Russian River Deviation (Bottleworks IX)

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

75cl bottle, thanks Bob! Pours a swirling deep orange, hazy with a pretty large, slowly-receding head. Awesome aroma, bursting with brett, pineapple, some cherries. Strikingly similar to Allagash Interlude at this point. First sip is a punch of sourness, salty almost, really intensified by the high carbonation level. This is not soft at all -- it’s hard, really sour and complex. Very little residual sweetness, in fact this is surprisingly close to tasting spontaneously-fermented. There is a really pretty oak, fruit presence in there, behind the bright, tart acidity. Balanced and delicous. As this warms it develops an awesome character, just a full-on explosion of flavor.

From a 750mL Bottle. Mostly hazy, honey tinged gold colored pour with a finger of small bubbled white head. Complex nose that combines fruit, acidity, funk, and barrel characters harmoniously. Fruity suggestions of late harvest apples, bosc pears, and grapefruit. Notes of peppery oak, restrained vanilla, coconut, and nutty pecans. Hints of dusty brett and moldy cherry skins are also present. Medium-light bodied, briskly carbonated mouthfeel with a bold acidity. Very lactic with lots of aged oak. The sourness is bold up front, with a musty lactic quality that melds well in to the barrel qualities that begin to peek out mid-palate. Initial flavors of aged gouda rind followed by some biting grapefruit rind. I expected there to be more of an acetic character judging by the fruitiness/cider-like qualities found in the aroma, but this doesn’t seem to translate to the palate. Grape-skin tannins and leathery brett add additional complexity, that with the oak, contributes to the perception of dryness that lingers long into the finish. The latter half of the palate seems to be dominated by the woody/leathery brett and oak flavors, which are tasty, but not quite as complex as the fruity acidity from the nose. Still, a beautiful beer overall.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy, cruddy-looking, mahogan-hued body with a cottony white head. Smell: A sour-minded, fruity bouquet with notes of sliced apples, citrus, and salted peach pits along with plenty of toasted oak saplings and barnyard funk. Taste: A frothed blending of freshly-squeezed fruit juices - peaches, grapefruits, and apple (like a sorbet sampler platter). Dash of salt and even capsicum. A donkey’s kick of acidity and tartness. Barnyard funkiness all the while. Dry, lightly oaky finish with lingering, tongue-deadening tannins. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: A real joy to drink such a complex, yet well-balanced creation. This is seriously good. Excellent work, Russian River.

Hazy amber with with medium white head. Sour aroma with grapefruit, barnyard, hay and woody notes. Sour flavor with barnyard, grapefruit, leather and woody notes. Ends sour.

Thanks to toncatcher for sharing this bottle. Awesome sour ale. Very tart, sour grape rinds. Some mild vanilla too. Excellent.

Tasted at PP bottle shop. Tim cracked this rare gem. Tuesdays are always better when Tim is around. Had side-by-side with Temptation batch 3, which I love, but this was better. Possibly partly because the Temptation was warmish, and the Deviation was coolish. Cloudy yellow color with a hint of amber. Mild sourness. An illusion of sweetness, possibly because of the fruity aroma and mild sourness reminds me of peaches. Certainly sweeter than Temptation, which was very dry (and delicious, which is hard for someone with a sweet tooth, like myself, to say). Nice mild funky and hay aroma. I like this better than Beatification batch 2, which I had a few days ago. Highly quaffable. Easy to keep filling my glass.

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.

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!!!