Russian River Happy Hops

Brewed by Russian River Brewing
Style: Golden Ale/Blond Ale
Santa Rosa, California USA

Great hop taste is front and center and the malt offers perfect support. A little lighter than I’d prefer, but hoppy for a blond ale so I can’t complain. There is a little metal to it, and its just a little bit thin. Slightly off perfect.

Apparently, this brew is their Aud Blonde but with more hops, yum! On-tap at the brewpub. Pours bright, light orange/amber with a thinnish white head, good spider web lace. Smells mellow hoppy and smooth grassy. Tastes hoppy but not too bitter, just nice floral and tasty hoppy. A touch of lingering grassy bitterness as well as some malty sweetness. Medium body, good carbonation.

On tap at the brewpub. Pours pure gold with off white head and spotty lacing. The mild aroma hits with citrus and spice hops with a modest background of sweet malts. The taste is fresh crisp delicious hops right up front with spice hops and some grapefruit. The hops move toward grassy-leafy by midway. The bitterness increases as the finish approaches but allows for a moment or two of sweet malt to rise up and be heard. It ends dry with a bit of sour mouth pucker sensation.

On tap at the Falling Rock for the Russian River kickoff in Colorado, this was described as a hoppy blonde ale. It smelled like serious west coast hops. The flavor was also very hoppy but it didn’t make me think pale ale or IPA, very strange style-wise. There was also a soapiness to the flavor but it wasn’t a detractor as well as an earthy stink. Many folks around me described this as an IPA but I disagree. It almost seemed like a heavily hopped redemption but at the same time it didn’t seem like a belgian-style. Weird but good as is the case with RR. Serving type: on-tap Reviewed on: 08-21-2008 01:36:18

Pours with a golden body topped by a medium thick head with a good amount of lacing. It’s hoppy and bitter with notes of pine and grapefruit as well as grassy notes and a light malt sweetness. Light to medium bodied and smooth.

Tap at RR. Pours a translucent golden with a medium creamy white head that left great lacing. Aroma of floral and citrus American hops, bread, tea, cereal grains and a touch of wheat. Flavor of fesh American hops, mostly citrus and floral notes, bready, pleasant hop bitterness and flavor.

On tap @ Falling Rock poured a clear gold with a lasting off white head. Aromas of carmel, pine, earthiness, grapefruit and light orange. Palate was medium bodied and smooth with a dry finish. Flavors of carmel, pine, earthiness and grapefruit rind with a smooth dry moderatly bitter finish.

Draft @ Russian River. Pours a very similar color to the Aud Blonde: clear, bright, medium-golden color; white head with gorgeous, fine-bubbled lacing. Basic toast, sugar, and mineral bitterness in the aroma; nicely dry; some light pine. Medium mouthfeel: lots of honey, Belgian sugar, and dry mineral bitterness; again, touches of pine; oily, resiny, fresh hop presence throughout; fresh, dripping tree fruit with a very dry, toasty core. Medium finish: toasty and plenty of mineral hops.