Russian River Deviation (Bottleworks IX)

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

God made this, an amazing beer.... How could you?! Haven’t you learned anything from that guy who gives those sermons at church? Captain Whatshisname? We live in a society of laws! Why do you think I took you to all those Police Academy movies? For fun? Well, I didn’t hear anybody laughing, did you?.. Where was I? Oh yeah! Stay out of my booze.

Bottle opened post Belgian Beer fest in ME. Wow what an awesome creation. A sour dry puckering fruit infusion of lemon citrus and sour apples. Brett and simply put by BK at the time "its just sour", and whats not to love about that, i couldn’t find much. 4.4 Wow all i know is i had this one a second time and this is freaking great! 4.5-4.6 per my notes. Awesome brew.

Pours a rich and inviting copper color. Aroma is bright and lively, wood, funk, citrus, hay, earth, sourness. The flavor is an extension of the aroma, with the wood notes leading the charge. The sour notes come on through, but are never out of balance. An absolutely astounding beer.

Carolina Crew Gathering Greenville, NC.Thanks turdferguson for sharing! Hazy orange pour thin fizzy head. Fruity aroma mostly green apple, and grapefruit. Medium bodied acidic treat! What a great beer and a real treat to taste!

#300 Courtesy Oakes and Beershine. This one pours a nice looking dark orange with a small, fizzt white head. The aroma shows sour apples, tart citrus fruits, and some funky oak to balance things out. The flavor is nice and sour of lemons, sour apples and other citrus, but balanced out perfectly by the funky oak and brett. The funky oak and brett add depth and smooth out the acidity from being mouth puckering sour. Medium-full bodied with soft carbonation and a creamy mouthfeel that goes down so smooth. The flavor was almost perfect and balanced throughout with a slight sour finish. A great example of the style and an awesome beer all the way around.

Big thanks to Wetherel and StFun for the bottles. 750ml corked and caged brown bottle poured into a GLBC snifter. Review #600 A: Pours a golden, orangish, glowing amber. Decent sized, nearly pearl white, head on the pour with decent retention. Nice, somewhat spotty lacing. S: Nice, clean funkiness with plenty of sour and tart fruit notes. The funk big enough to be somewhat cheesy but not near the level of Girardin Black Label. T/M: Yowza, big time tartness with plenty of sourness and more of the funkiness. Tart and sourness is big on lemon along with a bit of mango in the back. The funk is cheesy but not heavy and with some of the barnyard, dustiness, and wet hay. Some light, earthy oak in the back. Body is meidum to medium light with good carbonation. Very drying that lends some leathery notes. D: Good ABV and very tasty. You definitely have to be slow and savor it

Recently tried a bottle of this at a sours tasting. Colour... very cloudy, amber suspension. Nose... acetic, crisp, pungent vinegar. Palate... POW! BAM! This ale makes you pucker up like you been eatin’ green persimmons! Time for an acetic, ascorbic, oaky, brett filled ride on the Grand Funky Railroad! Sour City! Next station stop, Sour City! Toot, toot!!

Poured from a 750 ml bottle. Chunky rusty orange body. Vivacious tartness and citrusy fruitiness in the aroma; tangerines, cherry, banana, white grape, and honey, softly feathered with a reticent, gorgeous funkiness. Vinaigrette, minerals, oak, vine stems; lots of earthiness beneath all that ebullient funk and glowing tropical fruitiness. Flavor is just as thick with vibrancy and insane complexity. Balsamic vinaigrette and searing acetic acid follows an initial, crippling burst of sunny pineapple juice. Softer touches of apricot, mango, and grapefruit fill in the mid palate with this beautifully pure and real fruit essence.

First pour unswirled yielded alot of barren, dry mineral flavor that lent a slightly harsh bitterness to rub against the sourness. Second, yeast ridden pour was full of that perfect, just-ripened and still on the vine fruit character. Glorious and nearly perfect on that additional drop.

Medium to full palate with a healthy sparkle on a very pillowy yeast texture. Finishes with a blended spicy-tart vibe of barnyard and apricot skin; juicy and tangy, with a drying bite. Light and thick at once, funky and pure at once, confrontational and calm at once. Brilliant. Thanks Andre!