Russian River Empirical 7

GABF 2009. Pours hazy yellow with a small, fizzy white head, mostly diminishing with spare lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (hay, straw, cereal, meal), light hop (flowers), heavy yeast (horse blanket, barnyard, earth) with notes of coriander and ginger. Medium bodied, thin texture, average carbonation, and a chalky finish. Long duration, light sweetness, acidity, and bitterness. Heavy Brettanomyces character.

Sampled at GABF. Golden pour with lots of white head. Aroma is spicy, bretty, some leather. Flavor is dry, lightly funky, some horse. Leather, a bit tart. Nice mouthfeel. Could drink a lot of this

On tap at the brewpub. The look is slightly cloudy, golden in color with a good off white head. The smell is bretty, fruits, tart, yeat, and hops. The taste is yeast, fruits, bretty, very dry, some light tartness.

About 20 samples at GABF 09, one of my favorites of the fest that I kept going back to when in the Cali/NY aisle. Pours a nice hazy blond with a massive white head that never went away and left crazy lacing in the pitchers it was poured from. Aroma was nice earthy leathery horse-like brett, very spicy from phenolic yeast, and green and hoppy. Flavor is doughy crisp clean, light pils and pale malts, toast, dry earth, leather,and nice big funky dryness from the brett- bone dry and very refreshing- modestly bitter as well. Nice stuff.

sample from the pitcher at GABF on 9/26/09... light golden color with white head... light citrus nose... medium dry body... somewhat different finish... very dry and tart.

draft @ Brouwer’s Sour fest - light gold with fizzy white head; brett is the big time aroma mixed with some wheat and lemongrass; nice zing and quite thin; crazy dry finish; when the Publication later came out I think it’s the added sweetness is what makes the difference over this pilot version

Draft @ Russian River. Pours a slightly hazy, honey-yellow color; thin off-white head with patchy retention and lacing. Nicely dry, bretty aroma showing some kaffir lime leaves, citrus, and some sweet honey notes; sweet, juicy core notes with some mineral bitterness. Medium mouthfeel: honey and bretty lime / citrus shows prominently upfront; relaxed carbonation; slightly flabby edges, but the core is a dense honey and Belgian sugar combination (with mineral bitterness) that stays dry enough overall. Medium finish of bread and honey notes, still dry.

Pitcher pour at 2009 GABF. Pours a thin head, over a slightly cloudy, pale yellow (SRM 3) body...nose seemed rather light, with vanilla, bit of citrus, bit of floral hop, bit of barnyard.......taste is similarly light, with floral, citrus, finishing dry....mouth feel and carbonation were also with a light hand. I did not get as much out of this as others, it tasted good, and fits the style, but seemed more typical of the style than not. Tasting of 9/26/09.