Russian River Deviation (Bottleworks IX)

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

Bottle shared at jjpm’s gathering. Poured a cloudy golden with a fizzy white head. Aroma of some tart sour funkiness, that wonderful indescribable combination of sweatsock and sour cheese... actually, the only thing indescribable about it is how it actually becomes a desirable, thirst-enticing aroma. Flavor follows with quite a bit lemony citrusy tartness, some light cherry, some dry toffee. Finish is a bit tart but fading into some light dryness. Very easy-drinking, and an overall quite palatable sour beer. However, I take exception to what they call this beer. For Russian River, this is anything but a "deviation". It is, rather, a "continuation" of precisely what they do. It was a pleasant beer, but having had other sour offerings from Russian River, this didn’t blow me away as anything particularly unique or special... just good.

filmy lace with a short-lived head, ruby-orange color. cassis and sour cherry aroma with some vinegar. lots of sour in the taste desolves into a dark red fruit linger. sourness makes the palate feel fuller. perfectly fine, but a bit too much sour for my tastes. ---- re rate at 2009 Sour Fest ------ Pours a clear orange with slight lacing and a bubbly head. The aroma is heavy on sour apple but not oppressive. The taste is just more sour apples with a palate that reminds me of cider champagne with a touch more sour. It still seems overrated to me.

Bottle shared by BOLTZ7555 at hellbilly’s holiday tasting. Hazy amber color pour with a small head. Aroma of sweet malt, yeast and lemon. Flavor of sour unripe fruit, vinegar, yeast and lemon. Delicious! Thanks Jason!

Bottle generously shared by mreusch. Pours a translucent caramel brown with a small creamy head that diminishes leaving behind patchy lace. The nose is a pleasant, lightly "dusty" tart sourness and mild brett funkiness. Medium-bodied and tart it transitions to a dry, sour finish. I can feel this one duking it out with my stomach lining. The flavor is a nice, tart, sour funk with Sweet-Tart and fruity/woody undertones at the swallow. This is a very tasty brew. Thanks for sharing it with me, Matt!

750ml bottle. Pours cloudy, dark orange with a thin white head, decent retention. Smells of vinegar and barnyard. Tastes slightly sour with some vinegar and hay flavors. Could be more sour for my taste. Medium body, slightly dry, almost vibrant carbonation.

Tangerine pour with only a whispy eggshell colored head. Aroma fills the nostrils with Granny Smith, lemongrass, brett, barnyard, and freshly blooming flower garden. Flavor is also quite floral, with citrus pith, jolly ranchers, and aged balsamic. Nice creamy mouthfeel for the style. Really enjoyed this one!!!

A huge thanks to psprings for bringing this out to hellbillys tasting. Poura a hazy buddy brown with a small white head. Aroma is sour, yeast, fruits. Flavor is sour acidic dusty citrus, oak, apple. Nice sour, thanks Paul!

Bottle (via trade with 5000). Poured cloudy bronze, capped with a moderate sized white head. Beautiful aroma - primarily tart, with nuances of oak, citrus (especially orange), apricot, leather and wild yeast. On the palate, funky barnyardy flavors interact nicely with fruit flavors like orange rind, apricot, and lemon. The complex flavor is further complimented by notes of wild yeast, wood, leather, and earthy herbs. Dry, sour finish. The beer is incredibly drinkable; it’s satisfies my love of sourness, but it doesn’t take the acidity over the top. Another world-class wild ale from RR. Thanks for the trade, André!!!