Russian River Salvation

Brewed by Russian River Brewing
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Santa Rosa, California USA

Batch 006. In a night of Belgian Strong Ales, this one shone bright. I’ve come to expect nothing less from Russian River. The dark, translucent, ruby red body is capped by a small, foamy, beige colored head. Spotty lacing marks the glass. The aroma shows notes of burnt caramel, stewed raisons, figs, and a dry, dusty yeast. Hints of earthy yeast and caramelized banana lend depth, while vinous notes add a dry, slightly sour depth that really sets this brew apart. Flavors follow suit, with the sweet, caramelly, dark fruit base balanced by the dry, funky yeast and lightly tart, vinous notes. Medium-full in body and smooth, the dry yeast again counters the malty sweetness quite well. Overall, this is another great beer from Russian River.

On tap at RR brewpub. Was a pleasantly surprised by a brown sugar and banana flavor that was just the right sweetness. A nice medium-full body with good carbonation. Looked quite beautiful too even in that small 3 oz. taster. Oh well. brought back a 750 mL for a more complete rating later on.

On tap at Toronado. Pours a dark red/brown with creamy off-white head. Dark fruit, raisin, plum, cinnamon, clove, a hint of berries, and finishes with apple and a bit of hops. This is an excellent beer, well worth buying.

1 pint, 9.4 fl oz. bottle purchased at Raja LLiquors in Livermore. The pour: deep dark color, but not translucent! The bouquet: raisins, subtle cloviness, cinnamon, allspice. The palate: definte roasted malts, a nice smokiness to it. nice sharpness in the immediate finish. The finish: toasty.. that’s all I can say. A high quality brew, kudos to Russian River Brewing!

Raisny cinnamon nose, with a hint of clove. Deep dark brown color with some red hues. Cream colored head that lasted forever, great lacing. Brown sugar syrup sweetness, balanced by spices, slight bitterness, and warming alcohol. Creamy full body, tight effervescence, alcohol burns through the whole thing nicely for a long satisfying finish. Excellent beer, complex and well-balanced, no one characteristic dominates--great beer!

On tap at Live Wire, Thanks Naven for the post, I would of never thought Live Wire would have this on tap. Awesome brew. Reminded me of the Ola Dubh. Smoke, sweet liquor oder. Complex and a great finish. Seemed a bit sweet which is great as it shows I shouldn’t open any of the bottles I have for a while. Great future ahead of this brew. Very cool and rare brew around these parts, Thanks Live Wire! Re-taste from bottle. I liked the bottled version better.

~Pours a dark brown color with thin off white head. ~Scent of coriander and yeast. ~Strong coriander and banana yeasty taste. ~Creamy feel, light alcohol tingles on tongue. ~Not really my favorite style of brew, but it does go really well with some foods with garlic.

On Tap @ Live Wire. I love this beer, I truly do. It’s a solid Belgian Strong Ale. Dark colored, viscous, yet very drinkable. Kind of reminds of a cross breed of a Saison, Stout and a Quad. Really good.