Russian River Beatification (Batch 002 +)

Brewed by Russian River Brewing
Style: Sour Ale
Santa Rosa, California USA

Bottle. Consumed while watching the Penguins win the Stanley Cup !!! Pours a hazy, golden yellow, thin, lazy white head. Aroma is a blend of citrus, brett and some vague wood notes. Flavor is sweet and sour at the same time, citrus notes (lemon and orange mostly), very slight wood notes, very, very subtle horse blanket in the background. Acidic and sour on the finish.

Bottle from Zinister at the Houston sour tasting. Thanks, man! Pours a deep, lively cheddar yellow with a pleasant aroma of woody champagne (or sparkling wine, as the case may be) and lemon peel. Flavor is woody lemon and white wine champagne (or white sparkling wine, as the case may be) with a cedary finish. Tickles the tongue as it travels to the throat. Incredible beer.

Bottle thanks to kegbear and DirtyMartini!
As yellow a beer as I’ve seen, opaque and shimmering with a small, coaxed white head. Brett nose, lots of lemon and must, also more stinky feet than standard. Flavor surprisingly fruity, not quite as stinky as the nose, still very dusty and acidic, also somewhat bitter and woody. Finish is a little short but nice carbonation. As close to a lambic as I’ve had in an American sour, not quite as complex or cohesive, and of the RR beers I’ve had, probably the least distinguished from it’s competition, like it’s missing something from RR. Still, the sweet fruit in the nose and mouth help make it its own beer.

Bottled - had it twice with the exact same score. An unclear golden beer with a thin white head. The aroma has lovely notes of wood, brettanomyces, and lacto basillicus as well as medium notes of citrus fruits - seemingly both sweet and tart. The flavor is acidic with a bit of sweetness and notes of lemon, wood, brettanomyces, and other fruits, leading to a lovely tart finish.

375 ml bottle, batch 002. Pours a clear straw gold body with a thinnish very fizzy white head that faded quickly to a wispy film. The nose is really sour smelling, but also very clean and sharp. Lots of lemon and grapefruit rinds with just a bit of stinky-feet like brett. The vinegar note almost burns the nostrils a bit. Very tart and sour at first, but the sharpness of the acidity recedes and lets the bretty funkiness emerge on the finish really well. Tons and tons of that pixie stick like sugary tartness lingering well after swallowing. This is exceedingly bright and citrusy up front, it’s a little surprising because alot of these "Wild Ales" tend to be a little softer and more muddled in the flavor, this is just sharp in every way. Mouthfeel is dry and bitingly acidic at times just sucking the spit out of my cheeks. Perfect bright lively carbonation keeps things dancing on the tongue. This was pretty great, enjoyed it a but less than the first batch, but still quite worth tracking down.

Rated the Batch 2 and 3 side by side. Two got slightly better marks than three. Pours cloudy light gold with a white ring of foam. Lemony barnyard aroma. Light body and carbonation. Very lemony taste, with bits of grapefruit, lightly oaky. Clean finish.

Acidic aroma, with yeast. Salty with lots of year, and sour, with more yeast. Opaque yellow appearance. Lots of brett.

Batch #2 on Tap at Toronado’s 1st Anniversary. Pours a crystal golden with some tight bubbles. Nose is vinegar, and Brett funk. Flavors are nicely sour and tart. Mouth watering mouth, My mouth I was still salivating a good 20 minutes after I stopped drinking it.