad? Are you serious? That's a dedication to your customers. Call me flattered. Anyway, they're all super nice people, Art and Ron bring it on down the line.
Selection terrible. Two barrels pouring is two too many.
Food didn't happen, looks good and reasonably priced, though.

10-19-2010 07:30:13 | More by dragonWhale

schuey1010

California

4.94/5  rDev +7.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $

Well. well. well.

Visited this lovely place on my last trip to PDX. We arrived here and it was well worth the visit. We walked over here from our downtown hotel, and it was AMAZING. Boy was it worth the visit.

I have been to the raccoon lodge (their sister brewery) before and had some of the beer there, but this trip to the CBB was amazing. We walked in right at opening and were greeted by "biscuit", the amazing beertender who has traveled the world and drank the beers. We started talking beer and Belgium with him, and immediately bonded and shared stories of the same bars we had visited. We shared stories of damp, late nights in Bruges, and trips to the houses of the monks. He knew as much as anyone could know of this far, far land of amazing brews.

Well, back to my review, if you enjoy amazing sours, visit this place, period. I had never heard of, or tried their stuff before this time. Obviously all the consecration has clouded my mind. When we went they had had about ten sours and one regular beer on draft. Their sours are NOT to be missed. I love a place that can have ten sours and one IPA and still be in business. This is a guy who sells what he wants and doesn't care about what the general public drinks. PERIOD.

Make the trip.

Worth the trip.

11-22-2010 06:16:18 | More by schuey1010

cbarrett4

Oregon

4.94/5  rDev +7.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

This is the place to go if you're tired of the usual beer suspects. This terrific spot specializes in sour and barrel aged beer. I cannot stress the quality of these beers enough! I have friends who HATE beer but love the sours, it's easy to convert people.

The bartenders are awesome and always helpful. They really know their stuff and are always ready to serve you with a smile. Be careful about making fun of the Colts though...

The atmosphere is nice, most of these folks are in here for good beer and those few out of towners always seem to strike up conversation with the locals like us.

I've had friends that love the food, but being vegetarian (mostly vegan) I haven't really tried much of anything except the delicious pickles.

People have commented on the high prices ($5.50 to $6.50 the typical price for 4 to 6 oz pours) but you are getting SIPPING beer. High alcohol, barrel aged, expensive to brew and produce, insane quality beer. And you can get 1 oz samples for $1.50 so it might be worth trying a few. Of course you might be shocked (as I often am) with the $45 tab for beer only for two people. It adds up quickly, but in the end is well worth it. You get what you pay for.

You can visit here if you are tired of the usual IPA-centric beer scene... but I don't think that should be the reason. You should visit this place because of the incredible beer. You may not like the style, you may not like the prices, but you still have to check it out at least once. I'll say it again. THIS IS A MUST VISIT FOR PORTLAND!!!

Just be careful getting tipsy here because there are a few good strip clubs in the area... and the night might just end up getting a lot more expensive before too long!

08-28-2011 22:30:10 | More by cbarrett4

djbreezy

Washington

4.88/5  rDev +6.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

Went here on pre-opening day. Wow!

Been waiting for this for a long time. The interior is great. The exterior patio will be awesome in the summer.

The list was extensive. What an amazing opportunity to be able to get sours on tap fresh and accessible. When you don't want to buy a $20 american wild ale, this is the place to go.

The barrels weren't ready to go yet but I'll be eager to try those out once I can make it back.

The location is a bit buried and hard to find. I worry this will hurt them in the long run.

I didn't try any food. The menu looked decent.

The service was on point. Everyone was friendly and attentive.

Having the doors open on a nice day let in tons of natural light.

The bar stools and tables are nice.

There are plenty of TVs to watch sports. Quite nice!

My only critique is the font and the design of shirts. As a graphic designer, it makes me want to puke.

I digress...awesome place. Highly recommended!!! Very welcome addition to Portland. Been a long time coming.

Atmosphere is good...only thing it needs is an air hockey table or pinball or something to make you want to stay around.

10-17-2010 18:40:45 | More by djbreezy

timtim

District of Columbia

4.85/5  rDev +5.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

the highlight (beer-wise) of my Portland trip. clean and basic/minimalist inside with everything set up attractively and taps sticking out of barrels (most not real, but two real barrels with taps directly in them). all the beer was fantastic, including the non-sour, and the locally made cheese and charcuterie was spot-on. the staff was knowledgeable, friendly, attentive and cool. wide array of styles. just awesome. can't say enough good stuff. a must for any sour fan visiting or living in Portland. thank you cascade!!!

04-02-2011 12:57:47 | More by timtim

julian

Washington

4.85/5  rDev +5.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

I stopped here yesterday (Sunday May 15th) on my way back up from a climbing trip to Smith Rock this past weekend. So glad I did. This is probably my new favorite beer destination in Portland...hell maybe the whole NW!

I had the pleasure of being served by Tyler, who was super friendly and knowledgeable of the beers, the brewery itself and its history and was just an awesome server all around. It's people like this that make Portland, and Portland beer so fucking great! I live in Seattle, but Portland is still so much better. Anyway, cheers to you Tyler, thanks for the great conversation, awesome beers and kickass service!

Now on to the beers. Other than Hair of the Dog, and a select other few, I can't think of any other breweries in the NW that I've been to where I've absolutely LOVED every single beer on the menu. Yeah, I tried pretty much everything (that I haven't already had - which was a lot) and everything was EXCEPTIONAL. These are expertly crafted sours, blends, barrel aged beers. Un-frickin-believable. This stuff is world class folks.

My favorite was Sang Noir - 8.5% and I couldn't stop ordering it! Amazing!

I also picked up 3 750ml bottles of Vlad the Impaler which I can't wait to try/age.

If you're in Portland, you NEED to stop here. NEED TO. Even if you're not in Portland, GO TO Portland and GO HERE!

05-16-2011 23:24:07 | More by julian

vissai

California

4.8/5  rDev +4.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $$

WOOOW. If sour's are what you worship then this place is your mecca. Over 15 taps of beautiful sours. All of their rarities can be found here, and they even sell bottles to go. The staff is extremely friendly and doesnt mind the many questions people have. A plus is the connected barrel room where you can walk through and see the barrel aging in action. I was visiting Portland for only a few days, and I wish I could have spent more time there. Welpp maybe next time. A must go for any beer geek visiting Portland

02-22-2011 18:51:49 | More by vissai

hoserking

California

4.8/5  rDev +4.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 3 | $$

I didn't come here for the food. The food was reasonable and made for a nice lunch. No one in my party of 6 really was blown away by the food but it satisfied our hunger.

The BEER on the other hand was remarkable. I had a group that had never had a sour beer in their lives. They started with the razberry wheat which everyone enjoyed, then moved on to tastes of the sours. And they enjoyed what they tasted.

I tasted 4 of the beers from the "normal" lineup; the saison stood above the rest with the IPA coming a close second.
The real stand outs here (as to be expected) are the sours. They were fantastic with the food. They ranged from extreme to mild and all were very good. I'd recommend this place to anyone, and I can't wait for them to increase the bottle production so I can get some sours in California, away from the tasting room.

Everyone loved the experience and the folks that were from the area will definitely be going back there for sours...

07-18-2011 05:02:05 | More by hoserking

CargoCulte

Oregon

4.78/5  rDev +3.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$$

I had the pleasure of checking out Cascade Brewing Barrel this afternoon. It was well worth the trip. Our server Tyler was top notch, entertaining all of my wife's and my questions. We did a tasting of 8 different sour beers, and all of them were quite impressive (Vlad, Sang Noir, Sang Rogue were my favs).

The food was also very delicious, we had the smoked salmon plate (which they smoked themselves) and the Cuban panini with potato salad. It definitely complimented the food.

Seating is somewhat limited, and although It wasn't busy, I can imagine this place becoming packed during Friday and Saturday evenings. If you're from out of town, one could easily make this one stop in a beer tour. Both Upright and Hair of the Dog are located near by. If you're curious about or like sours, Cascade is worth the visit! It's easy to understand why many PDX beer folks named Cascade as one of their top 5 for 2010.

01-17-2011 02:17:42 | More by CargoCulte