Cascade Cuvée du Jongleur

Brewed by Cascade Brewing @ Raccoon Lodge
Style: Sour Ale
Portland, Oregon USA

Lots of barrel aging, lots of quad present, some hoppiness, lactic sourness, lots of sourness in the aroma with a huge cherry and fruitiness- some traces of ethanol and a bit of acetone possibly and maybe some oxidation and cardboard. Taste isn’t quite what I was expecting. This needs more sourness, but I definitely get the lactic, lots of quad maltiness, fruit, and quad-like aspects. I get a hint of hoppiness. There is so much going on in this beer that I don’t know what the hell to describe: with every smell I pick up different things, and with every sip different flavors. It this good? Very much. It’s citrus, lactic, barleywine-esque- possibly due to carbonation and oxidation, crisp apple, red fruit. This is some seriously crazy shit. I get the higher alcohol flavors attributed to the tripel, the quad maltiness and some oxidation, red fruit and citrus and lactic flavors- which I guess is the flanders red. Wow. Um, I don’t know what to say. mouthfeel is sticky and sweet as it warms and the sourness is still very sharp and apparent behind the Cuveed flavors. Man, I really like this a lot. It is also drying out, getting more tannic and barreled as it warms. The oak, a red wine character is making itself present on the finish. This is a fantastic experiment. Aroma is developing some sweet golden apple- acetyl alcohol possibly? More rich maltiness in the taste and the tannic apple and red wine finish. Longest rant ever....

750ml bottle thanks to riversideAK. Pours brownish red with an off-white head. Nice white lacing for most of the beer. Aroma is of tart fruit, oak, malt, grapes, Jolly Ranchers, and spice. Taste starts off strong with big oak flavors. Lots of grape and spice up front as well. As each sip moves past the oakiness, nice amounts of tart, sour fruit comes through. Lingering grape and oak. Mouthfeel is light but sticky. As the beer warms, a lot more vanilla and caramel become apparent. Slightly unbalanced, but tasty.

750ml bottle. Multiple bottles over the last 6 months. It’s quality has improved significantly since then, but still is nothing spectacular. Odd aroma... slightly cola-like with some wild yeast influence. A bit of darker fruits... plums and prunes. Wet wood. Some solvent-y and nailpolish characteristics as the beer warms. Pours a cloudy, rusty orange with a thin off-white head that leaves moderate lacing. Favor is moderately tart. Some acetic notes. Light spice. Dark fruits. Woodsy flavors toward the finish. Maybe a bit of cinnamon spiciness. Mouthfeel is is medium bodied. Quite lactic and creamy. Not a horrible sour by any means. Very drinkable, albeit not overly complex.

Bottle from Monument in Concord, CA. Pours a rather copper color with a beige head that didn’t last long. Interesting but almost indescribable aromas. There’s fruit, kandi and spice. There’s a lot more too. Seems a bit sourish. Flavor is sour all right. There’s citrus, and prune, and spice. The sour is not so much barnyard as fruit sour. Seems to be some chocolate in the finish. It’s really good stuff, just pretty complicated. Finishes with touches of chocolate and brett. Wow. Body is rather full, and the carbonation is light and prickly.

Pours an amber hue with no head. Aroma is of dark fruits - one can smell the belgian quad that is used to brew this beer pretty distinctly - , metal. Slightly acidic smell as well. Flavor is of sweet dark fruits in the beginning and there is a medium to strong sour ending. Medium - syrupy mouthfeel, with light - no carbonation.

Bottle. Pours with a hazed to murky amber golden body with a fluffy off-white head that stays a while and leaves good lace. Aroma is faint, albeit with perfumey notes, port, barrel character, light vinous funk, caramel and chocolate undertones. Taste is rich up front with dark fruits and chocolate like a Quad, followed by an oaken barrel noted middle, with cherry and a slight meatiness, with a very lactic and raisiny finish. Nice and complex. Light bubbles and a soft mouthfeel.

Hazy deep amber with a medium off white head. Sour aroma with wood, brett, lacto and grapefruit notes. Flavour had sour plums, lacto, brett, wood, vinegar, leather and sour cherries. Finished sour. Lovely.

My Bottom Line:
This entertaining Sour Ale first seems to suffer from a multiple personality disorder with its caramel malts, wooden tannins, touch of lactose, and its sour cherry allusions all running into one another, but after a few sips, their coexistence becomes quite harmonious indeed .

Further Personal Perceptions:<br > -A fleeting head of foam barely creates a ring to crown the cloudy dark red.
-The aroma is quite complex.
-The flavor profile is amazingly similar to the aroma.
-The very loose bubbling lets you feel the supple, round body.
-Light tartness concludes each sip.
-There might be a tad too much variety in the flavors, but I tend to feel like they are all well balanced.

Bottle.