About
Pucker Up & Join the Sour Revolution
Cascade Brewing has been a pioneer in the sour beer renaissance since 2006 and is the proud innovator of the Northwest Sour Ale. We are, by nature, the definition of artisanal brewing: we’re not bound by stylistic guidelines, just our own imagination and the ingredients we can access. Our distinctive sour beer blends feature fruit forward, barrel-aged ales that offer a complex array of flavors derived from Northwest grown ingredients, with each release capturing the unique subtleties of that year’s growing season. Our beers are brewed at our original brewery in Southwest Portland, then blended and aged at our nearby Blending House, which holds more than 1,300 oaks barrels and nine foudre tanks.
Cascade Brewing has been a pioneer in the sour beer renaissance since 2006 and is the proud innovator of the Northwest Sour Ale. We are, by nature, the definition of artisanal brewing: we’re not bound by stylistic guidelines, just our own imagination and the ingredients we can access. Our distinctive sour beer blends feature fruit forward, barrel-aged ales that offer a complex array of flavors derived from Northwest grown ingredients, with each release capturing the unique subtleties of that year’s growing season. Our beers are brewed at our original brewery in Southwest Portland, then blended and aged at our nearby Blending House, which holds more than 1,300 oaks barrels and nine foudre tanks.
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
500mL bottle, from random liquor store in CT, sitting upright on the warm shelf at 8 years old, drunk 11/19/25. As pictured.
Well, that's not great. The cork comes out with literally zero noise and the beer is very nearly flat.
Doesn't smell bad or oxidized, though. Just a lot of grape with a hint of bourbon and oak. Fruity, juicy, lots of mineral. Some maltiness even. No alcohol or big acidity, though there's light acetic and moderate lactic.
Well, just goes to show the resilience of barrel aged beer. Almost no carbonation (not none, though, but incredibly low), and yet it's in fine shape. Very wine-like, with guarded acetic and rounded lactic acidity. Soft bourbon and soft, buttery oak with a chewy texture remaining somehow. You get a good deal of fruitiness, but everything is so well-homogenized at this point that you can't even definitively say there are cherries or spices in this.
Well, that's not great. The cork comes out with literally zero noise and the beer is very nearly flat.
Doesn't smell bad or oxidized, though. Just a lot of grape with a hint of bourbon and oak. Fruity, juicy, lots of mineral. Some maltiness even. No alcohol or big acidity, though there's light acetic and moderate lactic.
Well, just goes to show the resilience of barrel aged beer. Almost no carbonation (not none, though, but incredibly low), and yet it's in fine shape. Very wine-like, with guarded acetic and rounded lactic acidity. Soft bourbon and soft, buttery oak with a chewy texture remaining somehow. You get a good deal of fruitiness, but everything is so well-homogenized at this point that you can't even definitively say there are cherries or spices in this.
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 Nov 2025
at 23:10
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
500mL bottle, from random liquor store in CT, sitting upright on the warm shelf at 8 years old, drunk 11/19/25. As pictured.
Well, that's not great. The cork comes out with literally zero noise and the beer is very nearly flat.
Doesn't smell bad or oxidized, though. Just a lot of grape with a hint of bourbon and oak. Fruity, juicy, lots of mineral. Some maltiness even. No alcohol or big acidity, though there's light acetic and moderate lactic.
Well, just goes to show the resilience of barrel aged beer. Almost no carbonation (not none, though, but incredibly low), and yet it's in fine shape. Very wine-like, with guarded acetic and rounded lactic acidity. Soft bourbon and soft, buttery oak with a chewy texture remaining somehow. You get a good deal of fruitiness, but everything is so well-homogenized at this point that you can't even definitively say there are cherries or spices in this.
Well, that's not great. The cork comes out with literally zero noise and the beer is very nearly flat.
Doesn't smell bad or oxidized, though. Just a lot of grape with a hint of bourbon and oak. Fruity, juicy, lots of mineral. Some maltiness even. No alcohol or big acidity, though there's light acetic and moderate lactic.
Well, just goes to show the resilience of barrel aged beer. Almost no carbonation (not none, though, but incredibly low), and yet it's in fine shape. Very wine-like, with guarded acetic and rounded lactic acidity. Soft bourbon and soft, buttery oak with a chewy texture remaining somehow. You get a good deal of fruitiness, but everything is so well-homogenized at this point that you can't even definitively say there are cherries or spices in this.
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 Nov 2025
at 23:07
9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9.5
Flavor 9
Texture 9
Overall 9
A: dark purple coloured body | rich pink head - nice!
A: tart | spontaneous fermentation | drying
F: yes... Raspberries! | grassy | soured yeast
T: funky | lightly rustic malts | thin & easy-going
O: woodsie throughout | great for style | refreshing & great for celebration of another Marathon completed!
75 cL bottle | Balducci's (grocery): Alexandria (Old Town), Virginia | 28-November-2020 | US$31,99! | 2015 Project (Vintage) | sampled: 26-October-2025 after running the 50th Anniversary (2025) USMC Marathon with my wife...again, Congrats to her
A: tart | spontaneous fermentation | drying
F: yes... Raspberries! | grassy | soured yeast
T: funky | lightly rustic malts | thin & easy-going
O: woodsie throughout | great for style | refreshing & great for celebration of another Marathon completed!
75 cL bottle | Balducci's (grocery): Alexandria (Old Town), Virginia | 28-November-2020 | US$31,99! | 2015 Project (Vintage) | sampled: 26-October-2025 after running the 50th Anniversary (2025) USMC Marathon with my wife...again, Congrats to her
Tried
from Bottle
from
Balducci's
on 26 Oct 2025
at 19:23
8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Canned Jan 14, 2022, drunk Aug 10, 2025.
Clear, dark bronze with the rye showing through. Hint of red. Medium-sized, off-white head sits at cover.
Rich, unfermented honey in the nose mixing with esters and barrel. Gives an apple-like character. Soft and easygoing, well-aged, with no hard acidity or aggressive notes. Juicy chamomile and a touch of cinnamon-like spice on the very end.
Plentiful chamomile and a light, airy body with silky, sweet, unfermented honey. I so prefer the unfermented honey character to the fermented. Light tea, very mild acidity and low oak. Love the bit of syrup the honey adds to the texture. Very flavorful for its size. RIP Cascade.
Clear, dark bronze with the rye showing through. Hint of red. Medium-sized, off-white head sits at cover.
Rich, unfermented honey in the nose mixing with esters and barrel. Gives an apple-like character. Soft and easygoing, well-aged, with no hard acidity or aggressive notes. Juicy chamomile and a touch of cinnamon-like spice on the very end.
Plentiful chamomile and a light, airy body with silky, sweet, unfermented honey. I so prefer the unfermented honey character to the fermented. Light tea, very mild acidity and low oak. Love the bit of syrup the honey adds to the texture. Very flavorful for its size. RIP Cascade.
Tried
from Can
from
Idylwilde Farms
on 10 Aug 2025
at 21:20
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Canned Feb 3, 2022, drunk 7/31/2025.
Mostly clear, peachy-golden. Small, off-white head quickly to edge.
Pinch of acetic, with strong lactic and still a juicy, lovely pear character. Buttery oak helps soften the acidity and it comes out nice and rounded, for the most part.
Soft with some biscuit and bread. Not as much acidity as the nose lets on. Pear is juicy and fruity, very authentic. Good acidity and oak, but not too much of either. Soft, malty texture, good attenuation and balance. Man, Cascade makes such balanced beers. What a sad loss, though I guess they had a good run, before true sour beers went bye bye.
Mostly clear, peachy-golden. Small, off-white head quickly to edge.
Pinch of acetic, with strong lactic and still a juicy, lovely pear character. Buttery oak helps soften the acidity and it comes out nice and rounded, for the most part.
Soft with some biscuit and bread. Not as much acidity as the nose lets on. Pear is juicy and fruity, very authentic. Good acidity and oak, but not too much of either. Soft, malty texture, good attenuation and balance. Man, Cascade makes such balanced beers. What a sad loss, though I guess they had a good run, before true sour beers went bye bye.
Tried
from Can
from
Idylwilde Farms
on 31 Jul 2025
at 20:11
8.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Tart cherry and rich, viscous dark fruit. Cocoa and pepper have subsided with the age, but cinnamon remains faintly. On tap at Ale Arsenal - was very happy to get to try one more Cascade beer and very sad that they are no longer around. What a great brewery and always a fun stop in Portland!
Tried
on 26 Jul 2025
at 18:54