Russian River Depuration

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

Bottle. Light gold color with a beautiful white head. Aroma is a very pronounced white wine. Taste is both tart and sweet with the most beautiful funkiness I’ve had in a beer. This is a real masterpiece and RR’s best Belgian ale yet. Palate is dry that leaves you wanting more. Bravo!!!

Bottle of batch 1 consumed at 3 years. Deep golden pour with a thin white head. The nose is really great. Lots of fresh cologne and barnyard funkiness. A very nice soft vineous tartness with a lot of fresh bright pineapple character. Softly oxidized but with a touch of light vineous sweet malt. A kiss of soft lactic acid and herbal character as well. The flavour is really well balanced. The beer has aged wonderfully with a great balance of soft tartness and soft light sweetness. Funky and rich and I think this probably still has a few years in it. Tap at Mugs Ale House. Hazy pale golden colour and almost completely still. Aroma is very tart with loads of bright lemon citrus and funky brett character. Woody backnotes with a musky barnyardy aroma. Very light on the palate with a bit of honey, tart lactic and citrus sourness, lemon, and great funky flavour throughout. Very sour on the back with a bit of dustiness as well. Much more than the sum of its parts… awesome brew. 9 4 8 3 18

Bottled (batch 1) Crystal clear, deep amber colour. Bright glowing appearance. Very funky aroma, earthy horseblanket, dusty, funky/cheesey over a soft vineous malt character. Thinnish body but still great balance. Lemony citrus, some lemongrass and tropical pineapple. Fresh sour tartness, lotso fBrett and soft vineousness. Very pale malt lemony citrus. Very tasty brew. Less tart than the draught version, but still incredible. 4 8 3 8 17

Poured into a Duvel tulip. Appearance is a dark peach color with a hint of pink, very interesting. 2 finger white head of champagney bubbles. No retention or lace, appropriate for the wininess of this beer. Nice champagne scent. Tart grapes, vague vinegar, brett. Excellent tart taste, a beautifully sour, reminiscent of champagne. Barnyardy, bandaidy, all the crazy brett tastes that make RR beers so unique. Delicious. Despite the fizzy head, the carbonation isn’t disruptive at all, in fact it’s pretty perfect. Medium alcohol level, refreshingly tart. Smooth and pleasant. This beer’s rarity isn’t the only reason I wish I had more. It’s a great concoction by the RR guys.

poured out a very strange orange color with a fizzy soda like head that disappeared almost as soon as I poured it. The nose has some Brett in it making a slightly sour hint but there is also a very musty smell to it. Add a bit of grape to it as well, but much. Wow that has a lot of awesome flavor in it. A little bit of sour green type of grape taste initally with a bit of something else that I can’t id. This turns into some sour puckering apple tartness. There is a bit of red wine like quality and some vinousness. Man this is good as hell, there is more to this that I am missing.

Batch 01. Hazy straw color with some brown tinges, thin white head that backs off to the edges of the glass. Aroma is mildly tart/acidic floral funk. A softer aroma lurks in the glass reminiscent of grapeskins. First taste registers a sharp tart blast, but as I drank on the tartness seemed to mellow as my palate adjusted, and the beer tasted more subdued in character. Most interesting was how the grape tones counterbalanced and complimented the sourness, but didn’t mask it. The finish was dry, woody, and slightly tart. Quality.

amped up belgian sour ale! lots of winey lambic flavors all over this, hints of corriander, given sturdy legs by a nice oaky flavor, not as acidic as lambics and sour ales can be, a nice leathery backdrop, hints of sweetness came out the warmer it got

Batch 001 Consumed fresh. The pour is golden with orange highlights. Head is a thick creamy white ring. Aroma is initially sour with a sweetness that appears later in the breath. The flavor is full of sourness up front, but its the lingering sweetness that makes this interesting. A delicate beer wrapped in a refreshing, sour punch. 7/3/8/4/18

Batch 001. Bottled 2/2006 and consumed 5/2009. A little over 3 years old. Pours an effervescent gold with no head. Tons of bubbles, like soda. Aroma is sweet and tart with a great amount of funk. Pear and apples, really bright and attractive. Flavors are complex, but bright and exceptionally refreshing. Russian River can rival anything from Belgium.

Bottle - 375mL corked and caged. Pretty golden pour. Small particulates dance, suspended in the liquid. The small white head seems to disappear as quickly as it formed. Aroma is divine! Sour fruits, funky yeast, wet earth, some sweat, grape skins, oak, and a touch of cat urine. There’s also a moldy type of cheesiness in the aroma. Taste is sour but oh so lovely! Sour fruits, light sweat, leather, funky yeast, earthy notes, musty books, grapes, oak and orange peel. The body is light, VERY dry, acidic and spritzy. Though I don’t want this to end, it’s demise brings forth more sweat, sour fruit, wet leather, damp wood, earthen flavors, litter box/barnyard, and grapes. Does Russian River make a bad beer? I don’t think I’ve had one if they do.