1066- 1067. Russian River Brewing Company
Published by Unknown on Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 9:30 AM.
Jadyn and I spent a week in California visiting her family in early August. We made a side trip to Santa Rosa on the way to Lake Tahoe so I could finally try some of Russian River's sour beers. We made the mistake of driving through, rather than around, San Francisco, which tacked on an hour or so to our trip, but we did get to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge.
We arrived in Santa Rosa in time for a late lunch at the brewpub. I had a tasty meatball sub for lunch, but the real highlight was the beer. The bottles of Temptation were too expensive, especially since I wasn't planning on taking any beer back on the plane. Instead I got two bottles of Damnation, and one bottle of Pliny the Elder.
1066. Temptation
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.25%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Wild Ale
Appearance: 5.0 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 5.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.5 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.8
Temptation pours a slightly hazed, golden color. It's topped by a bright white head that fades to a thin layer leaving thick, frothy lace. The aroma has all of the elements of a good sour beer. There's a good amount of acidity, as well as bright citric notes. The characteristic "hop sack" aroma from the Brettanomyces used in fermentation is present, as well as an earthy, woody undertone.
Temptation is very gueuze-like. There's a coarse, grassy quality to the malts upfront, but these characters are quickly overshadowed by an escalating, citric and acidic sourness that's present through the finish. Earthy Brett flavors and a mild bitterness round things up in the finish. Temptation is crisply carbonated and light-bodied with an intense dryness in the finish.
Temptation is a very good beer. The sourness, Brett, and barrel-aging give it a distinclty Gueuze-like quality. It's mouth-puckeringly sour, and awesome.
1067. Sanctification
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.47%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Wild Ale
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 5.0 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.45
Sanctification pours a cloudy, straw-golden color. It's topped by a white head that fades to a thin layer leaving good lace. The aroma is intensely and wonderfully fruity. There are notes of banana, tropical fruit, and a hint of Brettanomyces. Swirling brings out an earthy aroma, and a slight funkiness.
Upfront, this beer is fruity with banana and tropical fruit flavors. A moderate tartness appears early on and is present through to the finish, which has earthy and funky Brett flavors, and a leafy bitterness in the finish. Prickly carbonation gives way to a creamy mouthfeel.
I thought this beer had a nice interplay between the fruitiness and earthy Brettanomyces characters.
We arrived in Santa Rosa in time for a late lunch at the brewpub. I had a tasty meatball sub for lunch, but the real highlight was the beer. The bottles of Temptation were too expensive, especially since I wasn't planning on taking any beer back on the plane. Instead I got two bottles of Damnation, and one bottle of Pliny the Elder.
1066. Temptation
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.25%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Wild Ale
Appearance: 5.0 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 5.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.5 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.8
Temptation pours a slightly hazed, golden color. It's topped by a bright white head that fades to a thin layer leaving thick, frothy lace. The aroma has all of the elements of a good sour beer. There's a good amount of acidity, as well as bright citric notes. The characteristic "hop sack" aroma from the Brettanomyces used in fermentation is present, as well as an earthy, woody undertone.
Temptation is very gueuze-like. There's a coarse, grassy quality to the malts upfront, but these characters are quickly overshadowed by an escalating, citric and acidic sourness that's present through the finish. Earthy Brett flavors and a mild bitterness round things up in the finish. Temptation is crisply carbonated and light-bodied with an intense dryness in the finish.
Temptation is a very good beer. The sourness, Brett, and barrel-aging give it a distinclty Gueuze-like quality. It's mouth-puckeringly sour, and awesome.
1067. Sanctification
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.47%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Wild Ale
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 5.0 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.45
Sanctification pours a cloudy, straw-golden color. It's topped by a white head that fades to a thin layer leaving good lace. The aroma is intensely and wonderfully fruity. There are notes of banana, tropical fruit, and a hint of Brettanomyces. Swirling brings out an earthy aroma, and a slight funkiness.
Upfront, this beer is fruity with banana and tropical fruit flavors. A moderate tartness appears early on and is present through to the finish, which has earthy and funky Brett flavors, and a leafy bitterness in the finish. Prickly carbonation gives way to a creamy mouthfeel.
I thought this beer had a nice interplay between the fruitiness and earthy Brettanomyces characters.
Labels: Russian River Brewing Company, Travel
