Beatification - Russian River Brewing Company

tectactoe

Michigan

4.78/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

Batch 005, big, big thanks to Tim for pulling this one out of the cellar and sharing it. Definitely a nice surprise. Pours a somewhat dull, golden-yellow blend with a mild chill haze, leaving the beer translucent with very mild clarity. The small, eggshell colored head builds up to almost a half-inch before quickly fizzling away into thin air.

Just from the aroma, I can already tell that this is gonna be one tart and sour MF'er. I bring my nose to the glass and my nostrils are immediately assaulted by an army of acidic and tart aromas; pure lactic acid in a glass. I'm kidding... But, seriously. Green apples, grapes, cherries, tart vinegar, mild oak, and a light but noticeable funk in the background. Probably one of the most sour "smelling" beers I've had the pleasure of sniffing, so I can only imagine how this one is going to taste. It's already got my saliva glands bubbling.

The taste is a brilliant collaboration of everything picked up on the nose, only amplified about a hundred times - extremely fruity and zesty. It's super sour and extremely tart, right from the beginning. Definitely one of the biggest lip-smacking, puckering beers I've had. Juicy, sour apples, lemon juice, white grapes. Huge acidity with heaps of vinous and vinegar flavors. Every single nook and cranny of my mouth is coated with this incredibly sour flavor. It's got me salivating like Pavlov's fucking dog over here. Some light wood and oak comes into the beer near the end and into the aftertaste, along with a light bit of funk, yeast, and musk. Thin-medium bodied with a huge bout of carbonation.

Whew! Now that's a sour beer. Huge sour flavors - so incredibly tart and puckering. Suck a lemon or drink pure lactic acid and you're right on par with Beatification. Nice little addition of funky and Brett notes, too. Thanks again to Tim for breaking this one out, it was incredible.

EDIT: 5/12/2013

Had an earlier batch at Jeff's house (thanks, Jeff!) and this stuff was even better than I remembered. So impossibly sour and so incredibly drinkable. I've never been more sad to see an empty glass.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 18:47:51 | More by tectactoe

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