Russian River Brewing Company Watermelon Funk

Watermelon Funk

 

Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa, California, United States 🇺🇸

  Sour / Wild Beer - Flavoured Regular
Score
7.04
ABV: - IBU: - Ticks: 3
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6.5
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Draught samples at Boston’s Belgian Beerfest on 10/27/06.
Moderately hazy body has a color that is just slightly more golden than apple juice. The white head was rather small, fading very quickly to a ring, and leaving little clumps of lace on the sides. Swirl of bubbles initially, but they settle down.
Sour in the nose at first, both from the lacto/pedio and from the wheat. Watermelon is there, but it’s rather marginal. Not that it smells cheap/fake (it’s not) but it seems to get mostly lost amidst the more powerful critter biproducts and heavily dry, somewhat blanding wheat influence. More pedio and lacto acidity than usual, without enough (any) malt to help control it. Some diacetyl from the pediococcus, as usual. Not tremendously strong in the aroma department.
Twangy wheat sourness is joined by the typical Russian River lacto/pedio/brett barrel character. The wine barrel tannins further dry/acidify it and before I even know what I just tasted, any semblance of malt has vanished and I’m left with a ridiculously dry, borderline papery/astringent flavor of pure wild yeasts and just an afterthought of watermelon essence. Very, very, very light body, with noticeable wateriness following some oiliness, and just no real balance. Diacetyl is lightly present on the end.
Don’t get me wrong, the wild yeast character is about as lovely as always, but it’s almost as if there is no base beer. Huge props for experimentation and a unique idea though.

Tried on 15 Dec 2006 at 16:17


7.6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

"Draft". Golden amber beer with a little white head. Great tart aroma with some fruitiness. Dry, tart flavor with some good earthiness. It was called "Temptation with some watermlon" and I agree. There;s good brett with some added fruitiness.

Tried from Draft on 21 Nov 2006 at 19:10


8.1
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

Draft at the Bistro Barrel Aged Beer Fest 11/11/06 Nose of watermelon and barnyard; hazy gold coloration with a ring of bubbles on the glass edges; Flavor of tart watermelon, with some yeasty barnyard funk!

Tried from Draft on 12 Nov 2006 at 16:48