My print article that came out in The Bulletin last week covered Redmond’s Cascade Lakes Brewing and its 25th anniversary taking place this year. I touch on a bit of the brewery’s history, and highlighted this year’s big news of new ownership and new brewmaster in Ryan Schmiege (formerly of Deschutes Brewery).

And don’t forget the 25th Anniversary IPA that was released at the beginning of the year:

And don’t overlook the brewery’s anniversary beer, 25th Anniversary IPA, released at the beginning of the year on draft and in cans. Brewed with Cascade, Ekuanot and Mosaic hops, it’s a showcase of classic and modern hop varieties in a deceptively simple yet flavorful beer. The brewery describes the beer as “juicy,” and indeed I found aromas of tangerine and orange marmalade, ripe pineapple and even a bit of savory cannabis.

It’s flavorful as well, with spicy greens, citrus zest and green peppercorn notes highlighting a solid hop bitterness. A firm malt backbone balances the minty, spicy herbal character well, and the beer finishes with a lingering herbal aftertaste with a hint of eucalyptus. With its 7.6 percent alcohol by volume and 78 IBUs, I found it quite drinkable.

Schmiege, ever the master brewer, is tinkering with the recipe. “I’ve been working with our brewers on modifications. We’ve dropped the bitterness and played with the hops in an effort to make the aroma less muddled and more appealing, at least in our eyes.” I’ll look forward to tasting the results.

There are good things happening with the beers, make some time to visit Cascade Lakes if you haven’t recently.