Beatification - Russian River Brewing Company

tarheels86

California

4.53/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

750mL b3 courtesy of joeneugs. This beer froze in the mail, nearly exploded and now trying it, somehow it hasn’t lost one bit of its spectacularity. The cork pops with good pressure, pours with good, spritzy carbonation leaving a small, white head that dissipates quickly. Looks cloudy, beautiful grapefruit juice in color like a top notch geuze. Aroma is similar to the best geuzes I’ve tried: lemon sorbet, fresh grapefruit juice, grapefruit rind, white pepper. Taste is bright, fresh grapefruit and lemon with quenching tartness. Not very funky or horsey- more fresh citrus. Some oak, sour peaches, and Granny Smith apples shine through. The definite hit of our tasting. Thanks Joe!

375mL b2 courtesy of MrChopin. I’ve been debating about upping the score from 4.3 to 4.4 seeing that I dream of this beer on an almost constant basis. This, my third time trying the beer, has confirmed that it is time. Beatification b2 is so drying and so wildy complex with spicy cedar, drying oak, lemon/lime/orange, leather, peaches, apricots...it is an all encompassing sour experience that is never acedic, never citric. Just spot on perfection. My notes for this say, "It’s like the world ended and I was resurrected in paradise." Later on into the night my notes will say "HOLY SHIT." 10/26/2010 9/4/9/5/18=4.5

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2012 20:38:28 | More by tarheels86

stxSS07

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

375ml C&C into a Teku.

A- Pours a cloudy, semi-radioactive orange-yellow. Active carbonation constantly climbs up the sides of my tulip. Eggshell white head fizzles away quickly leaving a thin ring/wispy cap. 4

S- Bracing acidity, lemon/zest, tart green apple, and earthy/dirt funk. Very geuze-like, but muchhhh more sour. 4.5

T- Not as scathingly sour as the nose suggested, but just about there. Puckering acidic sourness on par with straight lemon-juice. Once that fades away notes of mild/earthy funk creep in. Finishes with some juicy/fruit notes in there as well. Simple, but damn tasty. 4.

M- Carbonation is very fine/high. Very light and refreshing body. I’d love to open another one by the pool. 4.5

O- I can see why people rave about this beer, but for the effort involved I’d rather just drink Boon Mariage Parfait. Although Beat is a better brew, it’s just barely so. 4

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2012 05:01:49 | More by stxSS07

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

4.8/5  rDev +6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured from a corked and caged bottle into a Dogfish snifter. Batch 5, bottled on 1/10/12

A- pours a slighty hazy yellowish/orange with a half finger pure white head. The head is completely solid, no bubbles getting through, perfect layer of lacing...gorgeous

S- slight aroma of lemons, with a nice bit of funk in there too. Good, but not overly fragrant

T- intensely sour. As in, I take a sip and I can feel it in my ears. Tons of citrus...grapefruit, lemon, and all-out funk.

M- the body on this sour is actually thicker than I have ever seen in a wild/lambic style. Carbonation level is good

O- this is one of the absolute best beers I've ever had, and completely worth the price tag and cost from shipping from Cali. If you're a fan of sours and you've never had this...well, what the hell are you waiting for?!

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 23:37:13 | More by bigfnjoe

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

4.48/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a hazy light orange color and a thin white lacing ring, no carbonation.

S - Pears, white grapes, sour apple, lots of wet earthiness, acidic, and assertively tart.

T - Follows the nose with pears, sour apples, white sour grapes, acidic tartness, light oak tannin, lots of funk.

M - A wet finish with so much sourness that it angrily sucks the spit off your tongue. (Literally!) Medium body with gentle cask-like feel.

O - Probably one of the most pungent and interesting sours that I've had to date.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2012 23:30:23 | More by jzeilinger

russwbeck

Virginia

3.48/5  rDev -23.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Batch 4

A: Hazy yellow pour with a number of bubbles racing to the top of the beer. About a finger or two of white head sticks around for a good amount of time, and laces nicely.

S: It smells like sour tartness and not much else. Slight oaky and yeasty underneath.

T: Like the smell, I'm having difficulty describing the taste. It's basically just tart and sour with not much complexity. That's not to say I don't like it, I think it tastes very good, it just isn't much different than any American Wild Ale you could pick up off the shelf. The balance between tart and sweet is quite nice.

MF: Light and bubbly, the cork almost popped out of the bottle without any pulling. Very drinkable I would say.

O: For what this took to get I'm a bit disappointed. It just tasted a bit average for me. The aggressive sour is impressive, but the rest of the beer doesn't entirely back it up.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 00:57:50 | More by russwbeck

Bendurgin

Maine

4.2/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Huge thanks to Stupac for this one. Thanks homey. This one pours a clear golden honey color with a quickly dissipating head.

The aroma has a nice crisp tartness to it with hints of sour apples, vinous grapes and lemon. Acidic and woody with a little bit of basement must. Sour and tart with apple sweetness and a nice tart lemon flavor. Woody notes with a nice funky background.

Nice and light on the body with good carbonation. Overall this one is great. Wonderfully drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2012 04:33:48 | More by Bendurgin

andrewinski1

Maine

4.15/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The label says bottled on 011012. Thanks a bunch to Bendurgin for sharing this tickalicious brew. The color is light golden. There is a small layer of bubbles on top.

The aroma has some nice tartness and lemongrass showing prominently. A hint of sweet-tart like candy could be perceived here.

The taste is full of lemon sourness in the front and the finish. I get a little more sweetness from the beer after several sips. Any oak or barrel notes are subtly placed in the finish. This is a very strong taste, suitable for slow sipping.

This is medium bodied with smooth carbonation. Overall, this is a real treat; one I'd love to have more of.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2012 04:32:29 | More by andrewinski1

orangesol

Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

We decided to do a segmented vertical at ffej of july this year. I brought my Batch #2, Deuane brought his Batch #3, and Jwiss22 brought his Batch #5. This review will be a combination of the three.

A - Pours hazy golden yellow with a small half finger tall white head leaving very small streaks of lace down a small portion of the glass.

S - Smells of lots of acidic sourness, white grape, lemons, green apples, oak and some barnyard funk. Batch #2 is mostly sourness at this point, Batch #3 has all the flavors in near perfect balance and Batch #5 is probably the "fruitiest" of the three.

T - Starts off with an intense sourness that never really goes away. The fruit - the lemons, grapes and apples from the nose - combine with some musty barnyard funk and dry oak to offer some contrast to the sourness but they can only do so much. Finish is quite dry, lingering on the palate long after consumption.

M - All three batches possess a light body with intense flavors and moderate to moderately low carbonation. Very sour, dry finish on all three batches.

O - All three of these were really good. My Batch #2 was definitely the most sour, Batch #3 was probably my favorite since it was the most balanced and Batch #5 just tasted a little raw compared to the other two. This was a seriously delicious test.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2012 02:15:27 | More by orangesol

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

4.56/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Huge thanks to ArchEnemyBrew for sending this beer my way! Thanks Hollis!

Batch 5; bottled on 01/10/2012.

A nice loud pop heard when the cork came out of the bottle. 375ml C&C bottle poured into duvel tulip.

Appearance: Glowing brilliant yellow bodied beer with one finger of white head that drops to a thin cap that stays around for the entire beer.

Smell: Vinegary; tart lemons jump out at your right away. The oak barrel is really noticable too. Earthy, wheat, hay / straw notes and some citrus is in there too.

Taste: This beer is sour! Gotta say its on the high end of moderate or it might even break into the low end of high tart sourness. Sour lemons with a touch of vinegar and a touch of funk. Big oak barrel notes as well. Grapefruit and orange rinds. Lite earthiness, citris, and moderate tart finish to the beer.

Mouthfeel: Low end of a medium bodied beer with moderate carbonation levels. The mouthfeel on this sour is phenominal. Nice dry finish. Very lively carbonation. Huge flavors, yet the beer remains quite drinkable.

Overall: Probably my favorite Russian River sour to date. Its just a seriously delicious sour beer that packs a punch.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2012 02:45:35 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT

adam42381

Florida

4.58/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 375ml corked and caged bottle into a Spiegelau tulip. Bottled on 1/10/12 printed on label.

Appearance: Pours a light honey gold with a 1-2 finger sudsy snow white head. There is a fair amount of sludgy buildup inside the bottle where the cork came out, but it doesn't seem to pour into the beer. The head dissipates quickly leaving a small ring around the edges before finally disappearing altogether. Little to no lacing once the head dissipates.

Smell: Tart, but not overpoweringly. There is a hint of barnyard funk to go along with apple cider, sweet white wine, lemon, vinegar and a touch of oak. Extremely complex aroma which balances sweetness with tartness.

Taste: Wow, that's one intensely tart array of flavors! Vinegar and wine grape hulls up front followed by sweet cider and touch of funk in the middle before ending with lemon zest and just a faint hint of oak. Aftertaste is bitter, tart and very dry with notes of earthiness, oak tannins and a little funk.

Mouthfeel: Light-to-medium-bodied with an very high amount of prickly carbonation. The mouth is coated by the puckering sourness.

Drinkability: Excellent drinkability. I could drink a lot of this beer if only I were lucky enough to have multiple bottles.

Overall: Excellent beer overall. Russian River really knocked it out of the park with this one. I can't imagine a sour beer getting much better than this. I can't recommend it enough.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2012 21:27:43 | More by adam42381

axeman9182

New Jersey

4.4/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

375 mL bottle from batch 5, opened for review #550. Thanks to afrokaze for the hookup, and this was poured into my Duvel tulip.

Beatification pours a crystal clear golden yellow. There's maybe a finger's worth of white foam crowning the beer, and it disappears quickly and quietly. The nose has a good bit of acidity to it. It's very citric, with some bright lemon poking through. There's also a good bit of funk, some earthiness and also pineapple/tropical fruits. The flavor follows suit, displaying the full potential of wild yeast/bacteria. The tartness is perfect, bold and attention grabbing without turning the beer into vinegar. A brief flash of lemon opens the beer nicely, before a tiny bit of oak and some earthy and fruity funk come in and fill the mid palate. The acidity comes back in for a lingering finish. The body is just a little bit full, and the carbonation a little bit lifeless, and combined they're enough to make mouthfeel just feel... off. Despite one or two minor quibbles, Beatification is a fantastic sour beer. It's managed to not only live up to all the community generated hype, but all the anticipation I had for it personally after getting to try only an ounce or two at a tasting a few years ago. I'm glad I have a couple more bottles tucked away in the cellar.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 04:43:20 | More by axeman9182

zhanson88

Montana

4.33/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Adam for busting this great brew out at an impromptu tasting!

Appearance: Pours a perfectly clear golden color with 1/4" of white head. Carbonation is there, but fairly minimal for the style. Head retention is nice, as a nice layer remains throughout the duration of the beer. The clarity and clear, warm color make the appearance of this beer very nice.

Smell: Smells of lemons, tartness, some pale fruitiness (maybe some mango and peach), slight funk and light mustiness. Pretty nicely balanced between the tartness, funk and fruit character.

Taste: Some initial sweetness that is slightly peachy with some mango, followed by lemony tartness, slight funk, and a very sour finish. This beer definitely has more lacto sourness than brett funk, as the taste lacks funk and mustiness for the most part. A very good taste, but wish it had that extra gear. Still, good.

Overall/Mouthfeel: Mouthfeel is perfect. Light bodied with ample carbonation. Overall, a damn nice wild that I was excited to try, and would definitely have again.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2012 03:00:23 | More by zhanson88

iadler

Minnesota

3.55/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Batch 5. Thanks to exitmusic00 for cracking this open prior to our bcbs vertical tasting.

A- Pours a bright gold with a thin white head that leaves minimal lacing.

S- Plenty of lemon juice and peel as well as peach upfront, followed by lacto, horse blanket and vinegar.

T- Damn this is sour, just tons of lemon juice, lemon peel, lacto, horse blanket, vinegar and a hint of peach.

M- Fairly high carbonation and a light body with a long dry finish with the sourness lingering on.

O- This is quite sour, but that's pretty much it. Nothing too complex and am confused why this is considered a top wild from RR. Have had a few others from them and this just seems to lack any depth their other offerings had. Glad I got to finally try it, but wouldn't really seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2012 20:13:33 | More by iadler

williamjbauer

West Virginia

4.5/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served on tap

A. Golden pale straw with a 1.5 finger khaki head with good retention and nice bubbly lacing.

S. lemon candies, earthy peaty, Brett funk, bread

T. Closely follows the nose starting with lemon and bready sweetness but accompanied with very funky earth and a quite dry and sour finish.

M. Full body moderate to high carbonation. Crisp

O. Their wild ales are just ridiculous. Amazing spring beer.

Serving type: on-tap

07-08-2012 09:29:36 | More by williamjbauer

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.85/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Yellow and orange appearance, looks darker than pte, almost appearance wise is more akin to a typical dipa moreso than a wild ale. Real good looking head, this is the best looking wild ale I may have ever seen, just pristine.

Really massive sour notes, dry, earthy and extremely citrusy (and not just lemon).

Taste, wow, immediately reminds me why this is my favorite of the Russian -tion beers. And then it makes me pontificate whether I like this more than framboise for a cure or pty. Yup, that good. Body is light, taste, sour power is heavy. Keeps the brett aspect down, lets the other germs dominate. Never approaches anything that could be considered vinegar-esque. Oak notes are mild. Its all about orange type citrus notes, dry and earthy hyper drive sour.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2012 16:07:31 | More by Beerandraiderfan

mattsander

Alberta (Canada)

4.68/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

2012 Vintage

A: Deep yellow, excellent clarity with beautiful pinpoint carbonation. As appetizing as a beer can look!

S: Damp cotton, lemon candies, wet leaves, lactic twang. Smells very familiar as a Gueuze, but there's something unique about the profile. Perfect.

T: Lemons at first, then a big wave of smooth earthy brett character. Wool. An extremely dry and sour finish even by Lambic standards. Has a slight 'coarseness' in the aftertaste, but flawless aside from that.

M: Torrential carbonation and VERY dry. High drinkability, highly refreshing, I love this beer.

So glad I finally got a chance to try Beatification. This beer blew me away as much as any Cantillon I've ever had.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 21:46:22 | More by mattsander

DarthKostrizer

California

4/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Batch 5 had a few times now and finally got around to reviewing it

Look: Pours a translucent yellow orangish color with a 1/4 inch white head and ok retention with some carbonation bubbles

Smell: The nose has quite a bit of funk going on with some crisp citrus notes finishes with a touch of oak

Taste: This one starts out sour with quite a bit of lactic acid and it can become a distraction. Behind the sourness is the some barnyard funk lemon zest and vinegar

Mouthfeel: Light body lots of carbonation very sour and dry and makes you pucker

Overall: For the style this is a good beer but for me I find it hard to drink and could not see myself finishing a whole bottle. Not a fan of the style in general

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 20:13:13 | More by DarthKostrizer

SkiBum22

New York

4.05/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Batch 5

A - Pours a clear yellowish orange, with a small head that quickly dissipates. Minimal lacing, but some visible carbonation in the glass.

S - Crisp and slightly tart with a funk. Hint of lemon zest and a sliced green apple.

T - This beer packs a very intense sour bite! There's a nice fruitiness (green apple in particular) too and a perceived sweetness though it's actually pretty dry.

M - the brew was medium in body with a low amount of carbonation which had a citrusy, slight fruity, acidic, sour, and dry finish.

O - Another great sour from Russian River. I prefer Supplication and Consecration over this one.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 00:57:14 | More by SkiBum22

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4.58/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Huge huge thanks to dolfan54fl, can't thank you enough. This has been one of my top wants. 375ml bottle Batch #5, poured into wine glass. Tasted about a hour after having supplication. Cork removes with nice loud "pop".

A- Pours a slightly hazy translucent yellowish golden, above average carbonation- a lot of fast rising carbonation bubbles of all diffferent sizes, thin layer of white head (about a half finger) that recedes to leave almost no head.

S- Lots of sour funk. Sour cherries, sour lemons, vinegar, a little bit of hay, barnyard funk, sweaty gym clothes, etc. Very aromatic, could smell when the cork popped and while it is sitting next to me.

T- Sour cherries, sour green apples, a little bit of hay, finishes with a nice sour, tart green apple taste. Leaves a very nice sour green apple aftertaste that lingers for awhile inside the mouth and the lips. A little bit more vinegar/acidic tasting towards bottom of glass. So much flavor packed into this beer that even the last drop cloying to the bottom of the glass + bottle is exploding with a multitude of flavors. Never had a beer that played with the taste buds so much. Only complaint is that at times it was almost too vinegary/acidic and could have been balanced a tiny bit better. Overall though one of the best tasting beers I've had.

M- Light, crisp, refreshing, perfect carbonation to complement the sourness, very easy to drink.

O- This was an awesome beer, probably one of the best I've had. The taste and aroma are right up there with some of the best sours including the Cantillons. I definitely enjoyed this a lot more then the Supplication I had earlier, a lot more funk, more citrusy, and more overall flavor etc.. Definitely a must try if you are into sours. Wish the brewery was on the East Coast.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2012 02:01:26 | More by jaasen64

dogfishandi

New York

4.75/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

HUGE thanks to trxxpaxxs for sharing!

375ml cork and caged bottle, fridge temp, batch 5, bottled on 01 10 12, poured into a snifter.

pours a very nice clear golden color, fairly retentive skim white head, no real lace to speak of.

lots of tart funky brett. tart cherries, sour lemon, a bit floral and lots of nice footy funk.

oh my sour! big tart lemon citrus, sour pie cherry, footy, bretty funk, a bit of green sour apple, and a hint floral. sweet tart like. very sour finish that lingers and definatly makes you pucker.

i love the sourness in this beer, its pretty intense. very tart with a very dry finish. fairly light in body.

this beer (as well as any other RR beer ive had) definatly lives up to all the hype. some very nice funk and intense sour citrus makes this a winner, right up there with cantillion IMO.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2012 01:40:33 | More by dogfishandi

trxxpaxxs

New York

4.6/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

HUGE thanks to leschkie for this bottle...

Batch 005, split with dogfishandi...

A: Pours a cloudy golden straw with a half finger of pure white head that fades pretty quickly. There is no lacing on my glass as it drinks.

S: The nose is sour grapes, sour cherries, rose hips, brett, green apple, and vinegar. Sour is an understatement for this beer. It's glorious, but it's not for the faint of heart.

T: Damn. It's sweet and tart right up front. From that point on, it's just massive sour. Puckering vinegar, green apple, and artificial sours hit you big time. It's like sipping on a liquefied sour patch kid. It's super drying in the finish, and almost hurts the taste-buds.

M: Medium bodied beer. It's massively sour, super funky, and lingers forever. It almost hurts your mouth, but I'm loving it.

O: Fantastic beer. It's mega sour and super delicious. This is a true standout for wild ale fans. It deserves every bit of praise that it gets. Fantastic.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2012 22:04:04 | More by trxxpaxxs

yamar68

Minnesota

4.45/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to bugdoc for this one. '12 vintage poured from bottle to over-sized Mikkeller wine glass:

Pours a beautiful orange/honey gold with carbonation clinging to every corner of the glass. A lively two fingers of starch white head doesn't last as long as I'd expect. Could be the glass though. Still perfect lacing though.

The nose is intense, complex. Obvious funky honey and lemongrass. A deeper kind of sour, not as bright as its brothers and sisters. A great smelling beer.

Wow. Massive on the tongue. Pushing a Warhead level of sour punch. The sour intensity mellows considerably as the beer warms. Grapefruit, rich esters, orange peel/orange juice, syrupy lemonade, truly a gigantic beer. I'm blown away by how much flavor is crammed in here.

The sour side of the beer keeps drinkability rather low but its silky smooth mouthfeel is redeeming.

Overall, very glad to have had the opportunity to try this one. Sour beers are quite foreign to me and gems like these make me excited to try more.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2012 21:23:23 | More by yamar68

mdaschaf

Washington

4.85/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Big thanks to Nanobrew and FosterJM for this one!

A: Slight pop when the cork came off. Pours a hazy golden orange with a nice white, fizzy head on top. Pretty good retention with sporadic lacing that doesn't last too long.

S: Fantastic tartness. Some peach, lemon, apricot, and white grapes. Nice citrus fruits and some nice barnyard funk that blends nicely with the fruit/tartness.

T: Has a very gueuze like flavor, lots of tart lemon and some apricot. Underneath there is some tart green apple and more white grapes. Very mouth puckering and it is amazing.

M: Medium bodied, great level of carbonation. Very tart/acidic, but I am really liking it.

O: Simply put, amazing. One of the best beers I have ever had hands down. Great flavor and extremely tart.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2012 01:08:52 | More by mdaschaf

angrybabboon

Rhode Island

4.83/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Cheers to Goblinmunkey7 for sharing this

Note: Batch 5

Consumed 6/24/12

Appearance: Pours hazy, bright gold - big, white head to start - retains a little cap, leaves a few spots of lacing

Smell: Sour, so much sour - truly a bouquet of bacteria - sharp acidity, tart, with some serious wood - funky, but mostly sour, so sour - some pale malts underneath

Taste: Sour - so, so sour - unbelievably sour - a sharp, glorious sour that coats the mouth and sticks around - some lemon - very tart - some wood in the background, with a base of pale malts - acidic with some citrus

Mouthfeel: Light to medium, nicely carbonated, puckering to the extreme

Overall: Glorious

This is like sour concentrate. It's like alchemy, but with sour flavor. In a word, this is masterful. One of the best beers I've had from Russian River, and that is really saying something.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 17:16:52 | More by angrybabboon

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

4.58/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Thebroth for hooking me up with a bottle.

Appearance: Slightly hazed bright gold. Head is bright white and drops to a tiny, bubbly collar with a wispy cap. Carbonation is lively but not aggressive.

Smell: Mild powdery funk. Oak barrels add a nice woody earthiness. Some lactic tartness as well. Lemon zest with a mild floral undertone. Some old cheese. Touch of Brett breadiness. All kinds of funk with a budding sour edge. Layers of wild. Touch of yeast.

Taste: Lactic acid snap right up front. Sharp and bright. Touches of Brett funk add some hay and grass. Powdery yeast. Lemon zest with some fresh squeezed lemon juice. Some backing sweetness. Wood helps mellow some of the more aggressive tart flavors. Almost citric level of tartness. The barrel Influence helps pull everything together. Mild floral elements. Musty with some hints of ripe cheese. Sharp.

Mouthfeel: Bright. Light body pushes toward medium. Carbonation is moderate, but effervescent. Flavor spreads and dries on each sip. Lingering powdery tartness.

Overall: Top notch stuff. Incredibly complex blend with nice levels of funk and sour.

I'm glad I got to try this. It's worth all the hype and it would likely age incredibly well. Definitely a top showing from an already top level brewery. Incredible stuff to be had. Too bad I don't have more.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 17:04:43 | More by Goblinmunkey7