Saltaire Brewery Cascade Pale Ale

Good evening all. Tonight's beer is from Saltaire Brewery, who I first encountered during the early stages of my beer advent calendar in the form of Raspberry Blonde. I found this to be a great fruit beer that managed to achieve a fine balance between the raspberries and the malt, with neither getting in the way of each other. Saltaire Brewery describe themselves as using "traditional brewing methods to produce great ales with a contemporary twist", and I think it's safe to say that that ethos has gone into this offering, Cascade Pale Ale. Review after the pic....

Cascade Pale Ale (4.8%) is an American Pale Ale brewed with, unsurprisingly, Cascade and Centennial hops. The beer pours a rich golden colour with a white head that lingers briefly before dissolving to nothing in the glass. The aroma is composed of light malt with a subtle citrus hoppiness. Tasting the beer brings up citrus flavours that are well-balanced with the malt, and a pleasing bitterness that doesn't linger for too long on the palate. The mouthfeel is very light and only slightly carbonated. Reading the ingredients list for the beer, it seems they've added calcium-containing minerals to the water used in the brewing process, which no doubt helps to increase the hop quality imparted to the beer. If that's the case, it's worked very well! Overall, this is a very English take on an American beer style (that was derived from the English Pale Ale anyway!), and reminds me of beers like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale quite a bit. It's a very drinkable, relatively light beer that would go well with meat dishes to cut through the rich flavours and provide a refreshing, palate-cleansing bitterness. Another excellent beer from a fantastic brewery!

Until next time....