I know it's called "Cigars, Ales Scotch and Coffee" but the only thing I really go there for is the ales, for the following reasons:
- If I want Scotch I'll usually hit up the Grill (on Union Street) which is completely different to CASC and has a lot of character (which some people don't seem to like, naturally I'm not one of them). I won't talk about the Grill too much here as it's deserving of it's own review.
- I'm rarely there at an appropriate time for coffee (i.e., during the day), and if I am there at an appropriate time I normally want a beer anyway...
- I don't smoke cigars usually unless it's New Year or something.
As you go in there's a bar down one side and booths down the other, on a Friday or Saturday night you need to get there early if you want a seat (or even to be allowed in) as it's very popular and does get busy. They've gone for an unfinished look for the walls etc. which suits the place just fine.
The thing that really keeps me coming back is the 20 different keg craft beers on offer, plus they rotate very regularly - as soon as something runs out a different beer comes onto that line shortly afterwards, and I'm a sucker for any beer I haven't tried before. Beers are well kept and you never get off-flavours from dirty lines or other mistreatment.
If you tire of the tap selection or don't see anything you like (unlikely) there's always the extensive bottle collection, which I always seem to end up in if I stay for too long and without fail results in a large hole in my credit card statement. The only tiny thing that lets them down on the selection front is not having any cask beers (CAMRA-style ales as opposed to keg beers), but this is only really a negative because it means I can't bring my dad here, and since he's only visited Aberdeen once so far it's not really an issue!
My last visit was on a Sunday after a 58-mile cycle ride to Stonehaven and back via the back roads, and it was a perfect end to four hours in the saddle. I had Brew By Numbers' excellent 10/02 Coffee Porter on draft, followed by a slightly more excellent bottle of Summer Wine Brewery's Oregon (a 5.5% American Pale Ale). Summer Wine are based near Holmfirth in West Yorkshire so they were pretty prevalent back when I lived in Manchester, and I don't think they've ever put out a bad beer. Even the ultra-hipster "double black Belgian rye PA" (called Cohort), which incorporates a dizzying array of beery buzzwords in one beer. Other, lesser brewers would crumble and end up with a muddy, unbalanced combination of flavours, but not SWB.
Overall, the thing that really does it for me about CASC, apart from the extremely friendly and knowledgeable bar staff, is the way it's so clearly a labour of love. BrewDog and six degrees are clearly both labours of love too but there's something much more personal about CASC which is I really like.
Summary
Atmosphere: Relaxed, casual. Can get very busy on Fridays/weekends
Selection: Brilliant keg (but no cask), large range of bottles
Bar staff: Knowledgeable and friendly
Bar food: Not really a food place.
Overall: 8/10
Link to CASC's Facebook page
