Cascade Bourbonic Plague

Brewed by Cascade Brewing
Style: Sour Ale/Wild Ale
Portland, Oregon USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

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I got this bottle about a year ago, I think. Dark brown pour that looks pitch black in the glass with a big fizzy tan head. A lasting foam settles on top for good that sheds a lot of lacing, although none of it sticking. The aroma at first is mostly sour wild berries and wet wood. As it opens up there’s some of the Porter qualities showing; chocolate, dark plum, with bourbon (not overly potent with everything else going on) rounding out the scent. The flavors of this seem a bit messy. Mostly the same things going on picked up from the aroma but it’s a tug-o-war between the Sour Ale acidic, funky, yeast and wild berries and the barrel-aged Porter in this of bourbon, chocolate, roast, and assorted spices. A lot going on for sure with some of it nice and some it awkward. As this warms it gets slightly better and I end up tasting the vanilla bean too. The finish is alcoholic, and harsh in a weird way, with lingering tangy chocolaty cherries, tart plum, and damp old wood. I didn’t dislike this beer but I’d be lying if I said it was as good as expected. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Poured by DrBill at his tasting, poured dark reddish brown with off white head, aroma brought notes of some dark fruit, red grapes, hints of chocolate, coffee, with some nice lactic lemon tartness in there as well, hints of funky horseblanket as well. Taste is a nice combination of grape and dark fruit that has some slight lactic notes mixing with the bourbon, vanilla and oak, which helped dry out the brew with a nice tart, sweet, and dry finish.

Sampled at an esbls tasting. From Shep. Dark brown with some red. A tan ring. Sour funk dominates the nose but bourbon is noted. Fruit, too. The flavor has all kinds of stuff going on. Bourbon. Fruit,msour funk, wood, interesting, unique, and good.

Denver Rare Beer Tasting. Cloudy, dark brown appearance with a bubbly tan head. Mild, sweet, caramel, bourbon, light vanilla, mildly tart, dark fruity nose. Moderately tart, dark red fruity, mild bourbon, caramel, toffee flavor.

OLD GABF rating. Dark brown with tan head. Aroma of vanilla and caramel, citrus, and bourbon. It tastes wine like though despite the look and its roasty caramel, vanilla flavors. The vinous character comes with cherry, lacto, and lighter citrus, and grapes all covered up in bourbon. YES!

In short: An over-the-top sweet, sour, boozy, oaky dark sour ale. Acceptable sipper
How: Bottle 750ml shared at RBSG 2011 grand tasting
The look: Cloudy dark burgundy body topped by a medium beige head
In long: The strange intense nose is full of barrels, funky oak and sour fruits. Taste has a lot of oak barrels is, tart cherries wrapped in chocolate, lots and lots of tannins, plenty of sugars, too much booze. Low carbonation. This in an intense beer that is pushing the envelop in too many directions, very sour, very sweet, very tannic, very boozy. Not a bad sipper at all, but as a Cascade sour this is a bit of a letdown. I wish I could suffer from bubonic plague instead of alcoholism, or any other disease you don’t get yelled at for having.

Bottle at Theis and Mette tasting. Pours brown with a tan head. Nice aroma of sweet bourbon, oak, berries, plumes and raisins. Flavour is acidic with notes bourbon, plumes, oak and berries with a hint of caramel.

Red to dark brown opaque beer. Upon sniffing the beer an immediate sweet and sour aroma hits you. Whilst not being a lambic this is a superior beer. Vanilla, spices, cinnamon. More like a complex port wine.

Black with some nice redness shining through. S: Gueuze, wine. T: Sour wine, cork. P: Warming.

Dark brown with a small off-white head. Aroma of red wine, bourbon, raisins and walnut, with notable vineous alcohol. Sweetish and tart flavour with brow sugar, dried fruit and cherries.