Day 47 (9/9/2011) Salvation by Russian River Brewing

Salvation pours a dark brown with a tint of ruby red when held up to the light. A billowing off-white head leads behind frothy lacing on the side of the glass. The smell is typical of dark Belgian ales: dark fruits, spiciness from the yeast, and brown sugar.

The taste is a little tart up front with just the slightest but of funk. Other than this, it holds true to the scent. Brown sugar and molasses dominate, but the spiciness and figs/raisins are also there for sure.Both the carbonation and body are medium and the finish is quite dry, which I thought was odd for the style. It doesn't seem like any effort was made to hide the alcohol; this one is boozy for sure.

This isn't a special beer, but it competes well with other Belgian dark ales that can be found on the shelves around here. It's not close to being in the same league as the Rocheforts or Pannepot, but I would put it on the same level as Ommegang and others along those lines. I enjoyed it, but not enough that I would pursue it where it is distributed. There are plenty of Belgians that could easily substitute for it admirably. I give Salvation by Russian River Brewing a B+.

Style: Belgian strong dark ale
ABV: 9%
IBU: ?
Beer Advocate: A-
Ratebeer: 99/98

Day 19 (8/12/11): Consecration by Russian River Brewing

 

 

Sadly, this is the last Russian River sour I have left from a box I received a while back. I really wanted to try the whole line up as an introduction to sours and I have to say: I really enjoyed them.

Consecration is another Ratebeer top 100 selection. It is brewed with Brett and other wild yeasts, so it has the sour funk that is shares with the rest of the line up. It is also aged in American oak Cabernet Sauvignon barrels with currants, so that is a change of pace from the rest. Barrel aged, yes, but in a different kind of barrel.

Consecration pours a relatively clear red-brown with a thin bubbly head. It leaves good lacing on the glass while dying down and being drank. The nose, like the rest of the Russian River sours, it a funky sour smell first, followed by a red vinegar, some red wine, and a bit of alcohol. This is the first time I could smell the booze on one of the sours, but at 10% it's no surprise.

The taste is first tart, funky, Brett-y vinegar. It has a sourness up front which is pretty balanced with a slight bit of sweetness. You do get some cherries, cranberries (I'm guessing this is the currants) and a tiny bit of oakiness. Not much of the wine flavors from the barrels shine through, though. There is a lot of flavor here, but not so much that it is over the top (aka: Supplication).

The mouthfeel is much like the others in the lineup: high, tingly carbonation, a medium (but bordering on light) body, and no burn from the booze. At 10%, the fact that you can't feel any of the alcohol is quite amazing.

I give Consecration by Russian River Brewing an A.

I have to say that I have been very impressed with every one of the sours from Russian River. All of them were outstanding, but if I had to rank them it would probably be (in ascending order of preference) Sanctification, Supplication, Consecration, and Temptation. I would drink any of them any day of the week, but boy would I love a few cases of Temptation. Definitely one of the best beers I have ever has the pleasure of trying.

Not only that, but they have really turned me on to sours. I thought the concept of them was weird at first, but I am slowly starting to understand the appeal. I even crave the sourness of them sometimes, which is strange considering what I usually crave is a nice, big alcohol stout on the sweet side. In fact, I just just picked up a sour ale the other day. Not that I'm giving up my old ways or anything; I picked up a bottle of Southern Tier Creme Brulee at the same time.

Style: American wild/sour ale
ABV: 10%
IBU: ?
Beer Advocate: A
Ratebeer: 100/99 

Acquired via a trade through a Beer Advocate in California. Sorry Cincinnati, none to be found here.

Day 15 (8/8/2011): Supplication by Russian River Brewing

Supplication is the third of four Russian River sours I received in a trade. This ale is fermented with wild yeast and aged with cherries in pinot noir barrels. It is them refermented in the bottle. Definitely sounds interesting, huh?

The body of this beer is a rusty-brown mahogany color with a fizzy off white head that settles to the surface of the beer, where it stays for most of the time I'm drinking it. Like the other RR offerings, the funkiness of the yeast is right up front, here combined with tart cherries and a slight whiff of oak. This beer smells very fruity.

There is a ton going on in the flavor. Very tart cherries are the most obvious player, with the affect of the barrel being the next most present flavor. The oak/wine flavor isn't as obvious to me as with Temptation, possibly because of the strong flavors of the cherries. This is probably the sourest of the Russian Rivers I've tried so far, but it is still pretty balanced due to the slight sweetness and the other big flavors involved. In my opinion, there is almost a little too much going on.

The carbonation is medium-high, with a somewhat thin body. The alcohol doesn't show up at all, which seems to be a theme with these beers.

Surprisingly, I actually like Sanctification and Temptation better than this beer. Perhaps my palette isn't established enough to get everything that is going on in this beer, but it just seems overwhelming. Despite the high carbonation and thin body, it also doesn't seem as refreshing as the prior two. Considering that I despise white wine and really enjoy reds, I am pretty surprised by my preference. Anyways, it's still a great beer; just not my favorite. I give Supplication by Russian River Brewing an A-.

Style: American wild/sour ale
ABV: 7%
IBU: ?
Beer Advocate: A/A+
Ratebeer: 100/99

Acquired via trade from Beer Advocate in California. Available where Russian River is distributed.

Day 12 (8/5/2011): Temptation by Russian River Brewing Company

After my previous two Russian River reviews, I was really, really looking forward to the next one. Like Sanctification, Temptation is a sour blonde ale brewed with wild yeast. Unlike Sanctification, however, Temptation is barrel aged. Specifically, they are aged in chardonnay barrels. I have never had a wine aged beer, so this one will be a new experience to me.

Temptation pours a beautiful almost-transparent golden color, with a fluffy white head that leaves a pretty much good lacing as it slowly dissipates. The smell the funky citrus smell that is shared with Sanctification, but that's where the similarities end. The effects of the barrel aging is obvious here, with heavy scents of white grapes and oak. A wonderful combination overall.

The taste. Oh, the taste. I could drink this all day if I had the availability and the money. The refreshing tartness brought on by the Brett is paired with the slight fruitiness and oakiness of the barrels, creating an almost perfect taste.  Russian River has pretty much mastered the balance of being tart without having to take an antacid right after having a bottle.

The carbonation is medium; seems a little higher than Sanctification. It is pretty dry throughout, but does have a touch of sweetness. The alcohol is pretty much nonexistent here. There is a lot going on, but none of it is booziness.

Another hit by Russian River. I complained about the lack of complexity of Sanctification and then Temptation hits it out of the park by upping up the game with the chardonnay barrel aging. I wasn't sure what to expect with this beer, particularly because I don't care for chardonnay (or white wine in general), but Temptation got it right. I give Temptation by Russian River Brewing Company an A.

In other awesome news, I got a bunch of new beer to review today! Coming soon...

Style: American wild/sour ale
ABV: 7.25%
IBU: ?
Beer Advocate: A/A
Ratebeer: 100/99 

Acquired in a trade from a Beer Advocate from California. Sorry Cincinnati folks, not distributed here!

Day 9 (8/2/2011): Sanctification by Russian River Brewing Company

In the world of craft beer, there are always fads. Craft beer enthusiast love their beers bigger, stronger, rarer (especially rarer), and now, more sour. Breweries like Jolly Pumpkin, Russian River, Lost Abbey, Cantillon, and Drie Fonteinen have all cashed in on the popularity of the popularity our sour and funk.

For the longest time, I have been afraid to jump into this style of beer. As I've noted before, some of my favorite beers are sweet stouts. There's very little that could be as completely difference to that as a mouth puckering drink that has been aged with wild yeast. Luckily I am curious enough to not be able to resist anything that I haven't tried before. In a recent trade I acquired four wild/sour ales from Russian River Brewing Company, the same brewery which makes the previously reviewed, delicious Blind Pig IPA.

After soliciting a little advice as to in what order I should try them, I was told that Sanctification is the least complex, and therefore should be my first stop. Sanctification is a blonde ale that uses only Brettanomyces during fermentation. What exactly is Brettanomyces?

From Russian River:

"Brettanomyces (also known as Brett) is feared by most brewers and winemakers alike. In fact, there are some local winemakers who will not set foot in our brewpub in Downtown Santa Rosa due to our use of Brettanomyces. Brettanomyces is actually yeast, it ferments and acts the same as every other "conventional" yeast, it just has the propensity to continue fermenting through almost any type of sugar, including those natural sugars found in the wood in an oak barrel. Brett is very invasive and if not handled properly can become out of control in a winery or brewery, but, if used properly with care, it can add rich aromas and flavors of earthiness, leather, smoke, barnyard, & our favorite descriptor-wet dog in a phone booth." 

Sounds strange, huh? Now you know part of the reason I was hesitant to dive into this style. Regardless, I have the bottles and now it's time to see what I got myself into.

Sanctification is definitely a beautiful beer. It pours a pale, translucent yellow with an inch high head that is so bright white that if I were prone to painful comparisons based on beer names, I would evoke angelic descriptions. The smell is when I know that I'm getting into foreign territory. It has a yeasty funk, like the funk found in many saisons, but much stronger. It actually smells sour, kind of like a Lemon Head; definitely a very citrusy sour.

The taste, to my surprised is not quite as shockingly sour as I expected. Sure, it is definitely sour. There is, however, a slight sweetness that starts off the progression to the tart finish of the beer. Perhaps the hesitation was for nothing? I get the citrus from the nose in the taste, along with a little grassy notes. Maybe I haven't been exposed to the style enough, but while this beer is tasty, I don't get much complexity from it.

The carbonation is relatively low, which I didn't expect, but doesn't detract at all. The creaminess and medium body works perfectly with the tartness to create a crisp, very refreshing beer. It's not your typical summer beer for hot days, but I'd put it up there with any good pilsners or IPAs.

I think it's obvious from my review so far that my hesitation was in no way warranted. This is a great beer and one which others who are interested in getting into sours should definitely give a try. My only knock on it would be its relative lack of complexity. While it was delicious, I could have gone for more nuance and variety in the flavor department. I give Sanctification by Russian River Brewing Company a good, solid A-.

I have three more different bottles of Russian River sours in the fridge, so more of these will definitely be reviewed in the near future. Stayed tuned!

Style: American sour/wild ale
ABV: 6.75%
IBU: ?
Beer Advocate: A
Ratebeer: 100/96

Acquired in a trade from a generous Beer Advocate from California. Russian River products are not distributed in Ohio, so if you want some, you're going to have to work hard to get it!

Day 3 (7/27/2011): Blind Pig IPA by Russian River Brewing Company

 

So after a rough start to the reviewing, I decided I needed to drink something I knew I would enjoy. After a good beer haul I received from California earlier in the week, I knew exactly what I wanted to try. Blind Pig is the little brother of Pliny the Elder, the world class double IPA from Russian River. I've tried the latter on a couple occasions, but never the former. Does Blind Pig live up to the hype built up from Russian River's other beers? I hoped so.

Cracking the bottle, I could smell the citrus pungency of the hops before I even pour it into my glass. Into the glass, the smell gets even more complex with scents of tropical fruits and pine. It definitely smells like a hop bomb. The color is a pale orange, crystal clear, with a little under an inch of bright white head.

The taste surprises me, but this time in a good way. The complex hop scent is here in the taste, but balanced perfectly with a solid pale malt profile. It's got all the hoppiness you could want without being bitter at all; I'm impressed. Hops up front and the malts finish the show with a pleasant slight sweetness. Carbonation isn't as intense as I'm used to, but between that and the medium body, this makes for one of the smoothest IPAs I've ever had the pleasure of drinking.

So does Blind Pig live up to the rest of the Russian River family of beers, the ratings on both beer sites, and its annual inclusion on the Ratebeer Top 100 list? That answer is a unequivocal 'Yes'. This is easily one of the best IPAs I have ever drank before. It manages to achieve the difficult task of being complex enough for the serious craft beer drinker, while at the same time not being too intense for those just getting into this wonderful world.

A beer doesn't always have to be expensive, >10% ABV, super hoppy, or barrel aged to be good. Some of the best beer is the stuff you wouldn't mind drinking every day. If Blind Pig was distributed here, I would probably always have a few bottles of it in my fridge. In fact, as an everyday beer (in my opinion), it easily surpasses Pliny the Elder. It's just that solid.

So, for the first time, A Beer a Day has success. I give Blind Pig IPA by Russian River Brewing Company an A. If you are ever in California or anywhere else this is distributed, you owe it to yourself to grab a few bottles.

Style: American IPA

ABV: 6.0%

IBU: ?

Beer Advocate: A

Ratebeer: 100/100

Acquired via a trade from a very generous Beer Advocate from California.