Russian River Deification

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

Served on draft at the brewpub. Pours a cloudy amber body with a thin white head in a nice tulip glass. The aroma is nice and tart with a big apple presence. The flavor starts off with a blast of tartness that has sweet apples playing second fiddle. The hop bitterness is obvious and there is some hop flavor as well in the background. It finishes pretty dry and is light bodied. Pretty good drinkability all around. It didn’t hold it’s own when compared with Sanctification though.

On tap @ RR. Reminded me of Sanctification due to the Brett, I’m sure. Same type of fermented cider influence, with some Summer fruits, but withouot the tartness from a "Sour Ale". Very light and crisp. Probably a good Summer beer.

Almost entirely clear golden color with a thin, quickly disappearing head. Sour citrus/fruit aroma with the characteristic brettanomyces funk, along with some earthy leafiness coming though. Flavors were very seriously sour and dominated by brettanomyces initially. The earthiness of the hops comes through, balancing out the sourness with a nice bitterness. Complex, strange, amazing stuff...I just wish it were slightly lower in alcohol so I could chug it, or drink it as I would juice in the morning. A great brew.

On tap at Russian River brewery & bistro, tried side by side with their Sanctification. Hazy blond with thin white lacing. Immediate brett yeast funk is noticeable off the surface, with some pale malt hanging out in the background. The flavor is much more mellowed and subdued compared to the Sanctification, but delivers a crisp and tart mix of lemon and grape citrus and skunky sourness. Flavors fade pretty quick, so not much of an impressive palate here. A pleasure to drink, but pass me the Sanctification please.

On tap at the Russian River Brewery. It poured clear gold with thin white head. It has a big aroma of mild sweetness, yeasty funky sourness and mild tartness. It isn’t over the top sour or tart. The flavor is sourness that mixes with mild sweetness and turns tart as the experience progresses. There’s mild wood, floral and spice hop notes too. Refreshing offering.

im going to keep this review simple. tart and delicious...wish i could drink it every day.

Draft. Hmmm. A pale ale with brettanomyoces. OK -- I’ll bite. What you get is a light-palate, astringent, sour ale. Really delicious. There is a lot of grape to this beer, along with orange, lemon, and sour mix. Still, the underlying character of the Belgian ale is not lost. A neat product, daring, with tremendous payoff.

On tap at Toronado. Tulip glass. Citrus, orange, floral, sweet nose with some oaky barrel notes present. Very small amount of funk. Quite floral. Rather aromatic and quite pleasant. Moderately hazy copper body with nice lacing and a khaki off-white head this is a little small. Tart, a bit of funk to start. Becomes a little citrus-lemony/grapefruity afterwards. A bit floral and musty in the middle. Finishes a bit tart and a bit hoppy. Lots of lemon and floral. Pretty darn tasty.