Sam Adams Rebel Cascade IPA Review

Name: Sam Adams Rebel Cascade IPA
Style: India Pale Ale
ABV: 7.3%
IBUs: 76

Remember last year, when I reviewed all 3 variations of the Sam Adams Rebel IPA family? In my review for their Rebel Rider Session IPA, I stated that the trifecta of those beers had been reached with the release of Rebel Rider. Well, guess what? I was wrong, I was so very wrong.

You see, since that review, Sam Adams has released 3 more beers in the Rebel series, one of which is a fresh hop Imperial IPA that is only available on the east coast, and the two new ones which I'll be reviewing here. I guess the series has been successful enough to warrant an expansion, which is ironic considering Jim Koch's less-than-favorable opinions on the IPA style in the past.

In any case, the first beer we're looking at is their Rebel Cascade IPA, which is brewed with, you guessed it, Cascade hops in addition to 3 other hops (Zeus, Simcoe & Summer if you must know). Let's see how this turned out.

Appearance - Clear orange color with a mild amount of visible carbnation and a pretty foamy head with a good amount of lacing left behind along the sides of the glass.

Aroma -  Fairly prominent caramel malt backbone upfront with some moderate piney and light citrus hops with just a hint of bitterness. I'm also getting some light yeasts in here too, primarily towards the back.

Taste - Bitter hops upfront, which change to more of a fruity middle with some orange and lemon peel notes but it has a rather bitter finish, with some bitter hops and light yeast notes.

It's an IPA that isn't particularly memorable but it's still drinkable and a good beer overall. Given Sam Adams' enormous market reach, I see this being another hit in what has already been a pretty successful series. As long as you're not expecting anything groundbreaking, I think you'll enjoy this.

Sam Adams Rebel Cascade IPA - 8/10