Cascade Brewing Blueberry (2015) – American Wild Ale at 8.23% ABV (C$32.03 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 18-Aug-2016, reviewed 20-Jun-2020)
Appearance: clear ruby-tinged pale amber with one finger of loose pale ivory head diminishing rapidly and loudly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: blueberry, oak, citrus zest, light funk, tannins, caramel, wheat. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate tart, low bitter. (9/10) Medium-light body, lively carbonation, mildly warming tart finish. (4/5)
The Great Cellar Drink Down continues. What? I’m in quarantine in a (supposedly) sold house, so I can’t get anything fresh, and who knows how long my collection will go into a storage unit after we pack up here and find a new house – could be months, easily, subjected to wild temperature variations. No, better it end here, with dignity: cue the swelling orchestra.
Blueberry Ale? Of course I had to use my PRB “Newfoundland” TeKu glass – there’s not much more “Newfoundland” than blueberries. I know how difficult it is to retain blueberry flavour in brewing, which makes this one particularly impressive – I’m guessing because the blueberries aren’t added at the beginning of the brewing process, but instead used for post-primary ageing. Not even close to worth the hefty price tag (albeit a bit of a bargain compared to one of its brethren that I’ll be doing shortly) but definitely a solid one. (16/20)
8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
