Deschutes Brewery - Hop in the Dark Cascadian Ale

Tonight I'm pulling out this 22oz bottle of Hop in the Dark from Deschutes Brewery.  This brew is a member of the (relatively) new style of beer called Cascadian Dark Ale, of which I am a HUGE fan.  It's no surprise Deschutes loves their local Northwest hops, and this is essentially a Northwest-hopped black IPA.  A part of their Bond Street Series, this brew is available from May-September.  It sports 6.5%ABV, 70 IBUs.

The beer is a dark brown-black, drowns out all the light.  Impressive light tan head billows up during the pour, and recedes fairly quickly leaving some 'tree-ring' lacing.  The aroma is equally impressive, with citrus and spice sitting on a throne of bittersweet roasted malts.  The drink brings a wallop of roast chocolate malts, smooth and rich coffee, and some toasted rye bread.  Citrus and pine hops weave their way into the mix, grapefruits being the major player.  The alcohol is just an subtle afterthought in the finish.  The body is medium, with an oily sensation in the middle and a dryness at the finish.

Overall Rating:  This Cascadian Dark Ale was awesome.  The style seems to be gaining a lot of momentum in the craft world, and Deschutes hit the nail on the head with this brew.  Great balance between hop and malt - sufficiently hoppy to satisfy the hop-fiends out there, but with a really nice malt backdrop.  Go find this brew!  A-

Full Sail Brewing - Bump in the Night Cascadian Dark Ale

Tonight's brew of choice was hiding in a dark corner of the fridge at the LQ store....I saw Cascadian and was immediately sold.  Cascade hops and I are very good friends.  This bump in the night is part of Full Sail's 2011 Brewmaster Reserve Line-up, available from January through March.  It's a new creation in 2011, brewed in the "cascadian dark ale style", and Gold medal winner at the 2011 World Beer Championships - winning!  I believe this brew classifies as a Black IPA - we'll have to wait and see how it tastes.  She registers in a 6.5% ABV and 65 IBUs.

The brew comes in a 22oz bottle with the standard (boring) Full Sail label.  It has a reminder that this is an independent, employee-owned brewery.  I searched around and wasn't able to find a bottled-on date, but it's a safe assumption it was brewed within the last six months. 

The color of the beer is very dark, almost a cherry black and let's just a bit of light through.  Nice full 2 inches of white head build on it.  Starting things off, the aroma is AWESOME - earthy, piney hops on top with sweet, rich cocoa malts underneath.  Also a faint reminder of sour fruit in there, boozy sour grapes?  The taste starts off with a hoppy kick - cascadian hops give me a nice slap in the face with their spicy, earthy, resiny bitterness.  Those flavors then meld into some nice roasted, sweet malts.  Roasted grains, a touch (not enough) of sweet chewy cocoa, and then chalky, boozy flavors come through in the finish.  The body is medium, with a dry finish and a hefty carbonation.   

Overall Rating:  I enjoyed the first 75% of the beer - great hop profile and some nice malt body behind it.  But the last 25% brought some odd flavors that were like a chalky form of alcohol that just threw off the balance of the beer.  Good, but not quite great.  B