Russian River Deviation (Bottleworks IX)

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

This one pours a hazy cloudy light color with a nice white head on top. Aromas of wild yeast and sweet citrusy fruits as well. It simply smells like a fresh farm, clean air, and delicious fresh foods. The flavor has characteristics of vinegar, a bit of that brett funk coming through, and surprisingly, some sweet browned sugars. Finish was dry and most definitely sour.

Bottle @ WTF OMG! Pours a hazy orange. Nose is tart fruit, lemonade, sour apples, lactic acid, vinegar, chardonnay. Flavor is dry white wine, sour grapes, sour apple, lemon, citrus, wood, funk, sweet sugar. Excellent beer! Real glad I got to try this.

Bottle at Liquid Sunshine. Wow. Just wow. What an utterly heart-stoppingly brilliant beer. Very opulently sour, and yet still juicy, like a ripe peach, or apple, or pear. Incredibly aromatic, citrus, oak, berries and cherries, and so young and sweet smelling, and yet so funky... I haven’t begun to talk about half of what is happening in this beer. Words cannot describe, you just have to taste it for yourself.

750ml bottle. Pours a mostly clear orange with a slight ruby hue, small off white ring. Nose was tart citrus, brett, cherries, oak.......wow, there is a lot going on here! Flavor was very complex with good amounts of oak, tart cherries and citrus. On the palate this beer seems perfectly balanced, I don’t think it gets much better than this!

A Mes rate. Bottle, huge thanks to MJ.
I’ve only had one sip and a little sniff. Already I know this is going to be special. We warmed up for this with a Supplication and it has got me more than ready. Ok, down to business. It certainly looks the part right from the off. A hazy orange gold with a thin but lasting white head and fairly solid lacing when you tip the glass. I really need to check myself here. I could quite happily chug the whole lot in seconds. I’m having to use all my will power. Right, aroma, quickly. Ohhhhh, it’s proper. That Russian River sublime barrel madness is there. Stunning fruit too. What really makes it is a hint of no less than perfect acidity. It’s like a vintage Rodenbach or some massive Flemish sour but it’s just not over done at all. Equally perfect is the citric sourness. My god this is really really good. I can see big numbers coming here. Fuck the hype train. I’m FULLY onboard with this one. In fact, I’m all over it like a flannel. I don’t usually do things back to front with my rates, but I’m going to have to think about palate as I really can’t deal with the flavour assault right now. Once again, it’s perfect. I’ve said before, only Russian River can do it like this but I’m wrong. This is right up there with the best that Payottenland has to offer. Such an unreal blend of massive juiciness yet stunningly dry at the same time. The carbonation simply could not be better. It’s one of those rare specials that while you drink it, although it’s just an incredible event, it’s also tinged with sadness because you know the chances are, this will never pass your lips again. Each time I look, there is a little less in the glass. Each sip is savoured just that little bit more. Christ on a sodding bike, the flavour is almost too much for my tiny brain to comprehend. How this can taste like this when it is not blended lambics is beyond me. Ok, it IS a blend but the sum is certainly greater than its already formidable parts. The blend of the juiciest juice and pukery sourness is right up there with the world’s best. This is Girardin territory. Such mind blowing balance, it’s all over the place but seamless and harmonious all at once. The flavours are immense. The barrage of citrus is backed up with some astounding sugary plum notes. The barrel notes again, could only be Russian River. The complexity level is through the roof. Wave upon wave of sweet and sour zip around my mouth with astonishing velocity. Similar to the first time I had Supplication, I can’t help but be blown away by the length and the way the flavours cling to every surface of my mouth. I really don’t want it to end. The finish is crazy. There is almost a spirit hit. I can’t quite put my finger on it but it’s brilliant. The wood comes back in droves and that hit of sour and funk batters the sides of the tongue and cheeks and I really can’t get enough. Thanks so much to Mike for the opportunity to try this. I really mean that, this one really lives up to the hype. Ok, enough drivel. There are three gulps left in my glass. I’ll probably fully indulge myself and make it two big ones. If I had any more left, it could rattle on even more. Sadly I don’t. I’m off to crack one off...

Nose is strong with apple peels and a deep earthiness. Pours a lucid light amber. Taste is sour, nice light hay, slightly spicy, musky, turns tart on the back end and finishes with a sour apple taste. Very dynamic flavor profile.

Bottle huge thanks to mes for sharing, had at mes’s gaff. Alround rating: Got a whole boon gueuze glass of this, yummy! The most gueuze like non-gueuze iv ever had. Tart acidity, Girardain like balance, the pale malt is almost impossible to find but is light and biscuity, theres notes of sweet and sour lemons, hints of mandarin, brett is showing nicely. Perfect carbonation. Absolutly outstanding beer.

Had at hellbilly’s tasting. A fermented sour aroma with an orange body and white head. A good sour flavor with some dryness on the palate. A good sour! Thanks Jason for sharing this one.