Russian River Depuration

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

Bottle via trade with IrishBoy. Pungent aroma of sour and tart grapes. Definite oakiness. The brett begins to fade a bit after opening giving way to some nice malty and grassy notes. Pours a hazy orange. Almost still looking. Flavor is tart and dry. White grape pits and stems. Dry oak. Tart fruit. Definite wine tannin present. Medium bodied with very lively carbonation. Finishes with a pleasant tartness. Very nice> Thanks Richard!

Bottle from Crosling. Actually the 2nd time I’ve had this. EDA opened a bottle randomly the other day. A very tasty beer, and a fairly different take on the "typical" american sour oaked beer. Oak aroma is strong, dry, lots of vanilla. A touch of vinegar, yeast, sourness, grass. Very deep and complex. Only a touch of grapes. Flavor is light in acidity and slightly watery, not as complex, still very enjoyable. Needs more body and acidity. Very good beer but this can’t quite keep up with the other fantastic RR sours.

Thanks to boboski for opening this brew. Pours a hazy lemon – orange with white head. The aroma is tart, hints of wood, like being in the woods with a dewy mustiness, tart cherries and grapes. There’s a sweet fruity flavor of red wine grapes, cantaloupe and oxidized pears. The taste then becomes increasingly tart with grapes, tart raspberries and tart apples. The flavor then moves into a slight sour tart mustiness. It ends even, tart and with yeasty musk. I sure enjoyed it.

375ml bottle from MrBendo. Aroma: Grapes and apples jump out first with some woody/oaky notes following just after. Tart Brett notes take on a lemony aroma. Some light dusty funk underlying it all. Appearance: Light golden in color andslightly hazed. White head was huge and foamy with good retention. Nice lacing. Flavor: Vinous grape, apple, lemon, light cherry. Wheat malt, yeast, and toasty oak. Nice tartness throughout. Dusty and slightly horsey funk. Dry finish. Palate: Medium bodied. High carbonation. Overall: Does RR make a bad beer? Loved the play of malt and grape with and against each other. Pleasant tartness and a subtle funk. Very good.

Date: 05/02/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting

Appearance: clear gold, headless
Aroma: tart lemon and cobweb aroma
Flavor: lots of tart flavor, nice lemon character, quite balanced, very dry but leaves some body, finishes tart as well, a bit of sweetness sneaks in

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.1/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+/4

bottle courtesy of boboski: pours a golden colour with pretty much no head, slight rim of white on the glass. aroma of sour a little funky and a small amount of white grape. fantastic aroma. flavour of apples not quite ripe, honey, slight sweet grape. just a touch of funkiness.

Poured hazy gold with creamy white head. Big aroma of grapes with other light fruit. Flavor was mostly grapes with some citrus hints. Very refreshing.

Bottle courtesy of Odeed, and holy smokes, RR does it again, a super duper thanks, Jacob!!! Pour is shazy sparkling golden in color, light sediment gently suspended in the body, quite nice looking. The aroma is inviting, grapes tease the nose, bretty aspects guard against the novice or sweet tooth and any sloppy indulgence. The wheaty notes underneath (no idea if there really is wheat in this thing) make this a wonderfuly refreshing scent to the nostrils. The flavor is as good and complete as the aroma, finely soured, light yeast accompanying all of the nose qualities, lemons accenting every sip, and a wonderful gentle touch of some oak to round everything out. Mouthfeel is significantly carbonated with light acidity, so very nice under all the other sensory joys, probably far more complex than I could pick up in this single tasting, perhaps I should seek out more? Thanks, Jacob, just let me know if you have other RR bottles you’re looking to move for something out East here. And, Bert, a great one to have shared with ya!