Cascade is a brewery that I really wish we would see more of down here in San Diego. To date, I've tried three of their offerings and I have yet to be anything less than blown away by any of them. The problem is that it's really hard to find bottles from them down here. Luckily, a few months ago, my local bottleshop got four different Cascade offerings in. I think you can probably guess how many of the varieties I bought. After trying (and loving) their Noyaux and Blueberry, it was time to give Cascade Apricot a try.
Like pretty much everything else that Cascade bottles, Cascade Apricot Ale isn't as simple as the name may make it sound. According to the bottle, it's a blond/tripel blend that's aged in oak for a year and then aged on apricots for 10 more months. Craziness. Let's give this one a try. At #162- Cascade Apricot Ale.
Cascade Apricot Ale pours an intensely hazed apricot (surprise!) color with a thin off-white head that recedes pretty quickly. The smell is intensely sour and I found my mouth watering the second I took the first sniff of it. Upfront, the smell doesn't carry much apricot, but instead shows loads of tart green apple, underripe raspberry, apricot pits and lemon mixed with a spicy oak barrel note. As the beer warmed, I started to get more of the apricots, and they came through with a rich, jam-like sweetness.
The taste hits you right away with a big sour kick in the teeth. A sharp lemon bite leads off, followed by some sour green apple and a ton of lactic sourness. There's a big hit of dryness near the finish that seems to suck all of the moisture straight from your mouth. Once that fades, you get the actual finish, which is smoother and sweeter, bringing apricot preserves, underripe red cherry and some oak. This beer is insane. It's absolutely fantastic and one of the best sours I've ever come across. Luckily, Cascade now sells their beer online, so you don't have to wait as long as I did for the chance to try this one.
Final Grade: A+
Top 250 Beers Tasted: 130
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