Russian River Toronado 20th Anniversary

Formerly brewed at Russian River Brewing
Style: Sour Ale
Santa Rosa, California USA

Bottle for rate #2700:   Rusty caramel, dirty, thick and hazy, sediment about, moderate to large foamy sandy head, very sticky lacing.   This one looks superb!   Very tart nose, powdery, Brett, pale fruit skin, Pear perhaps.   Touch of cherry skin and oak as well.   Big tartness on the tongue, bordering on sour.   Not over the top at all, which I prefer.   A little barnish, a little musty, certainly Bretty, but overall tart with some bright pale fruit skin and oak to liven things up.   Does have a bit of an alcohol ring, but its minor.   Moderate to full body and mouthfeel.   Feels a little spritzy, lively.   Tart finish, almost sour, but well balanced enough that I don’t drool when I open my mouth to talk.   For an ABV above 10% and for it to only have minor alcohol hints, this is a plus.   Lingering woody notes.   Still amazed that for a sour this is above 10%.   Actually feels a bit heavy after having a 750ml, which is unusual for a Sour Ale.   Good stuff, very good stuff.   Thanks Chris for the bottle!

Review #1200. Massive thanks to a generous BA for sharing this gem, side-by-side with Cable Car. Pours a deep, clear reddish amber with a huge off-white head that shows excellent retention and lacing. Gorgeous looking beer. Aroma is massive - tart, sweet and funky all in one. It got plenty of the barnyard funk and red wine vinegar but it’s much deeper and sweeter than the Cable Car, with some brown sugar and sweeter malts behind the funk. On top of all this is a dry spicy oak character. Stunning nose. Taste has an initial dark fruit sweetness with a subtle funkiness, maybe some dark cherries in there. There is also a bit of candi sugar in the background. Chocolate covered cherries even. Finish is funky but with some oaky tannins underneath. So, so good. The mouthfeel is fairly full bodied with lots of carbonation and somewhere between Belgian dark and American wild. Spectacular beer, the clear winner for me over Cable Car and Deviation. It might not be a fair comparison as this is a slightly different beer, and bigger, but it is one of the best beers I’ve ever tasted.

This is one of the heavier hitters that I have ever had, and as such I will try to not let that affect my rating. The aroma is quite good with some citrusy goodness and funk, quite promising and fantastic. Can’t find a flaw with the appearance with a nice, thick, frothy white head and active carbonation over a murky red/brown liquid. Taste is quite great. I mean this. Citrus, funk, leather, moderately sour. Actually reminds me more of a Lost Abbey sour than a typical RR. Palate is medium in body, appropriately heavy in carbonation. Just a great beer. Having said all of that, I would take a La Folie or Temptation over this any day, and likely Isabelle as well.

A Mes rate. Bottle at 1st Borefts Beer Festival.
First a little story about Craig (cgarvieuk to you lot). Knowing that I pretty much wet my pants when I saw him pull this out of his bag the day before, he stalled on opening it and came trekking from Borefts location two all the way over to location one to find us and drag us back so we didn’t miss it. Craig, I really, really appreciate that, thanks mate. Anyway, the beer. An attractive hazy orange / amber with an excellent off white head and lace. Good start. It got better. Christ it’s another one. The usual sublime Russian River tarty affair but with an awesome dollop of Kola Kube sweets. Amazing. Excellent raisiny stuff behind with stunning yeasty hits too. Something plummy in waaay background gives it a glorious body and sitting on top of the lot is that unique R.R. blend of sweet and sour brilliance. Maybe just a little too sharp and the sweetness never seems to sit quite right alongside the dryness but faced with something this good, it’s not even close to bothering me. I have recently realised that Russian River are my second favourite brewer. This has cemented my feelings. Why oh why oh why must they be so far away? God I want more.

Bottle 75cl.
[ Courtesy of cgarvieuk ]. Unclear medium orange color with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, caramel, sour, barral - wood - oak, cognac notes. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet, moderate acidic and light bitter with a long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily to watery, carbonation is soft. [20091030]

Bottle shared by cgarvieuk at Borefts BF 09. Thanks Craig. Love the fruity sour aroma. Some cognac-y sweetness in middle, bit of caramel. Really good fruit/cognac/sour. Lovely balance, so good.

Bottle at Toronado SD. Nose is thick with berry, wood, almost bourbon, vanilla, and a nice hint of Bretty sour. The smell hints at a sourness that just isn’t in the beer. Flavor showcases a really excellent wood character that Shyam pointed out is exceptionally balanced, balancing and among the best examples of aging that is out there. But this is kinda where it ends. The beer has no real levels or variation, just a vague dark Belgian quality without any of the fruit of the aroma.

Poured a red brown. Nose is sour fruits, lactic acid, grapes and vinous notes. Flavor is a nicely tart, grape skin, some tangerine, apricot, red wine and alcohol. Pretty good. What I learned from this beer is that the US has a long way to go to catch up to the belgian sours. While this beer is great, I tried a Cantillon along side of it and it paled in comparison. American sours for the most part lack that timeless complexity. With that said, still an amazing beer.