Cascade Sang Noir - Cascade Brewing / Raccoon Lodge & Brewpub

Murrhey

Montana

3.85/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured on-tap at Cascade in a 2oz taster. Reviewed from notes.

A- Tiny white head, fades to a ringed one. Red-brown color with nice clarity.

S- Bourbon notes with heavy cherry influence. Sour, but not strong and acrid. Nice smelling beer.

T- Very sour and some bourbon, barrel-aged notes. Strong beer. Tasty.

M- Fizzy carbonation, dry finish.

O- Lovely beer. But not as amazing as the score would make it seem. Maybe I just need more.

Serving type: on-tap

01-26-2013 19:21:12 | More by Murrhey

harrymel

Washington

4.38/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

04AUG12 - on draft at barrel house.

Pretty purple ale with some light pink surface bubbles. Up front in the nose for me are the bing cherries and pinot notes. Nice and full bodied with a hint of ink and cassis. Some hints of alcohol and oak alongside leather and sweat. I like the already. The flavor carries more of the grape than I'd anticipated - refined, plummy and juicy. A bit of booze (maybe whiskey..) comes through just in the back end, but as an accent and overture - really nice. Medium bodied with moderate on hi carb. I like this beer - just ordered four bottles.

Serving type: on-tap

08-07-2012 06:16:35 | More by harrymel

womencantsail

California

4.1/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Stone Sour Fest

The pour is a deep mahogany color with an off-white head. Smells of red wine, oak, and red wine vinegar, with a light balsamic character. Some dark fruit aromas are also present such as raisin, plum, and black cherry. Quite tart on the palate with good fruit notes of cherry and plum. The red wine character is strong and there is lots of tannic oak to it. Lactic tartness, a hint of red wine vinegar, and a mild leather note. Another good one from Cascade.

Serving type: on-tap

08-05-2012 02:32:32 | More by womencantsail

lacqueredmouse

Australia

4.63/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at the Cascade Barrel Room in Portland, OR.

Pours a deep, deep red hue with a gorgeous gradient of haze through the glass. Head is a fine, bubbly ring of white. Body is solid, as you'd expect for a beer of this size. I just love the colour and the partial hazing. It looks amazing.

Complex aroma: big oak characters, mingled with true acidity, pinot noir and cherries. Lactic bite comes through to brighten it: despite all of the oak and vinous characters, it feels light overall. Lovely stuff.

Light acidity on the entry gets smoothed by a creamy sweetness, although the acid keeps popping up throughout the palate. Mid-palate has some more vinous and oak notes along with true fresh cherry characters, before a move to rubbed spices and cinnamon on the finish. Wow. Such complexity. The feel is suitably light and crisp.

The only down side is that this is a powerfully acidic brew after a while, and you feel it: you couldn't drink more than one without it starting to hurt. But oh god, is this good. It's so damn good.

Serving type: on-tap

07-25-2012 02:55:07 | More by lacqueredmouse

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

4.48/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

thanks to egrace84 for sharing this tonite! Thanks elliot!

reviewed from notes taken on 7/4/12.

vintage 2011 poured into duvel tulip.

Appearance: brownish red bodied beer with small whitish cap. Spotty lace.

Smell: Big granny smith apples and tart cherries with mild vinegar. Oaky and earthy.

Taste: White grapes, green apples, tart cherries. The beer is on the high end of moderately tart with a hint of funk. Nice oaky barrel notes in this brew. Maybe even some mild vanilla sweetness from the oak and cherries flavors blending together in this beer. Big tart cherry finish. Nice complex brew!

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied beer with moderate carbonation. Carbonation is spot on and drinks super easy for almost 10%! Super Tart!

Overall: Tried four Cascades(Sang Nior, Sang Royal, The Vine & Kriek) at our tasting last night and this was the clear winner by a landslide! Its up there with one of the best sours that I have drank!

Serving type: on-tap

07-05-2012 16:49:10 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT

KDawg

Illinois

4.45/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

this was the 2011 version. Poured from tap into a tulip. Pours a dark red color with a small head.

Very tart aromas strike right off the bat backed up by notes of sour cherries, funk, dark red fruits and a touch of leather. Very aromatic and sour at the same time.

Wonderful medium bodied feel that is extremely tart and sour. This is mouth puckering with flavors of sour cherries, leather and loads of dark red fruits.

This is one of the best flemish styled reds that I've had. A wonderful beer that encapsulates what a sour is all about.

Serving type: on-tap

06-22-2012 01:22:38 | More by KDawg

dirtylou

Washington

4.73/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

on-tap, a number of times, most recently at The Yard

appearance: served in an unbranded 12oz chalice, rich dark garnet body, ~1" off-white head

smell: potent waves of tart cherry, bourbon, vinous oak notes

taste: one of the finest cascade offerings - layers and layers of tart and sweet bing cherries, diversified barrel aging provides notes of vinous pinot wood and richer bourbon, plum, chocolate. abv is really well masked

mouthfeel: tart, complex

overall: a great beer

Serving type: on-tap

05-29-2012 23:21:26 | More by dirtylou

staggerlee024

Oregon

4.85/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Served on Tap at the Barrel House

A - Pours a deep dark crimson red with a thin lacing. One could get lost in the dark red colors.

S - Smells of dark fruits, sweet cherries and acetic tartness. Pinot and bourbon are present but faint.

T - Oh yeah. This is where it really takes off. Tastes of dark fruits, cherry and red wine are the major players here. The bourbon notes offer the perfect accompaniment. There is the standard cascade lactic sour bite. Possibly more subdued that some of their others, however. The bourbon and pinot barrels really tie this one together.

M - Medium body with a decent carbonation. Sour.

O - This beer will not disappoint. Absolutely fantastic sour ale. Similar to the RR consecration but better. The pinot and bourbon barrels add a unique and charming character to this beer. I have had the pleasure of tasting a 4 year vertical and this one really changes with age. Word is that they will be bottling later this spring. You will want to get several bottles - some for now and some for a few years down the road. One of, if not the, best sour ale made in America today.

Serving type: on-tap

03-30-2012 15:35:17 | More by staggerlee024

spicelab

Australia

4.63/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

3oz sample from Cascade Barrelhouse. Reviewed from notes.

Deep mahogany with a white head that holds as a ring.

Dusky cherries, raspberries, fruit tingles, leather and wood. Amazing brightness and acidity in the mouth.

Medium bodied with a rather biting astringent finish that twists your tongue. In a good way.

Brilliant. At once complex, delicious and approachable. Pretty seamless with no rough edges.

Serving type: on-tap

03-13-2012 05:27:57 | More by spicelab

barleywinefiend

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured a crimson color with good carbonation and a nice white cap

S: Holy tart cherries!

T: Wow. Lock jaw all the way. Lots of tart cherries, some light dark cherry but a little bit of must and lacto

M: Well carbonated, extremely sour and medium body

O: Outstanding

Serving type: on-tap

01-27-2012 05:28:59 | More by barleywinefiend

djbreezy

Washington

4.78/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Was lucky to be able to try the '07 '08 '09 '10 vertical last night.

appearance - dark red, amber, medium head, excellent retention

smell - complex notes of fruit and esters

taste - the 07 and 10 were very balanced, nice fruit characteristics on all, complex notes and bold flavors, various barrel notes, cherries, berries and some citrus, the 08 and 09 were significantly more sour and tart, the 08 was the most sour

mouthfeel - medium body, well carbonated, slightly dry

overall - great example of a sour/american wild ale, really nice to see the differences between the years, great beer

Serving type: on-tap

12-11-2011 00:57:49 | More by djbreezy

kitty66

Washington

4.93/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Had this near the opening of the barrel house. Amazing that this beauty was part of the supporting cast, they really brought out the big guns for the new brewpub.

Blended gets a bad vibe, but this ruby lady puts that notion to rest. Cab / Oak / Whiskey / Beer / Sour / Cherries ; these are all nice things delivered into one single glass. Who would complain ?

Delicious beverage - cannot really be called a beer anymore as it has taken on the characteristics of much more than just that.

Rock on Cascade - thanks Biscuit for the great barrel bevs !

Serving type: on-tap

04-03-2011 03:27:58 | More by kitty66

HopHead84

California

4.43/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12/16/2010

On tap at the barrel house.

A: Deep crimson tinged brown with a mountainous light brown head, great retention and lacing.

S: Huge lactic sour cherry presence with vinous notes of dark grape and plum. Oak is evident, as is a light acetic quality. Light whisky notes and a touch of chocolate.

T: A moderate lactic sourness accompanies cherries, grapes, plums, and oak. Piquant and delicious. Light notes of chocolate are short lived. Great fruit presence, especially the cherries. I detect a touch of oak and whiskey. Excellent.

M: Upper medium body, upper moderate carbonation. Silky mouthfeel.

Overall: Awesome beer. Killer fruit presence combined with the wine and whiskey barrels. Drinks like a beer half its ABV. Highly recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

12-17-2010 19:32:09 | More by HopHead84

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.63/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

On tap at the barrel house today.

The beer pours a darkish red amber color with fairly decent head retention and minimal lacing. One really gets a considerable amount of wine on the aroma profile, with some dark fruits and vanilla as well. On the palate, this beer is just delicious. I get a considerable amount of pinot noir, with very light sour, sweet grapes, chocolate and juniper berries. Mouthfeel is medium to full, with a long, soft, mouthfilling finish. Drinkability is amazing in this beer, and frankly flat out dangerous. Where is the 9.5% alcohol? It's completely undetectable in this excellent beer.

I'm not a big sour fan, but after sampling this stunner, I found myself saying something I've never said before with a sour beer... "may I please have another?" This is an amazingly good, complex and extremely well made beer. Impressive!

Edit from 12/13/10 visit to the barrel room. Was told that they are now out of the 2009 edition, but had just put on the 2010 version. While fairly comparable to the 2009 version, the fresh 2010 version comes across as a bit more acidic and sour. There's still more than enough going on for me to enjoy this excellent beer, but as I'm not a huge sour fan, I found myself longing for the 2009 version (which I thought showed a bit more fruit and vanilla, and was not quite as sour). Regardless, there's no doubting that this is one fine beer from the folks at Cascade.

Serving type: on-tap

10-12-2010 00:54:30 | More by johnmichaelsen

Shanonbanana

Oregon

4.85/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Served on-tap in a snifter at the Cascade Brewing Barrel House

A- Deep red mahogany colour with a hint of chestnut around the edges. Light cream coloured head which dissipated almost immediately.

S- A strong aroma of cherries hits the nose initially. A sharp hint of whiskey rounds out the scent.

T- The taste opens with sour cherries, accompanied by rich grape flavours, likely from the pinot noir barrels. Alcohol presents itself lightly in the finish in the form of whiskey. A yeasty twinge indicative of a sour Belgian continues throughout.

M- Lightly carbonated, light body - lighter than the colour indicates.

D- I could drink this over and over and would still want more. It would be especially excellent on a hot day...with the sound of a mandolin being gently strummed and the slow, steady creak of a well-used rocking chair on a hot summer day.

Serving type: on-tap

10-05-2010 04:02:08 | More by Shanonbanana

Docer

Washington

4.83/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Just had on tap at their new barrel house...

- Nice off-white bubbly head that stuck around a bit... over a nice reddish ruby colored brew... lacing all over the place..

- Nice fruity tart sourness.. currants.. light oak and bitterness... slight sweetness..

- Damn fine brew.. period. Currants galore.. not a hint of hot alcohol.. sweet grape, blackberry, fig.. plumb.. oak.. tart tart tart....

- Light bodied, perfect carbonation... mouth watering.

- One of the best sours I have had.. better than the others in the Sang series I think... though very close to the Sang Royale.

Serving type: on-tap

09-24-2010 20:30:40 | More by Docer

WeisGuy

New York

4.8/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On-tap at Belmont Station 7/14 for the Puckerfest Cascade event

a - dark brown color with a violet hue, half-inch ivory head with light retention and lacing, fairly cloudy

s - big tart dark fruit aroma, black cherry, blackberry, current, light oak and tannic hints

t - as with the aroma, the taste is dominated by multiple levels of intensely tart dark fruit, black cherry and current flavors are prominent, light sweetness from the fruit balances out the tartness a bit, as does a light dirty sock funkiness, lactic acid permeates the entire taste with oak notes rounding out the flavor nicely, a little heat is detectable on the finish, but the 9.5% abv is remarkably absent in the taste

m - medium-bodied, with carbonation on the lower side, fairly tart and dry finish but there is a light sweetness to make the beer a little easier on the palate

d - incredibly drinkable for a 9.5% sour ale, flavors are very complex and interesting, the booze is very well hidden and the tartness is prominent but balanced out relatively well with the light sweetness

Awesome stuff that I feel quite lucky to have tried a couple snifters of at Belmont Station. I'm more and more impressed with Cascade every beer I have. This was the standout of the evening with the other two beers at the event, Noyeaux and the Manhattan Transfer, also showing very, very well.

Serving type: on-tap

07-16-2010 05:25:35 | More by WeisGuy

elliot23

Montana

4.93/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On draft at the Belmont Station.

A. Darkness, far darker than I had expected. Real deep ruby with a brown and gold hue in there at certain times. Wasn't expecting this color. Pretty cool looking sour. Nice lacing off-white head.

N. The nose is strong of Brett, oak and dark malty sugars. A lot going on here. Sour cherry and tartness really dominates here in addition to other dark berries.

T. Wow! This one is tart in the most perfect way. Full flavors of sour cherries, currants, yeast and some barnyard funk. Oak barrels, a little chocolate and bitterness on the back end. Amazingly complex all the way through. I'm sure that I am missing something here... Oh yeah, I don't notice the high ABV at all.

M. A perfect amount of carbonation. Sour, sweet, and highly refreshing. A medium bodied beer that was well enjoyed. Wait, this beer was 10%?! One of the easiest to drink beers of that high of ABV ever.

D. I was sad when it was all over. Wish this one was bottled. One of the best wilds I have ever had. And one of the best beers I have ever had for that matter. Fantastic beer from a great brewery!

Serving type: on-tap

07-15-2010 05:08:08 | More by elliot23

ChrisPro

Illinois

4.7/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Draft at Sourfest 2009 at Brouwer's.

Pours a nice black/dark burgundy with a solid tan head and nice lacing. At first, cherry and grapes dominate the sweet aroma with hints of blackberry. But as it warmed, a great wood began to dominate. This was a nice sweet beer balanced incredibly well with the sourness. This had a little wild carbonation but a nice long sour finish. As this got warmer, the beer became more and more complex as various flavors came out. This was the highlight of Sourfest for me (and I sampled it three times throughout the day to make sure) and one of the best beers I've ever had.

Serving type: on-tap

07-12-2010 01:07:35 | More by ChrisPro

jdense

Oregon

4.73/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Raccoon Lodge 6.30.10, $5 teardrop glass.

1/2 finger tan head, good retention, reddish brown opaque body, trails of carbonation rising up side of glass, Nose is huge frickin' cherry hit up front, more sour than sweet, little if any hops, with oak notes becoming more prominent as the beer warmed. Taste is cherry domination, tart, funky, sweet, some oakiness, all in balance an incredibly complex tasting beer. Mouthfeel is fairly full, not a lot of effervescence, not sticky despite the sweetness. Drinkability is high despite the ABV, just a crazy tasty beer. Thirty months of barrel aging, along with the sublime blending of Ron Gansberg, one of America's best Wile Ale brewers results in this truly amazing beer. An absolute must for aficionados of the style. Very highly recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

07-03-2010 18:17:44 | More by jdense

femALEist

California

4.33/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on tap at the City Beer Store.
Sang Noir by Cascade Brewing is a barrel aged sour brewed with cherries and 8% abv. It poured a pitch red dark brown with a hint of black. It smelled of cherries, Brett and sweet malts. It tasted sweet and sour with cherry goodness, malt and oak notes. It was my favorite of the bunch, but I am a fan of Cascade and any sours, so I'm partial.

Serving type: on-tap

03-25-2010 18:44:52 | More by femALEist

somabeer

California

4.85/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured into a tulip glass at Toronado. It's a very dark ruby red almost opaque with pink head, little lacing. Smells heavy of dark fruits. The Taste is delicious, very tart. It has lots of chery, fig and raisin flavors but is not sweet at all, mixes in well with the wood flavor from the barrels. The mouth feel is very pleasant, with just enough carbonation to make this go down smoothly. It's crazy how smooth this beer is for 10% abv

Serving type: on-tap

03-14-2010 08:41:05 | More by somabeer

ccrida

Oregon

4.9/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On draught at the lodge, served in a cervoise, Sang Noir with a small tan collar.

Smell is gorgeous. Bright lacto and dark malts bring a very nice sweet tarts aroma that is just amazing.

Taste is great as well, very complex and a pleasant different from many of their other wild ales due to the dark malts. Big sourness, cherries, chocolate and lime tonic water.

Mouthfeel is oily and slick, sliding down like an oyster but with nice carbonation with swished. Medium bodied.

Drinkability is insanely good. This is their best beer I've had yet. I'm a big fan of sour darks, and this one really kills it. The intense flavor hides the strong ABV, making this one potentially very dangerous.

Serving type: on-tap

02-20-2010 20:12:09 | More by ccrida

Treebs

Illinois

4.14/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by pmoney. Served in a FFF teku.

A: Pours a dark ruby color with a light tan head forming on the pour. It recedes to at thin ring that leaves some soapy lace behind.

S: Tart cherries with some light hints of bourbon. Sharp vinegar aspect to it with a oak barrel as well. Medium sweetness from malts run across the nose.

T: Cherry pie filling with tart cherry skins. Lactic sourness with some zingy vinegar notes. Sweet barrel finish with a combination of oak, vanilla and light bourbon.

M: Medium to light bodied, alcohol is well hidden with a zingy finish.

O: Sort of like a black cherry warhead in a sense with a less intense sour pucker. Zingy and tart with some sweetness from the barrel. Nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 12:57:36 | More by Treebs

Dreadnaught33

District of Columbia

4.05/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle shared thanks to Darrell (durwoodx), thanks for sharing! 2011 vintage.

The look is nice, it has a deep crimson look to it, very small ring of white head. Inviting look.

Smell is good, but not great to me. I get the cherries, a bit of oak, and then a hefty amount of funky cheese. For me it really has a ton of blue cheese/Camembert cheese to me, doesn't pop with lambic or wild smells but not bad.

The taste has a huge rush of sour cherry and vanilla/chocolate swirl ice cream, huge vinegar rush a t the back of the flavor that opens to a sweet corn type flavor. A ni mid flavor spiciness evolves with each sip which is nice, the flavor doesn't linger other than a vinegar type tartness that is palate numbing in some ways, feel is carbonated and decently bodied.

This beer is good but not great compared to the great sours out there.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 01:19:10 | More by Dreadnaught33