Cascade Drie Zwarte Pieten Sang Noir

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

Draft at Sourfest 2009 at Brouwer’s. Pours a nice black/dark burgundy with a solid tan head and nice lacing. At first, cherry and grapes dominate the sweet aroma with hints of blackberry. But as it warmed, a great wood began to dominate. This was a nice sweet beer balanced incredibly well with the sourness. This had a little wild carbonation but a nice long sour finish. As this got warmer, the beer became more and more complex as various flavors came out. This was the highlight of Sourfest for me (and I sampled it three times throughout the day to make sure) and one of the best beers I’ve ever had.

I got to try this one a couple of times. Fist was courtesy of Ron at the Lodge (thank you Ron!) and second time was on draft at Uber. This one pours a beautiful deep dark red, almost purple with a decent size but loose head that is off white with lavender tints to it. Nose is of tart cherry (skin, pit, stem and all), lacto sour and woody notes. This one has carbonation that is nice and lively and then just deep natural cherry with lacto sour notes. Nice depth in the body of this one and just a lot going on. I could drink glass, after glass, after glass of this!

One liter flip top shared by theisti, super awesome, never thought I would get to try this, thanks Tim (and I guess DA as well). It pours a beautiful dark red and purple color. It is a very different color, were their different berries used, did the wine leach into the beer, or what? Aroma is super strong and really cool with boozy chocolate, cherry chocolate, and light purple grape (a bit of Welcher’s). Taste is again boozy chocolate cherry with lots of tart berries at the end. It’s all a mix up of crazy berries, strong sweet flavors, and alcohol but it works like a great American experiment. It’s also easy drinking, maybe even a bit too light, not much residual sugars leftover.

1 liter hand bottle filled by DA at the brewery. Pour is cloudy deep brown ruby, colors nicely swirled. Not much head to speak of, whats there is off white. Aroma of red wine, dark chocolate, pepper, oak woodiness. Ton of stuff going on, but all really well melded. Taste is red wine grapes, cherry sour, blackberry, currant, black pepper. The oak woodiness is present, and a nice base to the varied flavors. This beer has a lot going for it. So much flavor, so much going on, so melded. Palate is perfect, mouth coating, perfectly balanced, beautiful. Wonderful beer, thanks Derek.

Thanks for sharing, theisti. The body was deep brown. The aroma was alcoholic with toffee and iced tea. The taste was strongly vinous with some light souring, like brett. There was a woody finish, that was strangely sugary sweet. An interesting brew. Hardly sour.

Draft at Uber Seattle, NYE. Dark ale pour with lacing, tight bubbly head. caramel, red wine nose that goes to a mellow fruit (cherry) taste. Well rounded. barrel aged is a nice, well noticed touch. robust, wet, deeper than most sours. Another great cascade sour.

ruby red with mdoerate lacing with just a small persistent film for a head. the hops and a slight cherry bing lend an aroma of sourness. Taste of cherries and then sour and lots more sour that fades to a light hop bitterness, sitting on the back of the tongue. Very good for a sour.

Very fruity for this dark of a beer. Pours dark - a very deep, nearly-black ruby color with a small head. The aroma has various fruits - cherries, honeycrisp apples at the forefront - with a bit of port, too. The bourbon and oak notes come through nicely. Flavor is along the same lines, but is very wet and heavy. Just a bit of funk. It has a nice finish - a bit of the tartness from the cherries lingers. This is like a more drinkable version of their mouton rouge.