Russian River Benediction

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

On tap at brewery. Copper brown wit almost no head. Sweet earthy hops aroma and taste with dry stone fruit notes and finishing fairly smooth. Very drinkable.

Shiny burnt and petrified amber, halo of tightly woven white head above. Nose was piney yet smelled of belgian yeast as well with a hint of sweet ribbon candy. Chalky belgian yeast esters, kinda freakin hoppy too all combining into a somewhat melted plastic taste. That’s all I really get out of this beer...piney hops and belgian yeast...ugh...its clean enough and the yeast hops don’t clash too much, but still..the combination is not my favorite

On tap at the Drafting Room from my notes. The beer was presented in a pint glass, not in a chalis or tulip but this just meant that I got to have more Benediction to sample. Lucky me. The color of the beer was a nice bright orange/amber color with a thin white head and slight lacing. The aroma of this is excellent. From the first wiff you get the fruit tones as noted below, including banana and some plum and a bit of spice. It is worth taking in the aroma for awhile before you taste the beer. The taste is even more impressive than the aroma. I get the banana and clove taste that others have stated they get. This is such a good dubbel that I had to have a few more. It is very drinkable as the sweetness and some hoppy backnotes mix well in your mouth and may for a very enjoyable drinking experience. Well done Russian River, well done.

Tap @ Toronado San Diego, alongside a late afternoon brat. Pours a rich reddish brown with a tan head. Nose is sweet and quite rich. Tase is sweet, rich, and slightly hoppy with a bitter bite, pretty tasty.

On tap @ Toronado San Diego. Medium brown with a reddish tint. Head was about 1 finger thick (off white) and left a touch of lacing. Aromas of yeast, light hops and citrus fruits. Finish was slightly sweet with a touch of hops and medium in body.

ON tap. Color was a auburnish with a creamy khaki head. Aroma of flowers, citrus, yeast; pretty nice aroma. Flavor was not quite as good. Straightforward with bread, yeast, fruit, and flowers. Ok.

On tap at Russian River. Not one of their best, but still a solid beer. They called this a dubbel on the board - it’s sort of a cross between that and an American pale ale. Amber-brown color with a light beige head. Aroma is fruity with a little yeast, brown sugar, and hop bitterness. Flavor is sweet malt, candi sugar, dried fruits, and west coast hoppiness on the finish. Medium palate.

On tap at the brewpub. Clear amber orange with a one finger light beige head--creamy with a sheet of lacing sticking to the glass. Fruity Belgian yeast up front with some notes of fig and candi sugar. Flavor adds the deeper malt character (almost roasty) and a hint of citrus zest. Dry finish with bitterness peaking @ a 3 1/2--not quite a 4. Strange that it’s as dry and bitter as it is--and the fact that there is really no sweetness in this beer. Moderate carbonation with a light to medium body. An OK Belgian-esque beer in its own right, but I think it got overattenuated and hopped with American hops--not a dubbel by any means.