Craftsman Cabernale

Brewed by Craftsman Brewing Co.
Style: American Strong Ale
Pasadena, California USA

So this looks like a foamy and thick framboise. It tastes like nothing I have ever had before. It’s creamy and sweet, similar to a raspberry creamsicle... The grapes were the focus for sure. I would love to have this more often.

On tap at Stone. Dark red with a fink creamy head. Berry aroma and a tart strawberry taste. Very drinkable and quite good.

On tap @ O’Brien’s San Diego. This beer poured a pommegranite purple with a foamy pink head. Nose was very sweet with essance of assorted berries, cane sugar, and cabernet grapes! A very drinkable .....beer? I can’t wait to try more of Craftsmans concoctions!

Sampled on tap at Lucky Baldwin’s, June 2007
This beer is lightly hazy with a ruby-purple color that is topped by a thin, pink tinged, pale head. The aroma is vaguely berry like, with a touch of nose warming alcohol and some hints of grape skin. This definitely has aromatic notes of reminiscent of cabernet (or at least red wine); it is light though when compared to an actual 100% grape ferment. Some hints of tobacco and leather add to the spicy character of the nose.

Lightly sweet, yet certainly tart, with some berry notes, but a finish of red grape skins (fleshy, with a touch of a tannic backbone) and even some oak-like flavors. The flavor is very grape influenced; the beer notes tend to temper the grape character, making it easier to drink. This is definitely a nice, quaffable beer. The fruit character is definitely the dominant note here. This has a nice heft to it, not to heavy, but definitely fuller than a red wine.

In the end this beer is good, but could use more balance. I think that this could actually benefit from a short rest in an oak barrel, though I would definitely keep this on the restrained side of things; just enough to balance the fruity, berry notes. I also wouldn’t mind if the beer-like flavors played a bigger role, but I might just be grasping at straws at this point.

Aroma of cabernet grapes. Purplish red in color. Very fruity and nice. Not alot of "beer" flavor. Smooth and drinkable and very unique. Apparently it was brewed with 1000 lbs of grapes. At least that is what we were told.

re-rate 20Nov2008 On tap at Lucky Baldwin’s dark red pour, pinkish head, nice mixing of the cab flavor and the beer. Tasty. -------- this at the ’03 Strong Ale Fest at Pizza Port Amber pour with a large head. The flavor had some citrus undernotes with definite wine influences. Very well crafted, no hint of alcohol

This was quite the unique beer. Like many of Craftsman beers you imagine some mad beer scientist trying all kinds of different things until suddenly "poof" a new invention. I can’t imagine anyone else mixing cabernet grapes and beer and making it so good. A combination of cabernet flavoring (dark hearty grape) mixed in with classic amber characteristics (malty and sweet).

Father’s Office, Santa Monica
Dense reddish burghundy color, moderate head formation. Strong fruity malt and spice aroma. Sweet strawberry malt, fair dry toasty balance, lingers minty with a warming feel.