Cascade Cuvée Du Jongleur - Cascade Brewing / Raccoon Lodge & Brewpub

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks for sending, Ed. In the cuvee emerging style. Significantly sourish, and only the hint of wood,a bit more of apple, whereas say a Southern Tier would be very much reversed. Heavier carbonation,rising carbonation bubbles- good for sour fans. Colour is full opaque grapefruit, with soapy white head, and lacey.Sour malt vinegar in aroma.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2009 01:18:07 | More by northyorksammy

womencantsail

California

4.2/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle shared at the Blue Palms last week. Review is being transcribed from notes.

A: The beer is an interesting muddy reddish color with a fluffy layer of pinkish foam.

S: A pleasant lactic tartness is the first aroma that I pick up followed by some red berries and perhaps some faint notes of cherry. The level of funk is (a bit disappointingly) low, but still a great nose on this beer.

T: The flavors are solid, but don't quite live up to the aromas. Again, the lactic tartness is front and center with some nice cherry and oak flavors.

M: Despite all the different components and the barrel aging, the body is quite light, but that may be due to the high level of carbonation.

D: A really great beer, overall. Nice and tart with a decent amount of complexity. The only thing I felt myself missing was a bit more funk, but still a nice wild ale nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2010 02:11:15 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.47/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Reviewed from notes. Thanks to bmanning for sharing this bottle.

Pours dark with a bit of a head and not too much lacing. The nose brings dark fruits, plum, green apple, light spice, lactic sourness, and a bit of oak. Really complex and nice. The taste focuses on some sourness as well as some dark fruit complexity. Some light cherry notes as well. Good base with excellent levels of sourness; the blending process went really well and all aspects of the beer really shine through.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2010 15:47:33 | More by Thorpe429

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle: Poured a hazy reddish color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some good lacing. Aroma of tart notes with some oak and very light acidic notes. Taste is a nice balance mix between some tart and oak notes with a very subtle acidic finish. Body is quite full for style with great carbonation and no alcohol was apparent even though I think the alcohol level is too high for the style. Not the most complex beer from this brewery but very enjoyable nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2011 01:46:18 | More by Phyl21ca

Mora2000

Texas

4.33/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer was part of a great tasting that included seven bottled Cascade sours.

The beer pours a hazy brown-orange color with a white head. The aroma is caramel malt, tartness and oak. The flavor is oak, tartness, caramel malt, vanilla, yeast and dark fruit including cherries. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2010 03:07:07 | More by Mora2000

MasterSki

Illinois

4.4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Thanks to Viggo for sharing this one. Served in a Sinha tulip.

A - A finger of tan foam that dissipates quickly and leaves a few spots of lace. Settles to a light haze and ring. Transparent coppery red/orange color.

S - Raspberries, bretty funk a la Flanders Red. Reminds me a little of Enigma in the high level of sweetness and low amount of sour/tart flavors. A touch of plastic that I didn't dig as much.

T - The taste is better, and the 8.41% is extremely well-hidden. There's none of the aforementioned plastic flavor, and some nice tartness has been added to the mix. Still not all that sour, but masterfully combines the best elements of Flanders Red and Triple components.

M - Some zingy champagne-like carbonation. Medium bodied, with a texture that is a little grittier than I prefer. Nice dry finish with a little bit of residual stickiness.

D - Somehow this beer is greater than the sum of its parts for me. The weaknesses are in areas that don't hamper drinkability, while the strengths made me keep reaching for my glass. I was sad when I grabbed the bottle and discovered there was nothing left.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2010 04:58:42 | More by MasterSki

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.33/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Sampled July 2009
A solid pour into my 25cl tulip glass produces a two-finger thick, light tan colored head; the head leaves some nice layered lacing patterns on the sides of my glass as I work my way through this beer. The beer is a lightly darkened, amber color that shows a lightly hazed, red-tinged, light amber color when held up to the light. The nose has a nice tartness to it that is most definitely lactic in character. The tartness brings out an unripe, green fruit note that is a bit reminiscent of crab-apples, tart plums, or an unripened pear. There is a touch of cracker like malt hidden underneath the lactic aromatics and perhaps a hint of cherry aromatics towards the finish, but overall this is pretty simplistic and not very complex. The tartness is nice though, just nothing to particularly rave about.

Nicely tart tasting, but not overly dry. There is just a touch of malt sweetness (a combination of toasted caramel and dark fruit notes) as well as a fairly substantial body for a sour beer. I wouldn't say this is thick and chewy, but it certainly has a certain viscousness to it as well as some malt body to counter the ample tartness. Fruity flavors of sour plums, tart but slightly washed out cherries, a black currant note as well as some red-wine like notes that are accentuated by a solid oak-derived backbone; each of these notes couple pretty seamlessly with the lactic tartness. The oak provides a nice toasted woody note to the finish as well as some spiciness in the middle and there is definitely a tannic note as well as a body-boosting oak effect. This beer hides its alcohol quite well, there is a touch of heat to the finish but this all seems to come from the oak and not any alcohol.

My second pour sees a touch of vinous character coming out in the nose, more like an oaky chardonnay than a red wine; in fact I don't know how I missed the oak character the first go round as there is a definite oak-derived spiciness and a toasted wood character here in the nose. The fruitiness in the flavor gets a boost as well. This is a nice smoothly drinking beer. It is very well balanced, if not a bit mellow and is fairly clean fermentation wise; there is the sourness, but that is it in the way of funkiness. The finish of the flavor has some nice toasted malt notes and some biscuit like character that couples with the toasted oak quite nicely

This is a nice beer, it does not have the complexity of the Sang Royale (especially in the nose, but this certainly gets better after my second pour), but it is far better than The Vine. Some Brettanomyces funk would certainly be appreciated, but this is more approachable this way I suppose. This is certainly an enjoyable beer to be sipping upon as I work my way through a bout of bill paying. Honestly though, this ends up being much more enjoyable than I was expecting, this is a nice beer I would be happy to have a whole lot more of in the cellar.

Sampled October 2008
4/4/4/4/4, Total 4
This beer pours with an amber tinged, tan colored head that sits on top of an amber colored beer. The aroma is a complex mix of fruity notes, tart lactic acid, lightish funk character and grain. Aromas similar to cherries and tart plums provide the bulk of the fruit notes but there is also some aromatic-varietal apple character here and even some tart apricot notes become noticeable after a bit. The grain aromas contribute a solid cracker-like malt note that one typically doesn't find still hanging around in a sour beer (but I have been noticing this more and more from American versions). The funkiness, other than the sourness, is pretty muted in the aroma, but does contribute notes similar to musty, slightly moldy hay.

The beer is fairly tart as it first hits my tongue, but it is quite balanced. The sourness seems predominantly contributed by Lactic acid. The sourness combines with fruity notes to produce flavors of tart cherry and apricots. There is also a light plastic edge to this beer, as well as some other sharp phenolics; these notes are fairly soft and are not overly intrusive. There is a significant herbal character here as well that reminds me of tannic, wild, weeds somehow. A cotton ball like, tannic character coats the palate after each sip has left my mouth. This beer is fairly light, but there is a full, lingering presence to this beer. There is also a touch of warming alcohol to the finish. This is actually a nicely balanced beer, I am definitely enjoying this.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2008 02:43:28 | More by Gueuzedude

Halcyondays

California

4.03/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22 oz. bottle,

A: Pours a slightly murky red, with a soft fizzy off-white head.

S: Sour cherries, balsamic vinegar, some sugar and cake batter.

T: Has the lactic classic red malt that Flanders Reds are known for, oak and acid are clear. Adds some more complexity with some Belgian malt and ester flavours, notes of fruit - lemon and tangerine in there as well.

M: Light/moderate acidity. Good smooth character. An easy drinking sour.

D: This is a quality beer for sure. Shame it is so expensive, I can buy Rodenbach Grand Cru for half the price and I'm getting more. Worth a try, I just wouldn't shell out the cash for another bottle of it.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2010 21:36:06 | More by Halcyondays

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.78/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Solomon420 for sharing this.

Poured a nice copper color with a small dirty white head. Nose was oak, wine, sour fruit, caramel, and some oak. Taste was a nice tartness, sour with some a mix of fruit, wood and some CO2. This was a good brew, very drinkable and easy drinking.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2009 01:27:13 | More by barleywinefiend

Wasatch

Utah

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

Thanks goes out to msubulldog25 for this brew.

Poured into a chalice a cloudy amber color, nice carbonation, nice little fizzy off-white head, with some sticky lacing left behind. The nose is malty, yeasty, funky, with some spice. The taste is malty, yeasty, with some funkyness, and spice. Medium body. Drinkable, my first from this brewery and a nice one.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2009 01:06:41 | More by Wasatch

Zorro

California

3.78/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Received from thethrone in the Barrel 'O Beer BIF.

Hazy reddish brown colored beer with only a slight off-white colored head.

Smells fruity with a strong vanilla and oak aroma. There is some sour and funk here Brettomyces? I know this has undergone lactic fermentation but since Flanders red is in the mix there must be some Brett in this. Smell of strawberries and some spice mostly ginger. Little bit of lemon scent.

Taste starts out sour with a strong vanilla flavor and a slight horse blanket flavor of brettomyces. Fruit and vanilla ice cream aftertaste. Quite sour but without the vinegar taste that I find objectionable, more like Berliner Weiss. Matter of fact I could describe the taste of this as Imperial Oak aged Strawberry Berliner Weiss.

Mouthfeel is good.

About as drinkable as sour beers get for me, no matter what the style says sour = spoiled for beer in my mind.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2009 05:02:29 | More by Zorro

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

4.3/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle, believe I got this at Bottleworks in Seattle in August.

Pours a lightly hazed reddish orange, nice glow, thick off white head forms and settles down to a solid ring, good lacing on the glass, this looks pretty nice.

Smell is great, tart and fruity, cherries, wood, apricots, a bit of vinegar funk and some minerals, quite sour but not overly so, really nice malt base.

Taste is similar, very fruity, apricots and pears, alcohol, a bit salty/minerally, sour fruit, wood, really rich finish, great sourness to it, not overdone.

Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with medium carbonation, awesome finish on it. I definitely get the Flanders Red character in it, but kicked up a bit. Great beer!

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2010 21:44:07 | More by Viggo

corby112

Pennsylvania

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

Pours a deep dark ruby/cherry red color with burgundy/mahogany edges and a two finger frothy beige head that quickly subsides. Not much in the way of lacing.

Tart earthy funk aroma with a strong vinous presence as well as a lot of dark fruit, especially sour dark cherry, vinegar and oaky tannis.

Soft carbonation up front that lingers into a slightly vinegary, vinous mothfeel that is a bit flatter and syrupy. Nice balance of tartness and earthy oaky tannis as wel as some dark fruit notes coming from the estery Belgian yeast. Pretty vinous with hints of grape, tart dark cherry, plumand raisin. I cam surprisingly really taste the trpel characteristics of the blend. The ABV is excellently masked making this beer dangerously drinkable. Slightly puckering but not acidic at all. Very good and highly recommended!

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2010 23:58:05 | More by corby112

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.65/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Obtained a bottle of this delicious stuff at the brewpub yesterday. Talk about an absolute "tour de force" in wild ales.

The beer pours a tannish brown amber color with OK head retention and very good lacing. On the nose... oh my. This has to be one of the most incredibly complex beers I've ever smelled or tasted. I get a huge aroma of chocolate, sour funk and a melange of dried fruit and fruit cake. Flavors on the palate replicate the nose and this beer is flat out delicious. I get a stunning array of flavors, with the sour funk and chocolate presenting an interplay of contrasting notes. The rich dried fruit and fruit cake flavor only adds to the concert of flavors in this amazing beer. Mouthfeel is fairly full, but this beer is not at all heavy on the palate. Drinkability is hard to describe with this beer. There's so much flavor and it's so rich, it's just not the sort of beer you can chug down. On the other hand, drinking something as delicious as this is no problem, and while it was slow going, God knows the drinking was never difficult or tiring.

This is outstanding stuff. If more wild sour ales tasted like this, I'd soon be drinking them all the time.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2009 16:42:03 | More by johnmichaelsen

glid02

Georgia

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

Bottle shared by Andy - thanks!

Pours a slightly hazy brownish-amber color with a one-finger tan head. The head recedes into a thin layer on top leaving solid lacing.

Smells of muted dark malts with good amounts of plums and raisins and lighter amounts of tart dark cherries. As the beer warms the tartness increases a bit and some woody tones enter into things.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Well-integrated dark fruits - plums mostly with hints of raisins - kick things off, backed up by nondescript malts. Midway through the sip the flavors turn a bit tart with lighter fruits, cherries and currants, replacing the darker fruits. As with the aroma oak flavors make their way into things as the beer warms. The ending is slightly tart.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a nice thickness with moderate carbonation.

Drinkability is also good. I finished my glass with no problems and could have another.

Overall I found this to be a pretty interesting beer, reminescent of something I'd expect from Jolly Pumpkin. The tartness is undoubtedly there however it's certainly on the mild side. Worth a shot.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2010 04:44:50 | More by glid02

HopHead84

California

4.13/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Consumed at our Cascade tasting on 12/11/2009 and poured into a snifter. The beer pours dark amber with good clarity and a voluminous two finger beige head.

The nose opens up with a distinct Blue Cheese character that remains strong throughout. The fruit is reminiscent of dark ripe cherries and perhaps a bit of ripe apple. The aroma has a moderate acetic and lactic character, as well as prominent oak. This is a nice blend of triple and Flanders red characteristics. Alcohol is subtle for the ABV.

The flavor opens with cherries, ripe apples, and oak. The flavor is woody, with a moderate acetic quality and some tannins. A dash of astringency is evident midpalate. The fruit is moderately sour and lactic in quality, and the finish is fruity, woody, and drying, with moderate tannins.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2009 06:10:01 | More by HopHead84

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Hazy brown, ring of tan head, very little retention, slight lacing.

S: Cider, brown sugar, tropical fruit & hints of biscuit.

T: Cider, toffee, wood & a little vinegar. I can appreciate it, but the acidity is a little abrasive to my palate.

M: Moderate body has a drying finish; acidic; highly carbonated.

D: Definitely a sipper.

Thanks to Sammy for this extremely rare treat!

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2009 01:14:28 | More by Derek

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4.35/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

What a lovely beer, and nice idea. The Flanders red gives the overall sour note, as well as the lactic acid fermentation, the tripel adds some smoothness and a tiny hint of sweetness, and the oak is quite pronounced, which adds a touch of wood and vanilla but is balanced nicely by the sour notes. Primarily sour, lactic, and oaky in the nose. The taste is where the beer really shines. Very balanced with a nice sharp lactic note to start, some vinous notes, and then a fairly heavy hit of spicy oak that fades to some tannic notes on the finish. Nice complex mouthfeel of sour/sweet/tannic. Quite enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2010 01:22:44 | More by Georgiabeer

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

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

Poured into mini snifter.

Color is a peach hued raspberry pink. No head at all.

Aroma: Nice and sour, cherries, spice, funk, and some barnyard notes.

Taste: Some sour and wild notes. Nice tart cherries, barnyard funk. Some spice flavors and oak. Not to much here, but decent.

Mouthfeel: Sour and crisp. A little mouth puckering. It is a lighter sour flavor than I was expecting. Medium bodied with a lower amount of carbonation. Ends a little dry, somewhat clean, however.

Overall, not a bad beer, but not very sour. It is a solid beer and I do like it, but I would choose others over it given a choice. Still, worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2009 19:47:38 | More by mothman

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.98/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed from 2 sets of paper notes...

Slightly hazy deep orange/brown .. nice head and retention.. only okay lacing..

Nose is lemony/tart fruit skins... funky with brett and a fairly large acetic character.. mild horsey..

Big blast of lemon and sour cherry skin.. some mild balsamic sweetness and vinegar.. more "wild" than sour.. background malty sweetness.. fair amount of barrel tannins adding to the mix..

fairly large carbonation with a lite/medium body given the ABV.. tough to nail down the "drinkability"... seems like a different beer with every sip.

I hear Brewforia is getting these in now... If I could just get out of this budget crunch, I would buy these by the case.

3.5/4/4/4/4

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2010 09:21:49 | More by JohnGalt1

thagr81us

South Carolina

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

This one was a part of cmrillo’s 40 Beers* @ 40 Birthday Bash! Shared by BRoss242! 2006 Vintage! Served from bottle into a Mikkeller taster flute. Poured red-orange with a half finger off-white head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, wood, tart, fruit, sour, and cherry. The flavor was of sweet malt, wood, fruit, and cherry. It had a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a good brew. HOLY CRAP! I never thought I would see this one! Massive thanks again Billy! It was definitely worth the wait on this one as it really reminded me of the Sang Royale we had prior only the fruit profile I was begging for actually showed up. However, with the age on this one, a lot of the fruit profile had expired and faded quite a bit. Still nice of it to be there though. Really glad I finally got to try this one and if you have one, I would drink it soon.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2012 10:48:32 | More by thagr81us

ccrida

Oregon

4.8/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This is probably my favorite Cascade sour. I've had several bottles of this since it was released, and am thankful to be sharing this one with johnmichaelsen for a review. Poured into a slender tulip, Cuvée Du Jongleur is a bright brassy brown with a big, creamy white head that leaves foamy lace. Pours towards the end of the bottle were a bit murky and dull, but I wasn't particular about the dregs.

Smell is great, bright lacto, some sweetness, raisin puree and vinous. Tons of depth.

Taste is awesome. Cured dark fruits, a very nice lacto sour bite, which has been increasing with age in this beer, oaky but well balanced, with a long finish. Really phenomenal beer, very complex.

Mouthfeel is dry, light and puckering.

Drinkability is insanely high. This is a beer I just want to drink all the time. I've spent quite a bit of dough on these bottles, attempting to stockpile for cellaring, but I always seem to be breaking out my last one!

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2009 20:05:22 | More by ccrida

gford217

Georgia

4.05/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Big thanks to Andy for sharing this one.

Pours a hazy golden amber with a small creamy beige head that recedes quickly to a small collar.

The aroma is sweeter than I was expecting but not in a bad way. There are sweet tart cherries, brown sugar and candied pears as well as plums. There is a light lactic sourness in the nose but it's very subtle as is the hints of oak.

The taste is more of the same with lots of different fruits hitting the palate - plums, apricots and brown sugar. The finish is where the oak barrel comes out with a dry spiciness that mixes with lactose sourness and an emerging bretty funk.

The mouthfeel is light to medium bodied and almost slick with a soft carbonation - tart and dry finish.

I've enjoyed everything I've had from Cascade and this is no exception. A very drinkable, well-balanced sour.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2010 21:31:34 | More by gford217

tpd975

Florida

4.43/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a nice brownish amber with a very small fizzy head. No retention or lace.

S: Light cherry tartness, oak, and dark fruit.

T: Wonderful red berry tartness, fresh cut oak, wonderful dark cherry pitty earthiness, light lactic tartness. Thought this one would be a bit more tart, but it is light approachable and honestly very very good.

M: Light in carbonation, light tartness builds in the center and goes through the finish.

D: Wonderful light tartness, no hint of the ABV it packs.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2010 18:19:15 | More by tpd975

RedDiamond

Oregon

4.18/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This was the beer that started it all for Cascade as a notable brewer of oak aged, bottle conditioned sour beers. Cascade uses a house cultivated "free range lacto bacillus" bacteria to ferment the Cuvée. It undergoes a complex regimen of first brewing as a Flanders-style red, then blending with a Belgian-style tripel and oak barrel aging for up to 18 months.

The blending process is particularly demanding and inexact, making each bottling of Jongleur unique unto itself. The resulting brew is then combined with a fresh Belgian-style quad to affect bottle conditioning. Cascade bottles the beer in corked and caged 750 ml champagne magnums that retail for $18.

The result is an ale of blood orange color whose smell is startlingly sour and cidery. The beer shows a fine sandy head and enthused carbonation. The usual taste elements of malt and hops don't apply here. The beer is tart but not overly puckering with relaxed contours from aging. It is an elegant blend of complementary angles with a leisurely dry finish. The texture is especially soft and cottony.

Cascade's Cuvée is an artful blend of complex beer forms and would certainly go well any number of food pairings such as chicken or seafood. I drank mine with some roasted almonds. The name Jongleur means Juggler in French - a reference to the challenging blending technique used.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2009 02:39:40 | More by RedDiamond