Point Cascade Pale Ale
Review Date 8/17/2010
Try?
Re-buy?
Did you know that Wisconsin's Stevens Point Brewing Company is one of America's oldest operating breweries? It is. The company was established all the way back in 1857, more than 150 years ago. The brewery managed to survive the nightmare years of prohibition by making near-beer and soft drinks, happily resuming production of the real thing just before repeal in 1933.
The flagship beer in the Stevens Point line, Point Special Lager, has been around since the beginning. Back in the eighties during the dawn of the microbrewery movement, Point was already brewing this regional classic. The beer had and has a loyal following in the Wisconsin area and surrounding states, though it could be hard to find outside it's distribution area.
Today, point is expanding it's distribution area and it's repertoire of brews. Point Cascade Pale Ale is a case in point. Brewed to cash in on the growing demand for quality, flavorful craft beer, Point Cascade Pale Ale is a true ale made with 2-row pale, crystal, and Munich malts and hopped with Yakima Valley grown Cascades. The beer has an alcohol content of 5.4% by volume.
Point Cascade Pale
Ale pours to an orange amber color with a medium sized head formation of
loosely packed bubbles and a gently citric, slightly herbal fresh hop nose. The
palate has a very light caramel component serving as the base, perhaps a bit too
light, but then this is a pale ale, not an IPA. The hops emerge slowly, gently,
and don't really catch their stride until the finish, where they're a bit minty
and herbal, but not as citrusy and flowery as I like my Cascades to be.
I think I'd like a bit more hops. The gritty bitterness in the finish tells me they added hops early in the boil, but I think this beer could use with some more late additions to add more aroma. Dry hopping wouldn't either. To be sure, Cascade Pale Ale is not bad beer, and at just $6.99 a six pack it's a bargain. There are some hops here, especially as the beer warms. Still, for a beer that has "Cascade" in it's name, I certainly want more hop aroma and flavor.
An average beer when all is said and done, decent and drinkable but not remarkable. Still, a good entry beer if you're new to craft brew.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
(G)=Growler
