Dec 19, 2016

Cascade Brewing The Vine

I know that the gusher is always a possibility when it comes to wild ales. I just hate it when that beer is actually a damn fine brew and not just some over-carbonated mess. Such was the case with this bottle of Cascade’s The Vine (2015 Project) that I opened up back on a really nice afternoon in October. As you can see by the tweet below, I lost a good 2/3 of the bottle upon popping out the cork.

The brewery was nice enough to check in and see how the beer was handled prior to opening. I don’t mind losing beer if it’s been mishandled or prepared incorrectly, but it truly sucks when that beer is outstanding once it hits the tastebuds. The Vine, or at least the single glass I managed to pour, was a wonderful array of wild, dry tartness backed by hints of lemon, old vine grapes and wood. The crips brew had a refined and clean character that not only presented well, but refreshed and reinvigorated the senses.

The Vine was also one of the more approachable wile ales from Cascade that I have come across thus far. It’s level of tartness was easily manageable and allowed the other elements within the hazy brew to step forward. Man, I wish I was able to get more from the bottle than I did. It’s a damn fine brew.