Cascade Bourbonic Plague - Cascade Brewing / Raccoon Lodge & Brewpub

UCLABrewN84

California

3.98/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to GRG1313 for sharing this one at his tasting.

2009 vintage.

Pours a murky brown with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is sour and tart with malt and bourbon aromas. Taste is much the same with fruit and bourbon flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of acidity bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is tasty and interesting.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 01:31:31 | More by UCLABrewN84

Beerandboards

New Mexico

4.44/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2009 bottle

A - pours an opaque very dark brown, a little rose color at the edge against the light. Gushed a little bit on opening. A medium pour produces about an inch to an inch and a half of loose large bubbles, dissipates to a very thin crown of bubbles.

Smell - kind of muted. Definitely bourbon, red wine, oak, sourness, touch of vinegar

Taste - damn good. Up front there is a big kick of bourbon, then the wine barrels, then the dry oak and sourness. It was interesting how perceptible and separate each of the flavors were. Finishes super dry with tannins and oak.

M - changed over the course of each pour. The first sip was a blast of wild carbonation, but letting the pour sit for 30 minutes, it flattened out to a very creamy low-medium carb. Didn't get syrupy like a lot of sours do for me.

O - If you like bourbon and sours, you'll like this beer. This was the first beer I'd had where the complexity was really pronounced as very separate and distinguishable flavor profiles. It really was a lineup of flavors that came and went distinct from each other. Not something I would want every day, but something I would gladly buy multiples of. I've never had this fresh, but I have to think that 3.5 years of age did it quite well.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 03:49:16 | More by Beerandboards

brystmar

New York

3.88/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle from 2009.

Loud pop from the cork, mild gusher. Brown body, manila/tan head, super stubborn head and lace. Truly beautiful appearance. Tons bourbon in the nose, mild vanilla, more vanilla, traditional Cascade sour yeasty aroma.

Bourbon-forward on the palate. Dark fruits, mild spices, no vanilla, plenty of bourbon. Pretty tasty, but I'm not a bourbon guy at all. My bourbon-head buddies were gushing (pardon the pun) over this stuff while I merely enjoyed it. Pretty good, though I prefer even the "regular" Cascades (kriek, apricot) over this.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 02:06:23 | More by brystmar

zhanson88

Montana

3.98/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Big ups to Rbald42 for popping this one open.

Appearance: Pours a dark brown color with maroon highlights. About 1" of tan head forms, which has very nice head retention. Very nice looking wild.

Smells of dark fruits, general tartness and lacto sourness. Not a ton of barrel in the smell or sourness that is necessarily easy to pick apart.

Taste: Dark fruits and slight roast initially, followed by lacto sourness and tartness. Some wood and slight bourbon character shine through on the finish. Definitely easier to tell the elements apart on the palate than on the nose. Very nice.

Mouthfeel/Overall: Very creamy sour with ample carbonation. Maybe a touch heavy for the style but a nice feel nonetheless. Overall, a very unique sour that I would have again for sure. Not my favorite sour but nice.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2012 03:05:24 | More by zhanson88

thagr81us

South Carolina

4/5  rDev -5.2%
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! 2009 Vintage! Served from bottle into a Mikkeller taster flute. Poured dark brown with a one finger khaki colored head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, fruit, dark fruit, chocolate, wood, and tart. The flavor was of sweet malt, dark chocolate, sour, tart, and wood. It had a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a good brew. I really found the chocolate aspect on this one to be quite surprising if I am honest. While it worked well with the brew overall it didn’t seem like it was necessarily needed in my opinion. Definitely worth your time to try this one if you haven’t done so before.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2012 10:48:28 | More by thagr81us

CruisaC

Ohio

4.13/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

"This blend of strong dark porters was aged in oak, wine and Bourbon barrels, then blended with a dark porter that had been brewed with vanilla beans and cinnamon. The blend was then aged an additional 14 months on dates."

I knew I wanted to try this based on description alone.

Pours thin and dark with a good amount of khaki head

Smell is a bit one-dimensional. I get plenty of the sour smell I've gotten from other Cascade sours; not much of any of the other components. Not a bad smell, just hoping for more.

Fortunately taste is much more complex. I get a gentle sourness but also the bourbon and some raisins/dates on the end. A combination that works for me.

Thinner with a nice amount of carbonation. This is not stout creamy nor should it be.

A very good beer from cascade. I have yet to be disappointed in them, and I'm slowly ticking my way through ther lineup.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2012 13:05:49 | More by CruisaC

corby112

Pennsylvania

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

Huge thanks to sideshowe for sharing!

Pours a dark chocolate brown, almost black color with purplish plum edges and a 1.5 finger beige head that quickly settles into a lasting ring.  Streaks of lace left behind.

Slightly spicy, vinous aroma with a decent barrel character along with dark malt, toasted oak, vinous fruit and earthy funk. Hints of vanilla and bourbon followed by grape, dark cherry and plum.

Medium bodied with tight carbonation up front and a tart vinous red wine flavor along with some dry, earthy oak. Good balance of dry toasted oak, dark malt, subtle puckering acidity, vanilla and bourbon. Really complex but a bit too sweet for my liking.  Hints of toffee, vanilla, spicy bourbon, oak, chocolate and dark fruit.  Really sweet but not boozy with the abv dangerously well masked. Faint vinegar in finish but not overly acetic or solvent like.  Pretty good but I that there was more bourbon.  There's a bit too much going, overpowering the bourbon and hurting the overall flavor.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2012 00:48:49 | More by corby112

morimech

Minnesota

4.35/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

2009 Vintage? Corkscrew required to remove the cork and released with a loud pop.

Dark brown color with two fingers of head that settles to a thick cap. Not much for lacing is left on the glass.

Aroma of bourbon, dark fruit, vanilla, and some pinot grapes. Smells acidic and slightly boozy.

Moderately tart flavor. Complex combination of fruits and barrel. The bourbon plays a lesser role in the flavor as acidic fruit notes lead. Underlying date flavor. Some nice vanilla flavor comes in midway before finishing tart and semi-dry. Alcohol is noticeable but not overly hot.

The body is a bit larger than what is typically found in a sour. Good bottle conditioning carbonation and overall texture.

Lived up to expectations. All the work that went into this beer came out in the end.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 18:07:02 | More by morimech

alpinebryant

Connecticut

4.13/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a dark chocolatey brown ale color with a massive white head, that later is just a tan lacing around the edges.

S: Sweet, Sour, Chocolate and lacto bacteria.

T: Very sour lactic taste first off, followed by a sweet chocolatey stout flavor. The underlying base beer is relatively light in body, but that is true for the style. It is however much sweeter than most sour ales. The alcohol percentage is also much higher at 12.1% so that is clearly drawing a distinction between most other sours. Slightly hot in the throat, but not boozy tasting. There is a nice bourbon oakey edge along with some strong natural vanilla flavors. As this beer warms, the vanilla became more and more prominent.

M: Light in mouthfeel, high in carbonation. Both of these are perfectly characteristic for the style.

O: Definitely the sweetest sour that I have ever had, not to mention it is also the highest ABV sour that I have had that I can think of off the top of my head. Definitely worth trying and highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 00:13:27 | More by alpinebryant

ngeunit1

California

4.45/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a dark red-brown with a thin finger of chocolate colored head. Fades fairly slow leaving behind lots of lace.

S - Aroma is a mix of Bourbon, sour cherries, roasted malts, vanilla, chocolate, and oak.

T - Starts off with deep roasted and slightly burnt malts with some chocolate and vanilla and some sourness. Through the middle, the cherry comes through a bit stronger and the Bourbon starts to come through with some oak. The finish is a mix of Bourbon, vanilla, oak, deep roasted malts, and sourness with a bit of booze.

M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Smooth with a nice warming finish.

D - Very dirnkable. The balance is outstanding with so many flavors going on, especially the sourness and the Bourbon flavors.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2012 07:17:35 | More by ngeunit1

BarrytheBear

Wisconsin

4.72/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle generously provided by milwaukeeclassic. This will forever be remembered as the bottle that trotched my draperies.

Opens likes a climactic moneyshot with porn-like exuberance. After struggling for a moment with the cork, there's an ejaculatory burst that splatters the curtains and walls and leaves a little who's your father on the carpet. Holy hell.

Pours dark brown with a nice white thin cover. Lace is clumpy.

Smells like cardamon and Huggy Bear.

Tastes pretty damn boss hog. Upon warming, it is, indeed, raw dogs. A cacophony of cinnamon, sour, and tangy bourbon. Opens up, like Duane's mom, significantly after warming. Really, really a nice beer. So much going on here. Opens up tremendously upon reaching room temperature. Cold I wanted to dump this; warmed I wanted to make love to this.

Thanks buddy. I'll miss you and your cellar.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2012 05:10:01 | More by BarrytheBear

brewandbbq

New Hampshire

4.33/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle from 2011, a great beer to start off Christmas eve.

Pours opaque, dark brown with a two-plus inch head of tan. Ripped sheets of lacing and a solid skim coat on the surface for the duration.

Aromatics lead off with red wine-soaked dark bakers chocolate, sour cherries, balsamic vinegar, coffee grounds, and bourbon. Hints of oak, vanilla, and smoke follow through.

Medium bodied with a crisp, tacky, puckering mouthfeel. Lush and velvety with a prickly edge.

Dark fruits, vineous acidity, boozy fusels, and charred chocolate start the palate. Red wine and bourbon run through sour notes of balsamic, dried figs, cherries, apples, and Kahlua-drizzeled plums.

Finishes with sour fruits, boozy and vineous alcohol, cocoa nibs, smoke and a sweet/sour interplay.

One my years best beers in review. The only drawback for me is that the beer is still quite "porterish" in character and I prefer my sours without as big a charred/roast character.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2011 22:29:07 | More by brewandbbq

dcloeren

Texas

4.7/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to BrandonEast for sharing this amazing bottle with me.

Review from notes...

Poured a cola brown with a finger of fizzy cinnamon colored head. No retention.

The aroma I got was full of great spices, cinnamon mainly, lactic tartness, cherries and some very nice bourbon characteristics.

Taste was slightly lactic sourness upfront, cinnamon spice, chocolate and it was mother fuckin awesome!

Light to medium body with ample amounts of carbonation. Tart drying aftertaste.

This beer was simply amazing and will definitely stay on my "wants" list. Great complexity... somehow all of the flavors are individually recognizable but blended together amazingly. Simply amazing...

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2011 22:41:29 | More by dcloeren

Dreadnaught33

District of Columbia

4.22/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a pretty nice beer, but not everything I hoped for.

A: Dark brown with lighter crimson brown on the edges. A tanish bubbly head dies to a small ring, it kind of looks like a porter mixed with gueuze consistency.

S: An interesting smell with some tart citrus and some roasty notes. Vinegar, vanilla, and cinnamon make an interesting mix thats subtle. Cherries and raspberries with some wood. Interesting.

T: A lot of porter roast and chocolate but with just a touch of sour cherry overtones. Some nice bourbon flavor as well and some juicy fruity vanilla flavors. Lot of vanilla bean actually..cinnamon is sort of there but I imagine it was once more dominating in this brew. Sweet and confectionary. Good thing I like vanilla and sweet, if not I would hope this was more sour.

M: Pretty nice semi thick with plenty of bubbles.

Overall a nice brew I'd buy if I saw it, but I won't trade for this again.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2011 01:30:33 | More by Dreadnaught33

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.28/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

lovely brown color with an off white head that streaks down the sides of the glass,

Lovely aroma is a mixture of sour and sugary malts wonderful dark fruits, caramel, toffee, tart cherries, great porter like quality but full of fruit and light funk, really a very interesting and fun mix here. Smooth as silk with a great finish and wonderful back to it.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2011 14:38:31 | More by mikesgroove

vkv822

Oregon

4.3/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

2010 vintage
750ml bottle into tulip snifter.
from notes.

Open with caution!
Was a pretty heavy gusher upon removing cork.

Pours an extremely dark brown, near black. Has a foamy light tan head.

The nose is bourbon, oak and lactic tartness. Vanilla comes through at times as well.

The taste follows the nose, with tartness upfront followed by bourbon, with oak and vanilla as parts of the bourbon notes. Faint dark fruits at times.

The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with lightly prickly carbonation. Leaves an enjoyable warming finish.

A really unique and enjoyable beer. I forgot what a fan of this I was.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2011 08:04:25 | More by vkv822

dgilks

Australia

4.68/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Received in a trade with writerLJberg. Thanks Luke.

Very dark brown colour verging on black with a smooth, creamy, tan head. Fair head retention, in fact it's very good for a sour.

Very complex aroma with plenty of spiciness, bourbon oak, tart lactic sourness, some chocolate and even some caramelised malt notes. Neat.

Immediately tart but balanced out with a smooth malt sweetness, caramel and chocolate. The fruitiness from the dates adds a lovely complexity as does the restrained barrel character. Incredible.

Medium-full body with moderately-high carbonation. Very nice and it accents the complexities in this beer.

A stunning combination of chocolatey porter, spice, lactic tartness, bourbon oak and fruit. A truly unique beer and one that is justifiably well liked.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2011 08:45:32 | More by dgilks

amphion1065

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 mL bottle into a Duvel tulip. Reviewed from notes.

Opening this refrigerator-temperature bottle was something of a Sisyphean ordeal. After much jostling, turning and prodding, the cork broke, which necessitated the use of a corkscrew. Of course the bottle gushed, but I only lost about an ounce. By the time the beer settled in my glass, the body was a very dark chestnut brown. A two-finger light tan head with phenomenal retention and stiff, meringue-like peaks of foam. The lacing is not terribly impressive.

Fascinating is the best way to describe the aroma. Just after pouring, this beer is all about tart, vinous funk. There is a very strong vinegar, lactic quality to the aroma. It almost smells like there are berries in the mix, a distinct raspberry-like aroma. As it warms, a wave of sweetness comes through. There is a lot of very enticing vanilla in this beer. Not too much bourbon or discernible barrel presence, but that's not the worst of faults.

The taste is somehow more complicated than the aroma. Right off the bat, those -bals really make themselves known. There is a definite, sharp hit of alcohol, but it's not overpowering and I wouldn't call this beer "hot." The lactic tartness of the base beer is strong enough to withstand the barrel presence, though it is very warm going down. Plenty of vinegar, with sort of a tangy, zesty citrus component. What initially seems like a very sweetness transforms into a deeper dark fruit flavor - I thought that plums or prunes were in the mix, though evidently Cascade used dates. A lingering woody aftertaste becomes quite strong over time.

Moderate carbonation, certainly on the lower side for the style. It works well with the full body, though.

A well done experiment from Cascade, one with a huge array of flavors that never seem overly busy. Some of the extreme tartness I often crave is tempered by the barrel aging, but the imparted flavors are really nice. Perhaps more technically impressive than enjoyable to drink, but it's still very good.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2011 01:24:10 | More by amphion1065

ThreeWiseMen

California

3.65/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle given to me by my good friend Swimsum. Thanks Brent!

Poured into a Duvel tulip.

Appearance: Gentle pour nets at least three fingers of expansive, nougat-colored fluff. After a few minutes, that initial head has decayed to a creamy froth, which looks very inviting - similar to the cap on a latte. Walls of lace mark where the head once stood, and extend down the walls of the glass as the session progresses. The body is earthy brown with moderate translucence near the edges.

Smell: Dark cherries, blackberries, key lime pie, caramel, and peppery bourbon. Sweet, tart, and bourbon-y all at the same time. Somewhat confusing, certainly interesting - it seems to work.

Taste: Caramel, bourbon, and syrupy dark currants lead things off. Vanilla, lime-like tartness, and booze form the finish. This is the second time I've had this beer, and each time I thought the bourbon and wild aspects clash. My roommate agrees; there's just too much going on in here. Still pretty good, but I just don't think bourbon barrels and sours were meant to be.

Mouthfeel: Tart, boozy, and semi-sweet. Seems heavier in body than most sours, but also finishes drier. Highly carbonated at first, but my roommate and I drank it until it was nearly flat. More enjoyable with lower carbonation in my opinion. Taking a step back though, the clashing bourbon and sour aspects are what make this such a slow sipper. Great execution. Misguided intent.

Overall: I think I've already said enough about this one. It's interesting - worth a try if you can get your hands on some for a reasonable price - but not worth recreating in my opinion. This is an experiment, nothing more.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2011 06:43:54 | More by ThreeWiseMen

claspada

New Jersey

4.38/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle courtesy of hoppymcgee from our most recent trade. Bottle says 2009 so I assume it is from then. Cork broke as I tried to take it out; needed a wine opener to get it out.

Pours a dark brown with no visible light escaping. A large 2-3 inch soapy, bubbly head dissipates leaves some decent spotty lacing. After the first pour the bottle continues to overflow with extreme carbonation from the Bretty yeast.

Aromas begin with typical Bretty yeast smells; sourpatch kids, dark cherries, earthiness, dark sherry, slight vinous grapiness. As it warms the Bourbon begins to show itself; oak, vanilla, dark berry jam just to name the most dominant barrel induced smells.

The tastes begin with lots of sour berries mixed with juicy fruits. Sweet blackberry, pomegranate, juniper berries start the show. Then you get the slight roasted flavors of chicory, dark caramelized sugars and light baker's cocoa but these flavors are continuously overwhelmed by the sour dark cherry Bretty yeast. As it warms you once again get the nice oak and vanilla flavors from the barrel.

The mouthfeel is super full bodied with above average carbonation. In this case the Brett trumped the Bourbon barrel leaving a pleasant bubbly feeling across the tounge. The carbonation scrubs hthe palate after every sip which is nice but it robs you of enjoying the extremely enjoyable flavors of the beer, so I wish it was toned down a tad but that cannot always be controlled with wild yeast beers of this nature.

Overall, this was a really super beer. It is extremely complex and unlike any beer I have ever had. I usually do not like dark Brett beers because the flavors just don't typically mesh well, but this somehow works amazingly. For a beer blended from dark style beers and with such an extremely high ABV it drinks amazingly light and easy. This is the perfect fall weather beer because it blends dark beer with nice light sour flavors. Make sure you DO NOT drink this too cold as all the great flavors are only detectable and appreciated once it warms up. Anyway, extremely highly recommended and worth seeking out; so complex and this is a testament to amazing brewing and blending from a great, small, under appreciated American brewery.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2011 00:42:30 | More by claspada

Spider889

Ohio

4.18/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to Schwaeh for sharing some of this bottle at Jackie O's. This was a want so I appreciated him saving me a trade before trying it.

A - Tall cream colored head atop a thin blackish beer with cola highlights. Well carbonated.

S - A bit typical of an American Wild - tart cherry and apple skin immediately rush up at you. However there are also some vanilla and whipped cream aromas to be found in there as well.

T - The flavor was very complex. Lots of liquor notes. Tart with some cherry and cranberry. Light chocolate malting, along with some caramel flavor. The alcohol is quite apparent and strong. There's a brandy-like finish with some Belgian yeast flavors.

M - High carbonation and quite acidic and boozy.

O - This is an excellent wild, but wow is it hot.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2011 06:15:15 | More by Spider889

ehammond1

California

4.25/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On Tap

Beachwood BBQ
Seal Beach, CA

Dark brown nearly black with a thin khaki head. Lots of spotted lacing down the glass.

Surprisingly not particularly aromatic, though I'm happy to say the other features of this beer make up for it in spades! A muted combination of bourbon and sour notes make up the aroma, but nothing is leaping out, even after warming.

This is quite the journey. Never before has a beer changed so drastically from start to finish. At first, this is a sour porter, with hints of roasted malt and chocolate coming through, along with sweet fruits and biting sourness. Then, after swallow, a new, delicate, earthy, woody bourbon flavor fills the mouth and stays and lingers. Magnificent!

Medium bodied with low carbonation.

A spectacular beer and (like with many Cascade offerings) like nothing I've ever tried before.

(I'm looking at you, The Bruery! Time to bourbon-barrel age some Tart of Darkness!)

Serving type: on-tap

09-11-2011 01:08:31 | More by ehammond1

Halcyondays

California

4/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at Beachwood I,

A: Pours a ruby plum brown with a mild white head, fair retention, no lace.

S: Bourbon dominated, vanilla, some dark fruit.

T: Dates for sure, prunes and figs. Very much a dark fruit flavour. Some molasses and nice acid on the back end.

M: Heavy feel on the palate. A full-bodied beer for sure. Quite smooth, light carbonation. Light acid.

O: A nightcap beer if you will from Cascade. Good flavour, I like the dark fruit character. Clearly enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

09-10-2011 03:11:53 | More by Halcyondays

cbarrett4

Oregon

3.88/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from cask at Cascade Barrel House Portland:

Pours murky brown with very little head and almost no lace. Kind of ugly (though it did get pulled off cask... so...)

Interesting nose though a bit over the top. I really got the bourbon sweetness up front, kind of hot (alcohol) on the nose but a little caramelized sugar, prunes, and black currants in there. But the alcohol really detracts.

More of the same. Mostly stewed dark fruit and sweet cherry pie with smoke, toast, and sweet bourbon. It's got a slight sour twinge.

Again everything kind of tossed into weirdness with the oppressive alcohol. Out of balance, but a good texture and long finish.

I have had much better brews from these guys. I appreciate the style, and I know that this beer has some fans... but just because you can go bigger doesn't mean you have to. Also of note: I have had some Dogfish Head at 18% abv where the alcohol seemed more in tune.

Serving type: cask

08-29-2011 22:53:51 | More by cbarrett4

rowingbrewer

Massachusetts

3.78/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer pours a dark reddish brown color with a lot of carbonation and head. The smell is acetic slightly vinegary with hints of vanilla and dark fruits. The flavor is pretty similar to the Taste with the vanilla and cinnamon coming through fairly strong and the vinegar is lessened. The sour is not really sour just tart. This is the least sour beer I have ever had from cascade bit with so much going on it's understandable. Medium mouthfeel and overall a good brew

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2011 11:48:50 | More by rowingbrewer