A Cascadian Wonder

The last, but certainly not least of our Seasonal range 2022 is Barrel Thunder. This is an intriguing, far from classic, Cascadian Dark just in time to pick you right up for the Autumnal blues. It’s far more to what meets the eye! And just in time for Cask Ale Week 2022…

So, what is it about Barrel Thunder, looking intensely menacing but tasting so tempting? It’s an ominous combination of where roasted malts and deep, hop character collide. It nods to light ales with the prominent hoppiness; the Cascade hops add citrus notes whilst Bramling Cross bring touches of blackcurrant. This makes this dark ale a step forward from bitter with its effervescent blackcurrant and grapefruit with an underlying dark chocolate backdrop.

Deep ruby in colour, sherbet, and black currant on the nose and most of all, an exotic burst of chocolate lime taste with a smooth mouthfeel – if you close your eyes, it could be a pale beer. It truly has many layers. With this, the brewers made this brew unlike most others; instead of adding chocolate malt to the grist, they added it after mashing had completed before sparge. This way, the hot sparge liquor would wash all the dark colour out of the malt but leave all the roasted characters behind meaning we have a pale tasting beer with a rich, dark colour.

This 3.8% cask ale is available from September until the end of October to mark the completion of our 2022 Seasonal range, and what an outstanding group of ale it has been.

Now the countdown for Christmas in a pint is under way – Plum Pudding, relaunching from mid-November. But for now, let’s sit back and enjoy a pint of Barrel Thunder