Russian River Toronado 20th Anniversary

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

Bottle (750ml). Shared with blankboy, garthicus, jerc and mabel - my bottle via trade with Superman - I mean Irishboy!!. Rating #3300. Cloudy deep ruby-amber pour, average frothy off-white head. Wonderful aroma - sour, caramel malt, tons of yeast, vanilla and oak resin - niiiice. Taste - sour, lemony, yeasty, slightly lactic, floral, sweet and rich. Friggin lovely - thanks, Richard! I want more ....

Many, many thanks to bgramer for meeting up and sharing this with me while he was in Houston. Pours a hazy ruby color with an eggshell head that never faded away completely and left some awesome lacing. Aroma had big funk at forefront, some pepper and oak; slight berries, tart grapes, cherries, green apple; as it warmed there was a slight buttery/creamy note, some brown sugar and some grape juice. Flavor was bleu cheese and sharp oaky tannins at first; cherry, blueberry, peppery; as it warmed strawberry and sherry became present for me. The aftertaste seemed like a bit of candied brown sugar with butter. Full bodied carbonation with a slightly slick finish. Mineral like water qualities and a slight bit of alcohol as it warms. Overall this was an amazing experience of a beer.

Bottle generously shared by mreusch. Pours a cloudy, light reddish brown with a thin skin of off-white bubbles that deposit wispy lace upon the glass. The nose is of sour dark cherries with a supporting note of oak. Medium-bodied and slick, the mouthfeel transitions to a tart, woody finish. The flavor follows the nose with a bit of a fruity (almost oxidized) note; probably a contribution from the wine barrels used on some of the beers used to create this blend. This is a pretty nice beer. Thanks again for sharing it with us, Matt.

From older notes. Rust color pour with a big white head. Aroma is sour and a bit funky, but not very strong. Sour/tartish flavor with lively carbonation. Smooth and drinkable, but not great.

750 ml bottle courtesy of the always generous mreusch. Pour is a slightly hazed ruby and brown with an off white head that falls quick. Decent lacing. Aroma of ripe black cherries and oak barrel woodiness. Maybe some spicy pepper behind that. Taste is nice tart cherries, oak woodiness and a bit of alcohol warming sharpness to the end. Taste is mashed cherries, get skin, stems, etc. Quite a bit of red wine tannin. As this warms, the oak fades a bit. Alcohol is present, though decently integrated. A million thanks for letting me try this one Matt!

750ml bottle, with another HUGE THANK YOU to Davecooks for another awesome and rare sour! Pours a mostly clear ruby/burgundy with a two finger foamy tan head, surprisingly good lacing. Aroma has sour cherry, pinot noir, and oak, all harmonized nicely. Flavor is similar, with a bit of lingering sourness. Better than the Cable Car, but another one where it doesn’t really match the hype. Don’t get me wrong, it’s well done and enjoyable, but there are better out there that are much more accessible. Thanks again Dave!

Pours a flat dark caramel. Interesting tart and funk nose with a bit of cherry like sweetness. The flavor is quite the same, with a delicate mouthfeel and complexity, with a light oak finish. Extremely smooth and no sign of alcohol.

From my backlog at DLD ’08. Many thanks to whomever brought this! Beautiful golden-hue with a bit of orange. Wonderful head with some nice lacing. A bit of sour fruit, cherry pits, balsamic vinegar and funk. Typical Russian River goodness and complexity in the flavour. Quite a bit of funk with a good balance of grain and bitterness. Bit of residual tart sweetness on backend, but quickly changing to a nice dry finish.