In honor of this coming Spring and Cascadia’s rich craft brew culture, I wanted to devote this blog post to the Cascadian Dark Ale (CDA). If you don’t know what a Cascadian Dark Ale is, it’s a dark or black India Pale Ale (IPA) style of beer prominent in our home region. It’s a fusion of a more hop-intensive IPA and a dark-malted ale, resulting in a medium-bodied black ale which has an alcohol by volume (ABV) level comparable to a typical craft American IPA (usually between 6% – 8%).
The Cascadian Dark Ale goes by other names (i.e. Black IPA, American Dark Ale) and many breweries throughout the United States and Canada have their own versions. I want to focus on ones specifically brewed within the bioregional borders of Cascadia. Using beer rating sites such as Untappd, I’ve compiled a list of 40 true Cascadian Dark Ales you may want to try if you haven’t already.
This list is sorted alphabetically by brewery and is meant to be a simple overview used as a resource. Some are brewed year-round, but most are seasonal releases. While I narrowed this list to just 40 beers, that doesn’t mean there are only 40 brewed within Cascadia; the ones in this list have relatively high average ratings from beer drinkers. I may make updated versions of this list as new Cascadian Dark Ales are introduced and/or become popular in the future.
Without further adieu, here are 40 Cascadian Dark Ales brewed in Cascadia:
*Ratings as of February 28, 2016
1. Cynical CDA from 10 Barrel Brewing Company (Bend, OR)
Untappd Rating: 3.70 | ABV: 7.5% | IBU: 91
2. Cascadian Dark Ale from 7 Seas Brewing (Gig Harbor, WA)
Untappd Rating: 3.71 | ABV: 7.0% | IBU: 65
3. Midnight Departure CDA from Airways Brewing (Kent, WA)
Untappd Rating: 3.74 | ABV: 6.0% | IBU: —
4. Black IPA from Alaskan Brewing Co. (Juneau, AK)
Untappd Rating: 3.56 | ABV: 6.4% | IBU: —
5. Double Black IPA from Alaskan Brewing Co. (Juneau, AK)
Untappd Rating: 3.85 | ABV: 8.5% | IBU: 70
6. Belmont Black from Barley Brown’s Beer (Baker City, OR)
Untappd Rating: 4.07 | ABV: 8.8% | IBU: 85
7. Turmoil from Barley Brown’s Beer (Baker City, OR)
Untappd Rating: 3.94 | ABV: 7.8% | IBU: 90
8. Black IPA from Bellevue Brewing Company (Bellevue, WA)
Untappd Rating: 3.74 | ABV: 8.2% | IBU: 62
9. Absolute Horizon CDA from Bomber Brewing (Vancouver, BC)
Untappd Rating: 3.59 | ABV: 6.5% | IBU: 72
10. Armored Fist CDA from Boneyard Beer Company (Bend, OR)
Untappd Rating: 4.05 | ABV: 10.0% | IBU: 80
11. Lost Giants Imperial CDA from Boundary Bay Brewing (Bellingham, WA)
Untappd Rating: 3.83 | ABV: 9.5% | IBU: 100
12. Disruption Black IPA from Category 12 Brewing (Victoria, BC)
Untappd Rating: 3.87 | ABV: 6.7% | IBU: 77
13. Bucking Black Sheep Black IPA from Dead Frog Brewery (Aldergrove, BC)
Untappd Rating: 3.68 | ABV: 6.5% | IBU: 41
14. The Obsidian Dagger IPA Noire from Dead Frog Brewery (Aldergrove, BC)
Untappd Rating: 3.70 | ABV: 6.5% | IBU: 50
15. Hop in the Dark CDA from Deschutes Brewery (Bend, OR)
Untappd Rating: 3.83 | ABV: 6.9% | IBU: 70
16. Coalsack CDA from Ecliptic Brewing (Portland, OR)
Untappd Rating: 3.49 | ABV: 6.2% | IBU: 68
17. Reel Ales Swordfish Double CDA from Fish Brewing Company (Olympia, WA)
Untappd Rating: 3.63 | ABV: 7.5% | IBU: 65
18. Raiden Black Rye IPA from Fuggles & Warlock Craftworks (Richmond, BC)
Untappd Rating: 3.88 | ABV: 6.4% | IBU: 75
19. Vader Black IPA from Gilgamesh Brewing (Salem, OR)
Untappd Rating: 3.58 | ABV: 6.5% | IBU: 72
20. Cloak & Dagger Cascadian Dark Ale from Granville Island Brewing (Vancouver, BC)
Untappd Rating: 3.63 | ABV: 6.3% | IBU: 60
21. Secession Cascadian Dark Ale from Hopworks Urban Brewery (Portland, OR)
Untappd Rating: 3.73 | ABV: 6.5% | IBU: 70
22. Gathering Storm Dark Ale from Howe Sound Brewing (Squamish, BC)
Untappd Rating: 3.68 | ABV: 6.8% | IBU: 76
23. Cascadian Dark Ale from Mac & Jack’s Brewery (Redmond, WA)
Untappd Rating: 3.60 | ABV: 7.0% | IBU: —
24. Dark Star Black IPA from McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse & Imbrie Hall (Hillsboro, OR)
Untappd Rating: 3.69 | ABV: 7.7% | IBU: 93
25. Cascadia Shale Ale from NW Peaks Brewery (Seattle, WA)
Untappd Rating: 3.64 | ABV: 6.5% | IBU: 74
26. O’Dark:30 CDA from Oakshire Brewing (Eugene, OR)
Untappd Rating: 3.65 | ABV: 6.3% | IBU: 72
27. Bad Santa from Pelican Brewing Company (Pacific City, OR)
Untappd Rating: 3.64 | ABV: 6.7% | IBU: 70
28. CDA from pFriem Family Brewers (Hood River, OR)
Untappd Rating: 3.86 | ABV: 7.5% | IBU: 70
29. Dad’s Little Helper Black IPA from Rogue Ales & Spirits (Newport, OR)
Untappd Rating: 3.57 | ABV: 6.8% | IBU: 92
30. Celilo Cascadian Dark Ale from Sasquatch Brewing Company (Portland, OR)
Untappd Rating: 3.63 | ABV: 7.6% | IBU: 82
31. Hop Night from Standing Stone Brewing Company (Ashland, OR)
Untappd Rating: 3.72 | ABV: 7.3% | IBU: —
32. Black Angel IPA from Steamworks Brewing Company (Burnaby, BC)
Untappd Rating: 3.66 | ABV: 7.0% | IBU: 70
33. Nocturnum from Strange Fellows Brewing (Vancouver, BC)
Untappd Rating: 3.76 | ABV: 6.5% | IBU: 65
34. Cave Dweller from Terminal Gravity Brewing (Enterprise, OR)
Untappd Rating: 3.76 | ABV: 6.9% | IBU: 100
35. Hodag CDA from Three Creeks Brewing Company (Sisters, OR)
Untappd Rating: 3.58 | ABV: 6.4% | IBU: 75
36. Hop Head Black IPA from Tree Brewing Co. (Kelowna, BC)
Untappd Rating: 3.66 | ABV: 8.0% | IBU: 120
37. Heart of Darkness CDA from Two Beers Brewing Co. (Seattle, WA)
Untappd Rating: 3.68 | ABV: 6.8% | IBU: 67
38. Dark Tower from Vagabond Brewing (Salem, OR)
Untappd Rating: 3.81 | ABV: 7.0% | IBU: 74
39. Big Black Homo Erectus from Walking Man Brewing (Stevenson, WA)
Untappd Rating: 3.90 | ABV: 8.8% | IBU: 85
40. Pitch Black IPA from Widmer Brothers Brewing (Portland, OR)
Untappd Rating: 3.64 | ABV: 6.5% | IBU: 65
Use this list to your advantage this year. There’s nothing like a good brewery tour road trip to make use of some time off from work or school.
Interested in learning more about Cascadia? You can buy your copy of Towards Cascadia today:
Towards Cascadia 
