Damnation - Russian River Brewing Company

CharlesRiver

Connecticut

4.03/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12.68oz brown bottle, capped and caged. Pours out just ever so slightly darker than the Redemption. Golden body with a fluffy white head. Again, tons of bubbles just like the Redemption.

Smell is light with some yeast notes coming through. Also getting something sweet as well. Taste is much like I expected. Sweet lemon and yeast notes, much less biscuit than Redemption as well as dryness. Great balance in this brew as nothing seems big or out of place. I do get some slight alcohol coming into play but nothing over the top.

Drinkability is good for this style but to me, this is more of a sipper. Overall, a solid beer that should be respected.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2011 02:27:59 | More by CharlesRiver

Dcunicelli

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +9%

05-19-2013 21:16:40 | More by Dcunicelli

GuzzLah

Illinois

4/5  rDev -3.1%

05-19-2013 17:01:26 | More by GuzzLah

drgonzo2k2

California

4/5  rDev -3.1%

05-19-2013 14:13:53 | More by drgonzo2k2

Photekut

Azerbaijan

4/5  rDev -3.1%

05-19-2013 01:13:41 | More by Photekut

alanv

California

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%

05-18-2013 21:35:57 | More by alanv

beernads

Florida

4/5  rDev -3.1%

05-18-2013 06:43:02 | More by beernads

Cubatobaco

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%

05-18-2013 02:53:53 | More by Cubatobaco

gcamparone

Rhode Island

4.2/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a goblet. Acquired as an extra in a trade from

A- Pours a golden hazy body with a 1" white head that reduces slowly to a layer of foam.

S- Kinda grassy with banana, citrus lemon-lime, and freshly cut pineapple notes. Aroma is not overpowering.

T- starts off with fruity notes including banana, tropical fruit, and lemon notes. The finish is grassy and slightly bitter with a pine aftertaste.

M- medium body, medium-heavy carbonation. Pretty drinkable.

Another great from Russian river- these bottle conditioned beers never cease to impress. Super complex and flavorful.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 01:55:09 | More by gcamparone

brydeen

Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4

Batch date 03-11-13

A: Pours a golden hazy color. A massive 2 inch frothy white almost explodes out of the glass, and hangs around for several minutes. Very effervescent carbonation continues in the glass.

S: A nice yeasty aroma. Sweet bready notes. Reminiscent of dried bananas. A faint spicy aroma emerges as well.

T: Sweet and spicy at the same time. A grassy, peppery flavor. Has a dry, nutty flavor, with very little sweetness. Nothing really standing out alone, but integrated together very well.

M: Really pleasant texture. Rich, creamy, and thicker bodied than it looks. Carbonation is about perfect. It's very active, yet smooth and silky.

O: Yet another very solid offering from Russian River. Very smooth and creamy, with a pleasant but subtlety flavored brew. Extremely easy to drink for 7.7%. Certainly worth giving a try.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 01:22:24 | More by brydeen

Cboat

California

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%

05-16-2013 17:35:36 | More by Cboat

twenty5

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -3.1%

05-15-2013 17:42:09 | More by twenty5

earlholman

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev -3.1%

05-14-2013 13:32:51 | More by earlholman

2dogbrew

Virginia

4/5  rDev -3.1%

05-13-2013 21:47:52 | More by 2dogbrew

Bonko_the_sane

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%

05-13-2013 06:14:12 | More by Bonko_the_sane

kevanb

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

375ml bottle, dated 12/5/12, poured into a Russian River Stemmed -tion glass.

The beer pours a nice hazy golden honey color, hues of straw and orange with a nice 2 finger white head, fizzy and soapy in texture. The aroma is fairly straightforward, light funk, belgian yeast, wildflower, light citrus with a bit of banana and clove with some pale grain. Lots of yeast on the tongue, crisp and zesty with some mild lemon citrus, wildflower, pale straw and grain, just a touch of funk with a bit of light fruit and clove. Alcohol just warms the tongue at the finish but is otherwise undetectable. The body is very lively, coats the mouth well, while the finish is overly prickly and lacks a creamy touch.

Verdict: A very solid Belgian Strong Pale Ale from Russian River and one of the benchmarks for American brewers who are trying to replicate this style. The balance is on point and while the complexity isn't stunning, this beer hits the mark, a classic American take on a traditional Belgian style.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 02:43:06 | More by kevanb

SCZ

Illinois

4/5  rDev -3.1%

05-13-2013 01:51:43 | More by SCZ

outoffocus

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +9%

05-13-2013 00:14:40 | More by outoffocus

mikeburd1128

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -3.1%

05-12-2013 17:10:58 | More by mikeburd1128

bonSreeB

Alabama

4/5  rDev -3.1%

05-12-2013 03:48:39 | More by bonSreeB

erialbill

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%

05-12-2013 03:45:55 | More by erialbill

themilkman87

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -9.2%

05-11-2013 23:10:19 | More by themilkman87

StuporJew

Texas

4.14/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the bottle into my DFH tulip, leaving the yeast behind... *Sigh*

A - Pours a cloudy, light copper. The aggressive pour produces a HUGE 3-finger rocky head, that hangs on for an eternity. (Pun intended) As the head diminishes, thick, white lacing abounds around the glass. The head is as white as Angel wings, and the carbonation is insanely, over the top, and flowing. Hooray.

S - Wheat-malt, Candi Sugar, and banana/clove esters abound. The smell is more akin to a Hefe, and less to a Belgian Golden ale. Light citrus notes are in there somewhere too. Yummy.

T - Creamy, and smooth on the palate. Bits of banana's foster-esque sweetness hit the front of the palate, with wheat notes and bready yeast notes on the back. The alcohol is well hidden,
and warming, but not hot. A little persimmon hits as well, with some minerality closing out the finish.

M - Again, creamy, without the carbonation overtaking the whole show.
Soft, and smooth, like raw silk in beer form. RRBC scores again!

O - A damned fine beer. The sad part is, I'm in Texas, and will have to wait for another kind soul to send one my way. Needless to say, I'm glad I got to have it, and given the chance, would gladly do so again! If you find a pint of Damnation in reach, DAMN THE TORPEDOES, and DRINK ONE!!!

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 03:27:08 | More by StuporJew

waddellc2

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -15.3%

05-11-2013 00:30:36 | More by waddellc2

Capman62

New York

4.5/5  rDev +9%

05-10-2013 21:07:42 | More by Capman62