Cascade Brewing (Portland, OR; aka Raccoon Lodge, which is the name of their brewpub) h
as been generating tons of buzz in the beer world the last few years. Brewmaster Ron Gansberg is a sort of mad brewing genius who is known for producing world-class wood-aged sour ales. These special beers require incredible patience and care, as they undergo a barrel-ageing process with bacterial cultures; many are then blended and see further ageing on fruit or with other spices.
as been generating tons of buzz in the beer world the last few years. Brewmaster Ron Gansberg is a sort of mad brewing genius who is known for producing world-class wood-aged sour ales. These special beers require incredible patience and care, as they undergo a barrel-ageing process with bacterial cultures; many are then blended and see further ageing on fruit or with other spices.I know the Cascade brewers and helped them bottle the 2010 Apricot Ale, which is being released for sale today as part of Zwickelmania. Once you taste their beers, I think you'll agree that I am not clouded by bias in supporting them: they make amazing, sour beers.
Cascade Apricot Ale has a beautiful orange hue and an aroma that is packed with fresh apricot. It shows off a deep, fleshy fruit aroma and lacks the sugariness that one expects in many lesser fruit beers. The flavor is sharply sour up front and beomes gradually more fruity as it moves across the tongue. It is full bodied and incredibly refreshing.
The officially unnamed Noyaux/Raspberry blend that we're calling "Sour Magic" is being released this weekend as part of the My Beery Valentine event at Saraveza. This is a limited production beer that, as far as we know, will only be available on draft. "Sour Magic" is the result of a multi-stage ageing process: a strong blonde ale was soured and aged in port barrels. It was then blended with raspberries and noyaux (the flesh in the center of an apricot kernel).
This is a hazy beer with lots of yeast and fruit in suspension. The aroma is a complex mix of pepper, raspberry, and alcohol. It has some very nice tropical fruit flavors that balance the raspberry flavor. The barrel-aging imparts some spice and port character, and it finishes with a noticeable warming from the alcohol. If Ron and Curtis's mission in brewing this beer was to liquify Valentine's Day, they've succeeded marvelously.
Cascade's bottled beers are released on a rotating basis and are widely available at better bottle shops in Portland. They have select draft accounts for their sour ales, but your best bet is to go to the source and visit the Raccoon Lodge.
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