Russian River Damnation

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

750ml bottle. Batch 18. Aged 15 months. Interesting mix of dusty yeast and fruity esters on the nose. Bubblegum and dry leaves with a softer malt base as well. Pours bright gold with a huge rocky white head leaving spotty lacing. Flavor starts out fairly dry but finishes rather fruity and spicy. Not a whole lot going on, but decent nonetheless. Some ripe pear, white pepper, dry cut grass. Minimal hop presence with a decent bready malt base. Medium bodied with excellent carbonation. Finishes with a lingering yeasty dryness. Thanks Andrew!

Drank it on tap at the brewery. Pours cloudy, light, golden color. Yeast lemony aroma. Very sweet of malts and a nice hoppy finish.

Pours golden with a nice white head. The aroma gives way to a nice balance of hops and malt with some citrus. Hint of apple as well. It’s dry and refreshing, but smooth and creamy as well.

3/30/08: Batch 10 bottle from drewbeerme. Thanks Pours almost lemon yellow with a sizeable head and excellent lacing and retention. Yeast is prevalent in the aroma, along with a hint of butterscotch. Taste is yeast, spice, caramel, bubblegum. No bitterness, but still a nicely balanced beer. 6/5/7/4/14/3.6

Rerate: 6/25/08. Bottle shared by Alraomon. Gold color with big head and perfect lacing. Yeasty, funky and slightly fruity aroma. Taste of caramel and stone fruits. Medium body. 7/4/8/4/15/3.8

750 ml.bottle, batch 31 golden yellow color with nice 1/4" inch foam head , banana on the nose with big clove bite , very crisp and dry, great body

Batch 030 bottle thanks to Odeed, thanks man. Poured a clear golden color with some rising bubbles and a thick, rocky white head that left nice lacing. Crisp, fruity aroma with hints of pear, banana, light spices, and a hint of yeast. Flavor consists of a crisp, lightly sweet entry leads into a crisp, drying middle with some spice (pepper), and a yeasty dry finish with undertones of pear, light citrus, and banana. Nice drying finish and bite on the palate. Very nice BSA, thanks a bunch to Odeed for sending it.

Got this beer from a bottle at Stone. Pours a hazy gold. Nice fruity aroma, yeasty as well with a little bit of spice. Smooth and well balanced. I was a fan.

Somewhat shrouded, light and gold, Damnation is topped of a beautifully innocent puffy white head. Redolent esters are the emphasis of this nose, a springy mix of banana, bubble gum, pineapple and pear. That almost inimitable yeasty, buttery quality that defines true Belgians is present and auspicious. Coriander, orange peel, hints of honey and clove add just the perfect touch of spice. The flavor on the other had, is somewhat disappointing. Seemingly bland at first, the wateriness eventually finds its refreshing mineral quality. Chalky, almost dusty, the frothy texture matches the light flavor accented by hints of lime and pear. A slight sugary sweetness graces the tip of the tongue but disappears leaving a rather dry body. Black pepper and hops appear very subtly. Despite being so simple, the flavor is difficult to define, yet certainly fun to drink (an adjective I use sparingly). Overall, I believe my colleague Oakes put it perfectly, Russian River has crafted a precision brew. Damnation strikes a careful balance that can hardly be found outside of a few Belgian breweries. Kudos. (06/04/07)