Ithaca Cascazilla

Coming full circle, we kicked off this year’s Penn State Brew Fest weekend with a brew we raved about at last year’s event. Word was the demand had the State College distributors ordering cases only days after the event ended... indeed worth a year’s wait. Dark ruby red body with medium effervescence--uneven off-white brownish head in a pint glass, opaque but intimidating... robust hops intrude immediately, appropriate to the bottle’s label...beautiful malt balance with spruce, toasted caramel and occassional peat scents for complexity...heavy, full-bodied, warming rush...actively effervescent and crunchy palate... "monster" hops early, mega malt late hammering like twin pistons on the tongue--rich, pucker-sweet and a bit of smoke(?)...BIG taste but again, balanced beyond the predictable "I ate a Christmas tree" feeling that we sampled from others at the event. Now, in a 12 oz. and without the pressure of comparison, truly this beer is a standout in the style.

Tasted at NY TAP festival. The best hop aroma of any ale I tasted today, this brew has a satisfying mouthfeel, and all the hops that a hophead like me could desire! I compare it to the great double red ales of my native Pacific Northwest!

Wonderful beverage. The idology of cascades mixed with the monstrosity of Godzilla is a very fair one. The cascades are huge in this beer. They completely dominate the aroma and your nose in general. I absolutely loved the aroma of this beer and spent about as much time smelling it as I did drinking it. The flavor was great as well. I love how they chose a red ale to host all these cascades. It gives a wonderful malty backbone. Highly recommend this one!

My first impression of this beer was the toffee in the nose. Second was the fresh cascade hop in the nose. Then the beautiful clear ruby red color. The off white head stays and is persistant, with nice lace. IN the aroma is a little hop spice but not peppery, caramel, some toasted malts, and of coarse citrus. THe flavor is the same. Mouthfeel is smooth and a dry finish.

A very clear, solid amber brew is topped with a thin white head that leaves excellent lacing. The aroma is a bit sweet-- like pineappley hops. There is a bit of medium malt in the nose and perhaps a bit of wood. It is a smooth, almost creamy, medium-light beer with a well-blended and well-balanced flavor. It has a piney wooden flavor; well bittered. It has a rather quick aftertaste. Bold, yet refined.

Chewy, hoppy and delicious best describe this beer. I loved it from the first sip! I will definitely buy it again.

Pours a clear amber, small white head. Smells of toast and hops. This is a sweet IPA, and the hops are very nicely blended in with the toasted bread flavor. It has just enough feel to it - it’s not heavy and it’s easy to quaff, yet it’s not watery.

Rating #1700... simply because I didn’t want to break up my latest string of vacation reviews.

A deep vermillion/amber body shows thickness without haze and is constantly effervescent under a thick, creamy and long-lasting ecru head. Lovely citrus nose is both bitter & sweet and overall fruity with a healthy dose of orange rind, pulp & fruit along with hints of lemon and tea. Grapefruit, however, is the fruit of choice in the flavor. Along with pepper & pine, this makes for a well-made IPA with bitterness that lasts well into the finish. MIldly astringent and seemingly watery as my glass goes down, but that may be simply due to the fact that my mouth is watering. This is about as intense as I want an IPA to be, one which would be considered "sessionable" by my hop-headed friends with seemingly indestructible taste-buds.

<----(P.S. I really hope that’s a stove & not a dashboard in the photo...)

<font size=-4>Single 12 oz. bottle from <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/new-york/albany/oliver%92s-beverage/439.htm>Oliver’s Beverage, Albany, NY 12208</font>