Russian River Hopfather

Brewed by Russian River Brewing
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Santa Rosa, California USA

wow! twice as many hops as pliny the younger, yes the younger, but all flavoring and aroma hops! amazing smell and incredibly complex taste. the cheese funk from the 10 year old hops used, yes 10 years old, is incredible. the hops essence can literally be slightly felt in the eyes, almost like vaporub. the hops are insane, making you smell like you are drenched in hop oil, yet it is only the 13.5 # of hops per barrel in this beer, yes 13.5# per barrel! yet with all the hop essence, more true of a form than i’ve ever experienced, it is incredibly smooth. only 5.0 to date, nuff said.

A beautifully crafted wet, sticky, and juicy hop explosion. I fell in love with the scent and enjoyed a few of these this weekend. The beer has a rather perfect texture and aroma, which meshes with the big flavor that is sure to drive some people away. This was a new keg of the new batch, and I think it will impress over past batches. The only negative is the low gravity, which was surprising for the sweetness.

Draught at the Bistro IPA fest. Clear straw with a sticky head. Huge fruity aroma with grapefruit, mangos and peaches. Soft and rounded with lots of fruit in the flavor. Dry and light in the malt department, with a light body. The flavor is almost pure fruity hops, with no harshness or obtrusive bitterness. Not really like their other IPAs, and maybe only similar to sculpin in its profile. The spec sheet said 72 IBUs, but the bitterness is so smooth that you hardly even notice it. The amarillo hops add a really nice dimension to the aroma, with the mango and peach components coming through over the more citric notes you might expect from the cascade and centennial that are also used. Definitely another standout addition to the RR IPA lineup, and a unique one. Probably tied with Kern River for the best IPA of the festival.

Tap at the Bistro IPA fest. A phenomenal IPA all-around. Strong aroma of citrusy/piney hops, flavor similar with a little pale malt to balance. Floral, piney, and grapefruity. This is really meant to showcase the hops it seems, which Vinnie does well. Body is medium and hop oils linger on the palate.

On tap at Toronado 22nd anniversary. This blonde ale poured with a thin off-white head and a strong pine aroma. This beer is nicely made. There is a delicious caramel malt base and a serious IBU count that meld into a very tasty brew. I could drink a lot of this.

Draft at the Bistro’s IPA Fest. I was first in line and this was the first beer i had at the Fest! My rating 2600! They liked this so much Vinnie had to have Guy (savetheales) bring another keg down about 2PM! Nose of citrus and pine and caramel. Clear light amber with a big glass lacing beige head. Flavor was nicely bitter!

Big thanks to Robert for breaking this one out at a recent tasting. The growler opens with an impressive pop and then pours a clear golden orange with a small soapy off-white head that leaves spotty lacing and sticks around as a collar. The aroma is big and juicy - with tons of grapefruit, oranges, lemons on the citrus side but with a definite PtE-like floral presence. The malt sweetness is present in the background but it’s really all about the sweet, juicy hops. The taste starts out with some sweetness from the citrus with grapefruits and oranges up front. The caramel malts form a solid backbone to balance the hops and the floral pine bitterness finishes things off and leaves a slightly resinous taste on the palate. The mouthfeel is sticky with hops and had impressive carbonation given it’s a growler. It’s probably on the lighter side of things as in terms of body but in a good way and makes for massive drinkability. Well, there’s no doubt that Vinnie can make one hell of an IPA and this is no exception. Well balanced with lots of citrus and floral hops and exceptionally drinkable.

a lot of hops with less resin than pliny. just a bit of funk. vinnie is great at big and wonderful brews. this hop bomb works even if it doesn’t have the bright luster of his Plinys.