Cascade - The Brewer's Nose iPhone App

The first thing I did after accepting a new iPod Touch was to search for free beer apps. There are many available: some good, some so-so. Over time I will take a deeper look into the wonderful world of beer apps and let you know my findings.

One app with a distinctive Australian focus is The Brewer's Nose. As a Cascade-branded application, the user is in no doubt as to who the sponsor is, and the reason for a particular bias in content. But that's fair in today's virtual world: to receive something for free usually carries with it an obligation to receive some marketing materials as well.  I have no problem with that.

The particular appeal of this app is the convenience with which one can log beers tasted. As long as you have a camera (which my iPod doesn't), you can scan the bar code from the bottle, which in all likelihood will match one of the 600 beers on its growing database.

If you don't have a camera, you can still look up the beer via keyword search, and log it manually.  Both courses of action will allow your tasting notes to be entered, and then shared with other app users if you choose.

Every beer in the database has supporting information, including a short video on the style, and one on food matching - heavily Cascade branded of course, but useful nonetheless.

Other Cascade-specific functions include a map interface to finding Cascade beers, a loyalty reward program (soon to come), and a food-matching feature that defaults to a particular Cascade offering.

The only gripe I have with the app is the inability to change my reviews, including deleting mistaken entries. As such there are a couple of Anonymous entries out there with no content, due to me.

If you're a casual reviewer - and by this I mean not a beer-geek hung up on scoring look, aroma, taste, mouthfeel, drinkability - then this is the ideal tool for collecting your notes.

It's a good app, and the price is right. I recommend downloading it, and having a bit of fun the next time you crack a tinnie or knock a lid off.

Beer Review: Cascade Blonde

Guide to review scoring is on the post Beeradvocate Ratings Systems

Unless otherwise specified, these reviews are my own.

Cascade Blonde Krystalweizen 4.8%

A- / 4.15 look: 4 smell: 4 taste: 4 feel: 3.5 drink: 5

I keep forgetting how good this beer is, particularly for the price.

Copped some grief from my wife when I bought a slab of bottles "I can't believe you bought some blonde rubbish... you're always going on about how crap it is". I had to remind her that not all blondes are the same (looking at her hair)... anyway....

Pours a stable, 1cm white fluffy head, pale golden yellow. Lovely fruity wheaty aromas, more akin to wit than weizen.

Flavours very wheat-driven, sweet grain & husk flavours. I think this probably aligns more with American Wheat in style, than Krystalweizen, as there are no banana/clove esters in this.  Creamy medium body, crisp finish, a good drink

Easily knocked back a six-pack last night., after which my hosts plied me with Crown & Boags.... no contest really. I give it full marks for drinkability, considering its value.

This is arguably one of the best value beers in the country.

Serving type: bottle

Long weekend beer tasting

Well, Paul and I got through 4 of the 5 beers. For some mysterious reason a bottle of Tanqueray 10 appeared on the kitchen table, so martinis were in order.  You can forget about even-handed judgement after that..... And then we had pinot noir with the duck, so things got away from us a bit....

Our opinions were pretty much in alignment.  The Cascade First Harvest is overrated & overpriced. The Ekim Viking IPA and the 4 Pines Pale Ale were both excellent.  I'll review these formally soon, after having a couple of more tasters, just to be sure.......   The James Squire Malt Runner was, well, hard to pin down. Quite thinner than anticipated, and dryer too. Definite chocolate and cherry, but altogether a bit confused.

But the definite finds were Ekim and 4 Pines.  To paraphrase Ferris, If you have the means, I highly recommend picking some up.

Beer review: Cascade First Harvest No 9 2010

 Guide to review scoring is on the post Beeradvocate Ratings Systems

Unless otherwise specified, these reviews are my own.

Cascade First Harvest No.9 2010
English Pale Ale 5.5%
C+ / 3.15  look: 4 smell: 2.5 taste: 3 feel: 3 drink: 3.5


Pours a brilliant pale amber/bay colour. Settles into a 1cm head, and leaves a good lace

Smells like a typical Aussie macro lager, in fact I think this beer would sit better under macro lager than English pale ale. Big metallic note that screams PoR, or clone thereof. A very Tasmanian lager smell, to me. But there are some subtleties. Maybe some green fruit and herbs, like papaya or nettle. Interesting, but not that appealing.

Flavour is along the lines of the smell, with a floral note underpinning. Slight, light honey/golden syrup note.

It's mouthfeel is fairly light, dry, and crisp.

A good beer-garden drink, but the subtleties in this beer would be lost in such a setting. And the price would make anyone baulk at buying a jug......