It's hard to know whether to roll my eyes or salute Cascade for their attempts to break away from your standard Aussie lager fare. I tried their First Harvest, Pale Ale and All Malt Lager previously on this challenge, and while far from groundbreaking, they were beyond acceptable beers. While a far stretch from a good craft beer, they relentlessly beat and tortured your standard mainstream brews. So I guess salutations are in order.
I didn't expect much from this one though, as wheat beers can be fairly samey samey and I just imagined this would be a soft, fizzy version, much in the mold of the Hahn and Pure Blonde versions of a wheat beer. So with a reluctant sigh I cracked the bottle, and baited Cascade to prove me wrong...
Challenge Accepted.
This is one of the most well balanced beers I think I've ever had from a heavyweight Aussie brewery. Sweet, wheaty, grainy... it's like liquid honey smacks. The finish is bitter enough to suggest it has been late hopped. It's 28 today and sunny, and this number went down quite nicely out on the balcony.
Well played Cascade, well played.
6.5/10
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