Cascade Vlad The Imp Aler - Cascade Brewing / Raccoon Lodge & Brewpub

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to DaveHack (the effin' man) for opening this one last night. This poured out as a clear looking copper color with a nice white head on top. The retention and lacing were minimal. The smell of the beer is obviously sour but also has this subtle sweetness in there too. I kept picking up elements of either the bourbon or honey on the nose. The taste of the beer is tart but it doesn't melt your face off. There is a nice balance of tart and sweet mixing together on this beer. Really interesting stuff! The mouthfeel was well carbonated and light bodied. Overall it's a great beer, and thats coming from someone who isn't the biggest fan of sours. Really quite enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 16:40:07 | More by Knapp85

moonknight31

California

3.75/5  rDev -12%

05-16-2013 05:36:48 | More by moonknight31

standardcherry

Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle, 2011 vintage.

A: Dark-ish orange color. Pretty hazy. Large white, frothy head that lingered for a while and then dissipated.
S: A lot of spiciness/sweetness. Smells a bit sour but I would not be able to tell this was a Cascade, it's lacking the strong lactic acidity they usually have (although that's not a bad thing in this case). Can definitely smell the tripel spiciness a lot, balanced out with some vanilla, oak and funkiness. Very unique, I dig it.
T: Nice tartness up front. Tastes kinda like pineapple/coconut/vanilla. Has a lot of hints of quad fruitiness and tripel spiciness. Some citric in there with a bit of lactic acidity. Some oak and sweet bourbon at the end.
M: Medium bodied with moderate (almost high) carbonation.
O: Extremely drinkable. I drank the 2009 and 2011 side by side very easily. I would have guessed t was around 6-7%. Great stuff as I've come to expect from Cascade, I'm glad I got to try it and I will definitely be ISO more.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 05:28:15 | More by standardcherry

jkane101

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev -0.2%

05-15-2013 00:46:18 | More by jkane101

illy0sis

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +5.6%

05-14-2013 22:11:07 | More by illy0sis

Bonko_the_sane

North Carolina

4.75/5  rDev +11.5%

05-12-2013 18:23:09 | More by Bonko_the_sane

fsck

Washington

4.25/5  rDev -0.2%

05-12-2013 07:23:20 | More by fsck

HarmonMW

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev -0.2%

05-12-2013 02:06:43 | More by HarmonMW

Michigan

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev -0.2%

05-11-2013 13:13:39 | More by Michigan

eawolff99

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev -0.2%

05-10-2013 13:21:27 | More by eawolff99

pmarlowe

California

4.25/5  rDev -0.2%

05-09-2013 05:11:27 | More by pmarlowe

st9647v3

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev -0.2%

05-09-2013 02:27:45 | More by st9647v3

beernads

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +5.6%

05-08-2013 08:24:07 | More by beernads

Jeremy6566

Arizona

4/5  rDev -6.1%

05-07-2013 20:00:37 | More by Jeremy6566

flagmantho

Washington

4.15/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from corked & caged 750mL bottle into a tulip. This is the 2011 project. Let's see if it is worth the exorbitant price!

Appearance: medium-dark orange hue with a moderate haze and effervescence. Head is a finger of frothy tan foam which dissipated somewhat quickly. Not too bad, I suppose.

Smell: shazam! There is a lot going on here. First a light sourness, followed by a butterscotch character, a light orchardy fruitiness and an astringent oaky finish. Dynamic and fascinating. I'm not normally a big diacetyl guy, but the butterscotch works in this context.

Taste: a much bigger, rounder, and full-bodied version of the aroma. We start with the sourness, which is paired with a sweet, almost candylike fruit flavor that really works for me. Butterscotch is still there, but it's way more mellow than the aroma. There's a bit of a dusty, date-like flavor here, which I don't perceive very often in lighter beers but I like a lot here. The finish is a little bit green-apple, but without being off-flavor or cidery. Oak and astringency are present at the tail end, but not as prominent as the flavor. I'm liking this beer *quite* a lot.

Mouthfeel: medium-light body with a deceivingly robust carbonation. The brew is nicely creamy, although a little more body would give the creaminess a nice oomph.

Overall: a great beer; I'm glad I've tried it. Is it worth the price? Probably not. But for aficionados of this style, it may be worth your while to give this a shot, or at least split a bottle with a few other like-minded folks.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 01:34:23 | More by flagmantho

Lare453

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +5.6%

05-03-2013 02:21:40 | More by Lare453

Dirtinabottle

New York

4.5/5  rDev +5.6%

05-01-2013 04:19:44 | More by Dirtinabottle

FullObs

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -17.8%

04-30-2013 15:23:47 | More by FullObs

SMITHAND

Oregon

4.25/5  rDev -0.2%

04-28-2013 01:49:10 | More by SMITHAND

ThePorterSorter

New York

4.23/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Latest vintage...ain't nobody got time to age bottles of this delicious elixir.
The beer pours a hazy amber gold with specks of sediment along the bottom and a constant blanketing of a dense off-white head that laces. It's definitely presents potent notes of bourbon, apricot/ unripened peach, orange zest, red wine, and a touch of "pure smiles." It tastes like I'd expect; a wild blonde highlighted by red wine, bourbon, and citrus. It has a elegant mouthfeel presenting as sweet, tart, and slightly vinous, which plays nicely off those big barrel -aged coconut, vanilla, and slight ethanol. It really doesn't dry as much in the finish as I'd expected. This beer was definitely worth trying, although price (+shipping) makes this a hard beer to consider for a repeat purchase.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 02:26:25 | More by ThePorterSorter

morimech

Minnesota

3.65/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Orange marmalade color with two fingers of head that had good retention before settling to a thick cap. Curtains of lace is left down the glass.

Smells tart. Mostly vinous aromas. Sour grapes. Not getting any funk or bourbon. Expecting more complexity from this beer.

Very much on the sweet side with moderate tartness. A sour tripel. Probably the least funky of the Cascade sours that I have tried. I also do not get any bourbon but just a slight hint of vanilla. Reminds me of a Sweet-Tart.

Body is deceptively full. The carbonation is perfect for a sour beer and adds a lot of life to the body.

I was really looking forward to this beer and feel a little letdown. It is still a good beer, but did come through for me. Some funk would of helped this beer a lot.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 22:23:26 | More by morimech

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a clear amber color with a thin light, white layer and leaves a soapy layer on the top that sticks around.

S - Tartness, oak, white grapes, light honey, funkiness.

T - Tart white grapes, oak, very subtle bourbon, light bread.

M - Light medium body, velvety smooth carbonation, and slightly puckering.

O - This was an amazing beer!!!

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 21:25:41 | More by jzeilinger

HuskyinPDX

Washington

3.78/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

On tap at the Barrel House

A - Served a cloudy orange with a brown tint and only a few white bubbles on the glass.

S - Tart oaky and bourbon.

T - Sweeter and has the hints of a Brlgian quad/triple. Lots more bourbon in the finish.

D - Medium body with low carbonation.

O - Sweet Belgian with lots of oak and bourbon throughout.

Serving type: on-tap

04-25-2013 00:08:44 | More by HuskyinPDX

unclekeith

Alaska

4.25/5  rDev -0.2%

04-23-2013 16:02:18 | More by unclekeith

IpeeA

Missouri

4.5/5  rDev +5.6%

04-23-2013 11:44:50 | More by IpeeA