Cascade Apricot Ale - Cascade Brewing / Raccoon Lodge & Brewpub

Pahn

New York

4.08/5  rDev -6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle into Duvel tulip. 2009 bottling.

Appearance: Bottle gushes an ounce or two into the sink after being refrigerated for an hour or so. Careful pour yields a 2 inch fizzy and rocky white head that dissipates slowly. Pours a not quite translucent gold and leaves some thick lacing walls.

Smell: Soft peach and strawberry aromas, some apricot as well. Mildly acetic at first. Smarties.

Smells good on the whole, but a bit too much Smarties.

Taste: Sour up front, then lots of tart fruit (apricot, peach, ambiguous berry) in the middle, finishing hot with some lingering lactic sourness and delicate french oak. Grapefruit pith-like bitterness is slightly too much.

With time, the apricot comes out a bit more and the bitterness recedes into perfect balance. The taste develops not in complexity so much as in balance, plateauing in a sort of attention-clinching tartness with soft fruit flavors, lactic sourness, and almost-vanilla oak. The flavor is lively but delicate, sour but not overly acidic.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied. Juicy up front, then creamy. Mild carbonation (along with the body) gives a very smooth impression. Tart throughout, finishing semi-dry and puckering.

Overall: Really satisfying wild ale. It's a touch too hot, and could be a bit more complex, but it's expertly crafted regardless. Leaps and bounds better than the equally easy to find Cascade Kriek. Will definitely buy more bottles of Apricot.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2012 00:12:37 | More by Pahn

pmarlowe

California

4.23/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2011 project. Tulip glass.

A: Pours a dark apricot color, excellent clarity, with a finger of nice looking foamy white head. Recedes quickly to a persistent ring.

S: Apricot, toasted oak, a little earthiness and sweetish malt.

T: Light apricot and stone fruit, a mild-to-moderate sourness, and some oak and light vanilla round out the taste.

M: Medium body and medium-high carbonation with a little bite.

O: Great beer with the perfect level of sourness, sweetness, and barrel characteristics to make this extremely drinkable. I thought the apricot would have faded by now (early 2013), but it's still there. Does well with food.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2012 05:10:23 | More by pmarlowe

Mahlik

Oregon

4.4/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a snifter. 2010 vintage.

A- Pours a clear orange with a large white head. Soapy lacing sticks to the sides of the glass. Plenty of carbonation.

S- Apricots and peaches with an acidic bite and oaky undertones. Just a subtle hint of wine-like aromas. The apricot aroma has died down some since I last had this vintage 6 months ago, which allows the base blonde to be more pronounced.

T- This beer is tart and quite sour but it falls just short of puckering. Funky twang with a slight vinegar feel. The fruitiness has subsided even more in the taste. Still, there's a good amount of apricot to be noticed. Oak finishes out.

M- Medium body with plenty of carbonation. Crisp and refreshing. For being quite sour and clocking in at 8.4% ABV, this beer is crazy drinkable.

O- An excellent sour from Cascade. Sour and tart yet crisp and very drinkable. This beer brings the sourness and funk but doesn't completely overwhelm. The fresher the better when it comes to the apricots. Definitely worth grabbing a bottle, even at $17 a pop.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2012 07:02:07 | More by Mahlik

dcloeren

Texas

4.8/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Had at the Bros Brunch (not those Bros...)

Poured the perfect apricot orange with a finger of bright white fizzy head.

Aroma is full of ripe apricots, vinegar and acidity. Amazing nose on this beer! Smells tart and sweet....

Taste follows the nose win the perfect vinegar /tart add on. Amazing how well it follows the nose! Tastes amazing!

light in body and ample in carbonation. Great dry tart finish.

Overall, cascade can't do wrong, period. An amazing wild with all the trimmings.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 22:02:47 | More by dcloeren

xenjoiii

New York

4.1/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2010 Vintage.

A: Poured a murky rustic orange with a small head that quickly faded to a ring of lacing around the glass.

S: There is a ton of fruit in the nose; a huge blast of sweet apricot. Lactic acid and woody notes as well.

T: Intense sour up front; it actually bares the resemblance of a nice geuze with a bunch of citrus/green apple notes. By the middle of the mouth I am getting huge oak notes. The apricot begins to emerge out the back, but it is on the mellow side.

M: This has a nice medium mouth feel. Perfectly carbonated, to me.

O: This is a great great beer. My first Apricot based sour, and I'm really enjoying this bottle. Many fine layers of flavor are showcased in this brew. Though I do wish there was a bit more apricot in the taste; I assume the fruit has mellowed down a cosiderable amount, as the beer has two years on it. I'd love t try this fresh. Nonetheless, this is an outstanding brew crafted by the crew at Cascade.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2012 01:32:04 | More by xenjoiii

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

4.48/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

2010 vintage poured into my new Cascade Barrel House snifter. Now that's some classy shit!

Appearance. Pours a hazy peach-amber with almost two fingers of thick and creamy, off-white head that lasts a long time. Beautiful.

Smell. Sweet apricots and some dank old wood with a bit of spice.

Taste. Very tart and sour, again the old wood, a little bit of apricot. Reminds me a bit of sweettarts or sour chews candies with the slightly powdery taste. Very good and very unique ....for me anyways. Really enjoying this one.

Mouthfeel. Medium-light body with strong, fine carbonation. Nice stuff here.

Overall. Starts out slightly ...shocking with that aggressive sourness but man, this stuff is addictive. Really liked it.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2012 02:15:12 | More by Rutager

DaftCaskBC

British Columbia (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Rutager for this one. The guy is a beer god among beer men.

A: 1" cream coloured fizzy head that dissipated quickly over cloudy amber liquid.

S: Sour funk, yeast, and a hint of apricot.

T: Funky sourness, wheat, biscuity malt all finished off with the taste of sour apricots.

M: Medium to thin viscosity and a medium level of fine fizzy carbonation.

O: Quite drinkable, quite tasty, couldn't ask for much more.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2012 00:52:50 | More by DaftCaskBC

jmarsh123

Indiana

4.53/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep orange (apricot) color with a moderate white head. I've heard stories about this gushing, but mine was fine.

Loads of fresh apricot on the nose. Lacto and apples are also present.

The apricot is phenomenal on this one. Among the better fruited beers I've had. A little bit of that apple comes through in the flavor along with the normal Cascade lacto, but just the right amount. It's sour and a little funky, but not lip puckering.

Creamy mouthfeel, but still fairly light bodied with perfect carbonation levels.

I usually like Cascade, but nevertheless was still pleasantly surprised by this.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 16:17:52 | More by jmarsh123

craytonic

District of Columbia

4.6/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Very dark apricot with a touch of amber, big white had and a bit of a gusher.

Smell: Strong fresh, fruity apricot, tart and sour with perhaps some green apple and oak

Taste: Delicious apricot, reminds me of fou foune. Could be a touch more sour but otherwise perfect. Alcohol very hidden with some light touches of funk, thankfully not a sweet beer.

Mouthfeel: creamy and full without being heavy, perfect carbonation

Overall: One of the great american sours currently being produced.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2012 04:31:55 | More by craytonic

DrewZ926

New York

4/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- fairly opaque orange rind pour yields about an inch of fluffy white head. appears to be actively carbonated. a nice bit of lacing.

S- lots of citrus and under-ripe apricot. totally lactic and very inviting. slightly peppery, with some typical tripel spice.

T- starts off with dry and tart, lactic acid and grape pips and apricot skin. oaky and delicious on the palate. evolves into a highly puckering, dry apricot finish.

M- pleasantly full bodied, rich and lively carbination.

O- first lambic/wild ale i've had of the apricot variety and really enjoyed it. loving the lactic spin on the tripel. seek this one out as the price was moderate and a quality apricot sour is quite hard to come by.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2012 02:22:28 | More by DrewZ926

zaphodchak

Virginia

3.88/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

2010 vintage

1 finger white head white, pale straw body.

Powerful tang, Bretty despite not being a Brett beer. Subtle apricot in there.

Lotsa citrusy sour, the apricot is subtle and comes in mostly at the end.

Slightly frothy mouthfeel.

This was neat, and really sour, but not worth the hype, and not full of apricot.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2012 02:01:16 | More by zaphodchak

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Tim's bottle, 2008 vintage, that has mellowed out as we shall see. Orange coloured body, understated carbonation. Very malty, subdued acidity. Very good drinkability. i'm glad to have had it, but not overwhelmed, perhaps the bold taste of a fresh vintage makes a difference.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 01:01:02 | More by northyorksammy

Gosox8787

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Presentation: 750 mL corked and caged bottle poured into a Cigar City tulip. 2009 vintage. I popped this open at cellar temperature, instead of chilling it, so it gushed a little bit after the cork came off. I only lost an ounce or two and got the rest in the glass.

Appearance: Darker orange to medium brown in color with a large, sticky head. The lacing adheres pretty strongly to the glass.

Aroma: Oak notes from the barrels and fresh apricots give off a nice aroma upfront. Definitely a touch of sour lacto notes in there and an almost minty note. Very interesting and complex.

Taste: Fresh sweet apricot notes really lend a great fruit note upfront. They is also a touch of sour apricots, but it isn't overpowering. Oak notes from the barrels and the fresh mint notes from the aroma balance out the fruit nicely. I really like the fruit forward aspect of this and the balance of sweet and tart. A really clean finish.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied in flavor with some nice carbonation.

Overall, a really nice and inventive sour ale. The barrel notes are really strongly integrated and work well with the heavy fruit. The apricot is definitely the star here, and showcases great sweet and tart notes. I was really surprised the fruit was so present this long after bottling. I would definitely have this again although the price tag is a bit heavy at $20 a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 03:41:44 | More by Gosox8787

rodenbach99

Quebec (Canada)

4.18/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2009 bottling. 9,0% alc/vol. 750ml brown bottle shared with friends. Clear amber with a white head. I really like this peachy nose, apricot candy. Some acidity on the nose. The fuzzy peach taste is very interesting. Easy drinking, light and refreshing. This is a classic to be.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 20:59:21 | More by rodenbach99

FosterJM

California

4.33/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

1062nd Review on BA
Bottle to Snifter
750 Ml

2010 release

Shared by Eric Marshall
Shared at MrHirschybars tasting

App- A very light glowing yellow with a small amount of head that fell quickly to a good amount of a pond layer. No real cling or dots on this one.

Smell- Very fruit forward and smells a lot like a dry white wine. Had a good bit of oak and acid behind it. Smelled inviting and light.

Taste- The flavors start small and then envelop quickly. Opening up with a dry flavor of yeast and slowly a little bit of wet and clean apricots come in. The acid hits next and then it becomes a bit yeasty on the finish. Very simple, very clean and enjoyable..

Mouth- A nice light-medium body with a fairly high carbonation level. Lots of residual fruits and yeast on this one.

Drink- I was just talking with Cpabeer the other day about how good Cascade was and how I needed to try more. This was one of those bottles I need another one or to go seek out some other flavors. Very clean and crisp. Well layered and I appreciate the amount of fruit in it..

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 17:47:58 | More by FosterJM

GrumpyJunglist

California

4.55/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2010 bottle poured into a sniffer.

A: A vibrant golden orange. a mildly frizzy bright white head that faded fast.

S: Beautiful sweet aromas of apricot and tarty and sour tones that are very forwardly present.

T: Beautiful sweetness from the apricots, and then a big dose of vinegar creeps in. followed by a nice finish back to apricots.

M: Nicely carbonated, no big bite from that. There is a kind of vinegar finish.

O: Wow, my first dabble with Cascade and definitely not my last. This is amazing. I have one more bottle of this but definitely going to age it as long as I can to see how it develops.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 04:11:20 | More by GrumpyJunglist

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

2.7/5  rDev -37.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a copper orange color with a thin white head and a decent lace left behind. The nose is overly sweet and simple seeming a touch artificial. Candied sugars and spearamint tickle the nose as appricots take over and dominate. The taste is sugary and minty, lots of appricot roll over the tongue. Very little integration as the mint, sugars, and fruit don't seem to have a defined roll. This is overly sweet with a creamy syrupy feel, prickly carbonation in the back, and a touch wet and oily.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2011 14:52:52 | More by cpetrone84

waltersrj

Washington

4.4/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2009 Vintage

Pour: Murky orange/yellow with a slight white head.

Nose: Acetic acids and lactic acid as well. Big tart apricot and heavy oak with slight vanilla, yeast and floral notes.

Taste: Drying oak, bready yeast, floral notes, tart apricot, lactic and acetic acid.

Mouthfeel: Wonderful...creamy, frothy, and velvety smooth.

Overall: One of my favorite sours, fantastic blend here with great oak quality and fantastic lactic/acetic treatment.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 06:19:27 | More by waltersrj

aasher

Indiana

3.88/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This bottle is the 2009 vintage and pours a somewhat cloudied amber in color with a two finger and very effervescent head. The aromas are of very, very fresh apricots. It kind of smells like those candy Peach rings. It is very fruity and somewhat sweet. For the style it isn't on par but otherwise it does smell appealing. It tastes of tart dried apricots and peaches, almost like a poor man's geueze. There is a slight dryness but you do get a good amount of sweet and candied fruit. It drinks semi dry and light to medium in body. Overall this beer is just ok in my opinion. I appreciate that they made a beer with this fruit but it is just so fresh and fruity, even being the 2009 vintage. I would like a more tartness or a legitimate sourness and not so much gummy candies. If this beer was drier, and had some funk, it could be spectacular. Right now, it's just ok and not really of your $20+.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2011 05:08:50 | More by aasher

beagle75

Iowa

4.03/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a tulip glass.
2009 vintage; according to the bottle label it is 9% abv.

A: Slightly hazy, medium amber color with less than one finger of diminishing off-white foam head. Scant lacing remains on the glass and individual bubbles rise throughout the column.

S: A balanced display of strong lactic and acetic notes, aromatic malt that seems floral and complex, and yeasty fruit. The addition of volatile oak, building in the nose as the beer warms, represents the perfect addition to round out this beer's aromas. No alcohol is detected.

T: Begins dry, with immediate aromatic oak and bright fruity grain. This beer is intensely tart, more acetic than lactic (but showing both sides.) The middle becomes very fruity, like a yeasty and fermented apricot puree. Tartness diminishes stepwise in the finish, where some late spirituousness develops.

M: Medium to thick viscosity, syrupy and acidic on the palate, with low carbonation.

D/O: An excellent sour ale, this beer is not as palate-friendly as its reputation might sometime suggest. It is full of bold flavors, as suggested by its 9% abv, though pure alcohol qualities are minimized. Look for the apricot qualities to emerge as it warms, but classic aspects of the tripel style are never fully realized. The bottled beers of Cascade are always a tough buy, due to their high price tag, but time spent in the barrel is worth the extra cost due to the powerful and appealing oak qualities that are derived from it.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2011 14:15:42 | More by beagle75

bashiba

Iowa

4.1/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Opened up to a slow gush, looks infected, hope not. Its a 2009 also.
Poured a nice deep copper color with a thick and creamy white head, nice retention and good lacing.

The smell is very sour, almost a malt vinegar quality, very nice.

The flavor is dominated by the big sour flavors with and underlying tropical fruit quality, I get more pineapple than apricot, but it might be that the apricot has dropped out a bit due to age, the flavors gel incredibly well non the less.

The mouthfeel is light and a bit oily.

Very nice Flanders Style Sour.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2011 22:40:18 | More by bashiba

kingcrowing

Vermont

4.47/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml corked and caged bottle poured into a Duvel tulip.

Pours a hazy amber orange color with a small light white head not much lacing. Nose is phenomenal, it's fruity, tart and crisp.

Taste is apricots, it's earthy, mellow, very tart and sour, but still drinkable - there's an earthy quality that's unique and tasty. Mouthfeel is light and smooth crisp and delicious.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2011 02:04:54 | More by kingcrowing

Hojaminbag

Colorado

3.68/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

2009 vintage.

Cascade Apricot has a golden tinged, orange body with a full-sized off-white head. Retention is quite good, a little bit of lacing stays behind as well.

The aroma has a huge sourness to it, with apricots behind it. Insanely sour aroma.

The first sip of this beers seems to be ridiculously sour to me also, but subsequent tastes seem to be toned-down quite a bit. Cascade Apricot has a moderate to heavy sourness overall; however you want to quantify it, the sourness is pretty good. Behind the sourness is an obvious apricot flavor, which is always a nice fruit to pair with a sour flavor. Beyond that, there is a dose of wood and a leathery flavor.

Not quite mouth puckering, but Cascade Apricot definitely gives me a tinge of that sensation. Fairly high carbonation.

Cascade Apricot is a solid sour that relies mostly on a sharp, lactic sourness and fruit flavors. I like it, and it was quite nice to drink.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2011 13:17:26 | More by Hojaminbag

dgilks

Australia

4.03/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Hazy golden colour with a tiny white head. Fair head retention.

Rich fruity apricot aroma with some great peachiness. Love the rounded character and the limited sourness.

Slightly sweet with just a touch of sourness. Nice fruity character and the apricot really comes through. Stunning.

Medium light body with moderate carbonation. Puckering.

A great beer. Solid fruit flavour. Love it despite it not necessarily being the perfect example of the style.

Serving type: on-tap

10-11-2011 04:32:36 | More by dgilks

dirtylou

Washington

4.38/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle, split

appearance: photogenic pour in hopleaf tulip - bright orange body, steady white cream head with full retention

smell: tart apricot, oak, spicy yeast

taste: really nice - tart apricot, peach, funky, white pepper, belgian yeast, tangerine, bright caramelized sugars.

mouthfeel: light and funky, creamy finish, tart

overall: great stuff

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2011 02:41:35 | More by dirtylou