Russian River Depuration

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

10th May 2008. Starts like a Geuze but finishes like cider with a champagne crispness and dryness. An entirely seperate silky smooth vanilla oak rides alongside these flavours. Unusual.

@Pauls Girardin chugging-courtesy of eclectic-12.7oz bottle–pours a white ring for a head and hazy yellow color. Aroma is tart light fruit, wood/spice, yeast. Taste is tart light fruit-apricot/lemon, wood/spice, yeast. Interesting.

Batch 001. Huge pop of the cork. Clear light amber with little head. Lightly oxidized aroma with caramel, vanilla, wood, white grapes. Medium body with soft carbonation. Light to medium sour flavors of tart white grapes with wet wood, vanilla, and lightly sweet malts. Would like to try a fresh one of these some time.

Bottle from Tever, Batch 1, been sitting on it for around 2 years. Poured a nice golden color, sweet/tart aroma with hints of wine and sourness. Very winey, for those in the Great Lakes area, very close to some pink catawaba. Nice beer but I think it might have been past its prime.

Shared by Dickinsonbeer. Poured fairly flat. Reminiscent of every other russian river sour i’ve drank. I felt that up front the sourness was subdued but towards the tail end of the midpallette it becomes alot more pronounced. Not bad stuff at all.

Batch 001. Sampled in a RR Damnation tulip glass. Poured a hazy deep golden color with a nice pop on the cork. There was a fizzy white head that ran away quickly and gave way to a slight white ring around the edge of the glass. The nose was earthy, horse blanket, a bit peppery maybe and a tad winey to boot. The taste a bit tart up front with a bit of sweetness on the tongue. There was a definite vineous character going on in here but not overly so. Just enough grape taste to keep you interested but not enough to think you are drinking wine. The carbonation was perfectly layered into this brew and made for a somewhat light and refreshing body. After a few more sips the wine character gets a little bigger and brings out some wood notes as well. Overall this is another fine brew from RR but seems a bit young and could probably use a little more aging in the bottle. Bottle # 2 to be drank after some aging in the cellar.

Batch 1. 375ml bottle. Pours a murky amber color with small white head. Nose is funky, sour, fruit, citrus, grapes, barnyard. Initial taste sour, grapes, yeasty, earthy, oak and musty. Mid to finish displays barnyard funk and wet hay. Body is light and refreshing. Carbonation is perfect. Dry tart finish. Average head retention. Good palate duration. Excellent sour!

Bottled, Batch 1. Poured dirty medium amber with a dusting of white head. The aroma was sour and strong with vinegary notes, light-medium skinned fruits, and white grapes around.. even stronger and more engaging as it warmed up. The flavor was spicy and strong for the most part with moderate sourness always present (from vinous notes and vinegar).. long, warm, sour finish. Medium-bodied and sour as mentioned on the palate.. felt good the whole way through. Excellent!