Pestilence
Rivertown Brewery & Barrel House

PestilencePestilence
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From:
Rivertown Brewery & Barrel House
 
Ohio, United States
Style:
Flanders Oud Bruin
ABV:
5.4%
Score:
63
Avg:
2.38 | pDev: 34.45%
Reviews:
17
Ratings:
39
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 22, 2015
Added:
Mar 03, 2012
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  2
Pestilence is a sour brown ale brewed with 7 varieties of malted barley and wheat, organic whole Hibiscus flower pedals and spicy hops from the Hallertau growing region of Bavaria. The name Pestilence is derived from the ancient biblical term for infection or plague. Through a natural process called sour mashing, we expose the mash to airborne elements for a period of 48 hours allowing for a natural infection to arise causing the beer to sour. After this process is complete, we collect the sweet, sour runnings and introduce the spicy hops. We then boil it for a period of 1 hour and steep it with fresh hibiscus flower pedals. The end result is a wonderfully aromatic blend of fresh botanical herbs and mouth puckering sourness.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 2.43 by Zonian1 from Ohio

Mar 22, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by crytion from Ohio

Jul 25, 2014
 
Rated: 2.75 by C_Roetting from Kentucky

Sep 30, 2013
 
Rated: 2.25 by NateMac13 from Illinois

Aug 29, 2013
 
Rated: 2.75 by NW2285 from Ohio

Jul 29, 2013
 
Rated: 2 by MSandahl23 from Indiana

May 11, 2013
 
Rated: 1.75 by Boilerfood from Indiana

May 11, 2013
Photo of Urbancaver
Reviewed by Urbancaver from Ohio

1.2/5  rDev -49.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1
Pours out of the bottle looking like a fairly normal beer. I try normally to review the appearance before the aroma but with this beer I just can't....
The aroma dominates. Puke is the only thing that comes to mind. Bile and vomit and acidic aromas overtake the whole room.
I out my nose near this beer attempting to sniff it and I feel immediately like I am going to vomit. It's very hard but I'm going to try to the a sip
Sip went off horribly. It honestly tastes better than it smells.. By a lot. But still not good. That and the mouthfeel is weird. Overall this is one of the worst beers I've ever had. Worse than triple bock by a lot. A huge fail of a beer
Apr 14, 2013
Photo of ONUMello
Reviewed by ONUMello from Ohio

3.3/5  rDev +38.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
12oz bottle poured into a tulip
A: Muddy brown, noticeable yeast particles, a 1/2-finger head that disappears almost as soon as it's poured
S: Melt down some toffee/caramel/butterscotch, pour in some cream & add a handful of flowers. That combination is what I smell. Intriguing, but not necessarily something I want to smell all day
T: A strong sourness is the first thing that comes across. I like acidity in beverages and this is very strong. Tart green apple up front, a large squeeze of lemon & lime, and just a bit of the sweetness & toffee characteristic from the nose on the finish
M: Thin & puckeringly sour though not unpleasant if you don't mind the sourness
O: While perhaps not for everyone, I enjoyed taking my time to sip and contemplate this beer. I think it's my first time trying the style, and I will definitely search out more. Based on this one bottle, I would love to see Rivertown do a collaboration with Cleveland's Indigo Imp. I will also add I really like the layout/design of the beer's label.
Mar 27, 2013
 
Rated: 1 by alexknuckles from Ohio

Mar 03, 2013
 
Rated: 2.75 by SDG1070 from Ohio

Jan 01, 2013
 
Rated: 2.5 by FalconA from Massachusetts

Dec 27, 2012
Photo of buschbeer
Reviewed by buschbeer from Ohio

3.47/5  rDev +45.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
1 pint mason jar. It is not really a growler. Party Town in Florence fills pint jars and growlers.
Served in a flute

A - It looks like the jar was filled from a mud puddle. There is some brown sludge on the bottom of the jar. A fairly aggressive pour yielded me a couple inches of tan head.

S - I get some tart aromas and I swear I get some cocoa.

T - I get some tartness through the middle. It tastes similar to green apples. That's about it. There is no lingering sourness and really no other flavor than the green apple.

M - Moderate.

O - It's different. I would either prefer more sourness or some other flavors to go with the tartness.
Dec 27, 2012
 
Rated: 2.5 by gpawned from Illinois

Dec 24, 2012
 
Rated: 2 by meanmutt from Ohio

Dec 22, 2012
Photo of VncentLIFE
Reviewed by VncentLIFE from North Carolina

2.75/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
Thanks dakkon54. Ive heard things about this beer, but here we go.

It pours a light murky brown with a nice stream of carbonation. Those bubbles are feeding nothing, literally. Small ring for a head.

The smell has lots of dry grain. Kind of smells like Brett ran rampant for a long time on this sucker. Oud Bruin for sure.

Oh the taste is interesting for sure. It starts off very nice. Tart cherries and dark fruits come out straight away, with that nice amount of Flanders Red tartness to it. I really like it up until that point, then theres this flavor that comes in. Its like dry nutty grainy chocolate. It leaves this peanuty like feeling of dryness when I exhale.

I really wish It had stayed with the original flavors, but not. I dont get any floral hibiscus notes at all, which is kind of a disappointment.
Nov 16, 2012
Photo of cbeer88
Reviewed by cbeer88 from Massachusetts

1.89/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
Tasted blindly courtesy of the Blind BIF. Poured into Founders snifter.

Appearance: Color is somewhere between dark amber red and brown. Very thin head, and very little lacing.

Smell: There is something rather foul in the smell. I'm not going to go so far as to call it poop, but it is in that general direction. Let's give it the benefit of the doubt and say basement must, but I have never smelled this before in a beer. Slight fruity berry flavor, in a "these strawberries have been sitting in the fridge for a month" kind of way.

Taste: Oxidized to hell and back. Wet cardboard dominates the backend of the sip. Up front there is a very acetic tartness, and a bit of a mild fruity berry flavor. Decent malt profile, the beer is kind of sweet in spite of the tartness. Really stale aftertaste that I don't like at all.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, and pretty well carbed despite the lack of head.

Drinkability: Not very good - this beer is past its prime.

Overall: I think there was perhaps once something tasty here, but age has not been kind.
Oct 28, 2012
 
Rated: 1.75 by Envelopes from Ohio

Oct 17, 2012
Photo of Ryan011235
Reviewed by Ryan011235 from Ohio

1.18/5  rDev -50.4%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1
On tap in tulip at Bodega on 4/26/12

Medium, rusty brown color. A one half finger head leaves only bubbles around the collar and a few drips of lace.

This smelled like Jolly Ranchers and trash can at first. Then like sour candy. It's waaay sugary. Floral overtones and dirty water. This smells like bad candy, not beer. Oh boy, it tastes like bad candy, too. Tart dark fruits and sour apple. The finish has a puckering notion rattled with musty, dirty lingerings. Carbonation is brash, hurtling anger amid the sourness. Light body with an unpleasant finish.

If sour candy is your thing, you might like this. It ain't for me though. The base brown ale is basically not there.

There's a reason this stayed on tap at Bodega for weeks and weeks. No one was buying it because it sucks.
Sep 06, 2012
 
Rated: 2 by csustar001 from New York

Jul 16, 2012
Pestilence from Rivertown Brewery & Barrel House
Beer rating: 63 out of 100 with 39 ratings