Irishboy (4674) reviewed IPA from Russian River Brewing Company 20 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
On tap at the pub. Gold color, white head. Hoppy aroma but not enough bitterness in the taste. Not bad but not great.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
On tap at the pub. Medium gold color with a white head. Hoppy aroma with a good bitter flavor.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5
On tap at the pub. Opaque brown with a tan head. Malty caramel aroma, with a slightly molassy taste.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5
On tap at the pub.Pale gold with a yellow head. Hoppy taste with fruit undertones.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Popped the cork gently and stiil got a gusher. Gold color with a huge, Heavy lacing white head. Yeasty Brettanomyces aroma, and a citrusy, spicy flavor.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Hazy sediment-laden orange-red body, thin dissipating off-white head. Tannic, sour, musty aroma with cherry, oak, and brie cheese rind, lambic-like and tart with subdued sweetness. Sour, tart, tannic body but not puckeringly sour, wood, brie cheese rind, and cherries. Well-balanced. Reminds me of La Folie but with subdued tartness and less biting acidity. Rich, complex, with subtle carbonation leading to a soft mouthfeel. Excellent pairing of sour and sweet flavors. Thanks DarkElf for the bottle!
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 10 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 10
Batch 1 bottle shared with Muzzlehatch on 2/18/06. Served chilled to start (though it still gushed somewhat) in my Nashoba Valley Wine glass.
Most beauteous of vibrant, bright burnished copper and new goldleaf colors swirl about with some yellow overtones, a light #2 pencil yellow, that is. Large initial head takes its sweetass time in receding, but never falls below one finger. Dense, snow-white and pillowy, creating circuitous lacework all the way to the bottom. A symphony of minute bubbles rises methodically amidst the liquid.
Breathtaking nose of dry Bartlett pear flesh. Yep, just had a pear and it’s more similar to the flesh than the skin. The brett is dry, full of life and strength but yet allows for dry, light malt notes and even some light grassy hops. Soft herbal-like notes tickle the senses and the brett just continues to seduce. A nose like few, if any, that I have had the pleasure to smell. Let’s just say, it makes me want to turn this beer in to powder and snort it. Ahhh, fiercely riveting, yet so innocent. Like a youthful, flitting sprite, aware of her blossoming sexuality, but gigglingly flirtatious and evasive. Suffice to say that this aroma has me composing really bad poetry; it’s that marvelous.
Ok, deep breath. Plunging in to the luxurious liquid, perfectly attenuated pils malt (dusty, specks of grain) and mildly tart brett combine to provide a significant backbone, while softly grassy hops add a zestiness that couldn’t be more at home amidst the brett spiciness. Dry nectarines, pears and a growing lemon-like icing on the finish. I knew right away this was as good as it gets in aroma, appearance and mouthfeel, but I will admit to some qualms with the flavor as it warmed and breathed. The growing lemon cake-icing note added a slightly sticky flavor that seemed out of place in this otherwise most delicate of gems. Same/similar thing that bothered me in Deification. But the yeast is done ever so correctly, no meatiness or doughiness, just very faint mineral-like notes that are the very heart of the beer. And as Jeff says, it’s nitpicking.
The texture barely merits a mention, it’s just perfectly tight and refreshing. Off the top of my head, the most flavor and aroma I have seen in a beer of this gravity. Thanks a million for the bottle, Matt (mwsf)!!!
omhper (44752) reviewed Damnation from Russian River Brewing Company 20 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 10 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Bottled. Clear golden. Complex aroma including grassy hops, deep malt and almonds. Sweet and very soft. The velvetty softness gives the aromatic flavours a lot of room. Low bitterness. Very Belgian in style, not pumped up with direct flavours, but more laid back, and with a wonderful malt character.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Thanks to herbjones for sending this my way - this is a wonderfully gentle and subtle sour ale - nice clear strawberry/copper color - fizzy, with minimal head - aroma of sour cherries, oak - musty and barnyardy - even a hint of...chocolate? - nice tart cherry to start (but it’s not overpoweringly sour) - some brett/cheesy funk - vinous character is much more background than expected - the finish is very woody - good...indeed.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Bottled. Hazy pale yellow. Lightly citric nose. Medium sweet with lively mouthfeel and light body. Notes of hay and barnyard with a very light refreshing acidity. Not as complex as some of the stuff from Russian Rive, nor as intense. But as a thirst quenching session beer it’s awesome.