Cassis | Hermit Thrush
Seeing as how we just drank a whole lotta resurrected beers, I felt it was a fine time to possibly tackle another R word – redemption. Last year on my east coast swing, I traveled to Vermont and assembled what would become the VT Show. Trying to grab beers from a diverse area of Vermont, I stopped in at Hermit Thrush in Brattleboro, near Vermont’s southern border with Massachusetts. I ordered a flight of things available on tap and the Cassis wowed me. So I ventured in to buy some cans for the show.
But man did Hermit Thrush have a selection. Probably about 2-3 times as many different cans as beers available on draft. So I naturally asked the beertender what beer Hermit Thrush did the best. Maybe it was the price per can, but he recommended the sour quadruple Rowdy Monk. While other sites rate it fairly high, what we had on the show was not good. Like one of the worst we’ve ever had. I won’t soon forget it. So I’m excited to crack into this Cassis I bought from them!
The Beer
Cassis pours orange like an IPA. A fair amount – about two fingers – of fluffy white head forms. That head slowly vanishes until nothing remains atop the beer. Cassis glows when held up to the light. Light does get through but I can’t see my finger through the beer. Looking good so far.
Sweet black currants and some wine grapes greet you upon first sniff. Unfortunately something else joins in as well – a vomit note that I sometimes get from mixed culture beers. It’s a bit off-putting, but not too great so that it overshadows everything else. Some barnyard funk and aged cheese show up as well along with a fair amount of oak. A yogurty aroma even makes an appearance. While that vomit nose flavor does worry me, the rest of Cassis presents a very complex aroma.
Even though that vomit note does show up on Cassis it’s nothing like Necromancer’s Forbidden Fruit. Much like the aroma it’s negligible and actually adds a little character to the beer. Sweet black currants hit the front of the tongue and the beer finishes very dry and tannic. Right in the middle some tartness hits a peak but it stays in the pocket and never causes a Tums reach. While I miss the funk promised on the nose, Cassis is an easy drinker that you’ll finish in no time.
The carbonation helps that as well. Resting between medium and high, not much sticks around after the sip. Grapes and currants stay around a bit, but everything else leaves with the dry finish. The tartness stars here as well, causing repeated sips and an eventual emptied can.
Verdict
Redemption? Hell yeah. Cassis is eons better than Rowdy Monk and more in line with that flight I had while at Hermit Thrush. Light and tart, it fits in neatly with a summer crusher, albeit with a little more complexity. While the vomit note is present, it’s small and adds some character to the overall beer. Moral of the story – give breweries a second chance. You might just be surprised.
