Beatification - Russian River Brewing Company

kawilliams81

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 375 ml cork and cage bottle into a Bell's tulip.

A- pours clean, light caramel with a 2" white head. Some bubbles on the glass resides quickly.

S- sweet citrus, lots of Brett funk and sourness.

T- sour and tartness tingles the roof of you mouth right out the gate. Some sweet citrus swoops in with more Brett funk and sourness that builds throughout.

M- medium body, high carbonation. Funk really tingles the mouth and goes up your nose a little.

O- if you like sour and funk this beer is for you. Possibly the second most sour beer I have had next to Riserva 2010.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2012 01:08:32 | More by kawilliams81

writerLJBerg

Oregon

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

Batch 5, courtesy of a business trip to the Bay Area. Sampled on 6-6, reviewed from notes.

A: Lemon rind yellow. 1/4" head and plenty of carbonation bubbles. Looks ripe.

N: Soured oak staves. Some acetone and barnyard funk. Lemon/sour citrus. There is an unpleasant scent wavering through this which knocks off some points.

T: Probably a 9/10 on the sour scale. Plenty of lemon citrus, and plenty of lactic acid. Great wood base to round things out. SOme pine/earthiness, but not in the way you'd get from hops.

M: Light and spritzy

O: This is really brilliant stuff, particularly if you're in the mood for a palate scraping sour. Highly recommended, and I think RR has finally caught up to Belgium. Depends on if you're in the mood for a 'rounded sour' or a bracing one.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2012 01:04:40 | More by writerLJBerg

Auracom

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

No surprise here, another beneficiary of RR's Batch 5 release. 8 oz. poured into a Fantôme tulip on June 15th, 2012.

A - Looks like a hazier Fou Foune. Good edge-clinging white, soapy head, great lacing.

S - I've never come across a brett aroma that I found particularly "refreshing", but this somehow is. Fresh cut haystacks, earthy, a bit herbaceous, touch of horse blanket, lemon vinegar. Great balance across the full spectrum of aromas here.

T - Sour. Bomb. This goes beyond Cantillon Classic Geuze. The level of biting tartness here is a bit stunning. Sharp citrus at mid-palate. Back end is cleaner grass and herbal.

M - The definition of finishing dry. Combined with the intense mouth watering, this is quite a tease to quench. Great carbonation, light body. Right on.

D - Hits the nail on the head while staying refined. Love it.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2012 15:35:47 | More by Auracom

libbey

Washington

4.63/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

375ml split with my brother and poured in memory of our dog Sidney who passed earlier in the year. I received this as an amazing unsolicited free b from the super generous cfh64 as condolences for my brother and I on losing such an awesome member of the family. Awesome advocacy and I thank you again.

A: The beer pours a hazy yellow straw color with a nice fluffy cap of head with decent retention that left a nice trail of spotty lacing.

S: Huge vibrant sour nose. Great layers of lemon and funk. Really bright and refreshing to smell. Barbyard funk really comes forward as it warms.

T: Holy tartness Batman!! Super punchy lemon acidity that is super dry on the finish. A pure pucker shot. Awesome.

M: The carbonation levels are perfect leaving a fantastic mouthfeel on this medium bodied sour. Finish is super dry and crisp on the pallet. Fantastic stuff.

O: This is an amazing sour from Vinny and the gang at Russian River. If you like sour bombs (I do) than this beer will certainly live up to its lofty status. Simply world class pursue with a passion.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2012 01:00:04 | More by libbey

kscaldef

Oregon

4.7/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Reviewed from notes:

Pours with a great funky, earthy, hay & lemon smell. Rich golden color, somewhat hazy. Very tart on the tongue with earthy, leathery undertones. Not at all astringent, but rather finished crisp and cleanly acidic. Excellent beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2012 21:23:39 | More by kscaldef

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

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

330mL bottle poured into taster - batch 5 - thanks rob

Pours a hazy golden straw yellow color with a bubbly white head. Retains for just a moment before dissolving into some cloudy film with a bit of lacing on the glass.

Punchy, intense tartness in the nose driven by an powerful lemony scent. Hints of citrus peel with funky wetness and hay. Light touch of oak with acid.

Zesty lemon and powerful sourness right off the bat. Citrus peel with funky tones and decent acidity. Puckering sourness continues throughout the profile, drying up on the tongue with some yeasty hints. Finishes with lemon and tartness.

Lighter medium body, slightly higher carbonation, dry, bubbly and extremely lingering on the tongue. If you're looking for an intensely sour beer that packs a punch you won't soon forget, this is the one. I've been waiting to try this for a couple years and it's lived up to the expectations.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2012 02:02:55 | More by xnicknj

Holland

Pennsylvania

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

Batch 005. Thanks to Mista for this delicacy.

A: straw colored pour, fairly clear, with a thin head and decent lacing covering half of the top and refreshing from what looks like heavy carbonation.

S: slightly sweet, very tart, fruity - I get lemon and something more tropical I can't identify as well as some white grapes.

T: very tart, good lemon flavor, some sweetness or malt but I can't tell it's so wonderfully sour. There is a slight green apple tartness, but it takes a back seat to the lemon. Can taste some vinous notes too.

M: medium carbonation, medium-light body, and teeth-etching sourness.

O: very delicious beer. Wish it were easier and cheaper for RR to make.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2012 22:33:39 | More by Holland

lnashsig

Texas

4.98/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is a pretty special one for #BOTG 62. Pretty hard to find, thanks to Kevin Harvest for his generosity here. RR corked and caged bottle, popped bottle, and poured slowly into my JK Farmhouse glass. Pours a really cloudy golden color, some white, tight bubbles in the head. It looks like a sour! It actually resembles a Gueuze in a lot of ways. Smell- sour green apples, citrus, earthy funk! I get some eastern asia tropical fruits (like a star fruit)- very tart aroma. Also, some vinegar aroma. So many things in common with a good gueuze. Taste- oh my god, puckering sour. Its the sour you get from biting right into a green apple (unripened) and gnawing on the skin. There is a sugary tartness on my teeth. Also, I get some sour patch kids sourness too. Definite vinegar present on the end, it works well with the sourness, not a detractor at all. This is an A+ sour. One of the best I've ever had for sure.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2012 01:30:45 | More by lnashsig

AgentMunky

Alabama

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

Poured from a 375mL bottle into a Koningshoeven chalice. Bottled on 10 January 2012. 6.00%

A: Light, frothy white head fades quickly. Super-clear and quite pale. Almost like white wine.

S: Excellent yeast -- sharp, funky, sweet, and sour. Full of fruit and tartness and all the excellent aspects I've come to associate with wild yeast, and none of the lesser aspects.

T: Interesting! Fiercely puckery...almost too much so to drink. Like Warheads as a child, this beer makes my jaw socket ache. Still, it's perversely delicious. A touch of vinegariness that I don't particularly enjoy, almost like olive brine, but otherwise quite nice...bright fruit, very wine-like, very dry, and rather acidic. Some lemons. Overall, enjoyable.

M: Your mouth will want to collapse in on itself. Your tongue will tingle. And you will like it. What a beer!

O: Acidic, interesting, sour, and perhaps a touch overrated. Still, a well-made beer that deserves your attention. I would have another.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2012 06:36:37 | More by AgentMunky

ngeunit1

California

4.9/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A - Pours a hazy golden-yellow color with a finger of frothy white head atop. The head fades down at a normal pace leaving behind some nice lacing.

S - Aroma is full of barnyard funk with sour peach and pear and other light fruits. There is also some lemon peel and other citrus flavors with some oak.

T - Starts off with lots of sourness and funk with some pear and other tart light fruits and lots of farmhouse flavors. Through the middle, some more funky flavors comes through with some Brett and other wild yeast flavors and some oak. The finish is a mix of funky wild yeast flavors with lots of farmhouse flavors, strong sourness, oak, and some lemon peel.

M - Medium bodied with moderate-plus carbonation. Feels smooth with a sour and funky finish.

D - Very drinkable. The sourness and funky flavors are so strong, but at the same time the beer feels very balanced. I really like the wild yeast flavors.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2012 06:59:46 | More by ngeunit1

srandycarter

California

4.73/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thank you Thom for scoring this for me.

A - Cloudy straw, small white head, good cling.

S - Punky, green apple, barn, tart, malt there but in the background.

T - Refreshing. Delicious. Tart, malt in the back but present, crisp.

M - Nice carb, light body, great balance.

D - I see where it gets its high marks.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2012 03:44:52 | More by srandycarter

Kaydogg

Pennsylvania

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

Batch 5 Bottle

A. vibrant yellow with a fluffy white head. Low retention.

S. Huge Lemon sour nose. maybe sour apples, lemon rinds. A little earthiness.

T: Wow ..crazy sour flavor. Lemon tart like a lemon head or sourpatch kids candy.. not much else very dry. pretty one dimensional

Extremely dry..begs you to take another sour hit..Mouth is light and crisp.

Overall the beer is not very complex but still a excellent beer from Vinny and RR

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2012 20:51:52 | More by Kaydogg

UCLABrewN84

California

4.8/5  rDev +6%
look: 3 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Thanks to JealousChalice for sharing this at DarthKostrizer's tasting.

Bottled on 1/10/12.

Pours a slightly murky yellow with a beige head that fades to nothing. Small dots of lace slowly drip into the remaining beer on the drink down. Smell is sour, tart, funky, earthy, and woody. Taste is the same with an awesome mouth puckering sourness. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is an amazing beer with fantastic aromas and flavors.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 21:57:36 | More by UCLABrewN84

MrVonzipper

California

3.03/5  rDev -33.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bright yellow with a short bubbly white head. Low to no retention. 

Big sour nose. A touch of sour apple. Funky. 

Very sour flavor. Lemon juice and rind. That's pretty much it. 

Mouth is light and crisp. High carb. 

Overall not a Lot of complexity IMO. Very one note sour. Sour lemony citrus. 

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 05:19:43 | More by MrVonzipper

kaseydad

California

4.63/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Batch 5

Finally get to partake of the Beat. Pours a crystal clear pale yellow ale with a awesome frothy head that dissapates to a thing layer.

The aroma is killer. Light vinegar, lemon peel, lemon zest, grassy and earthy. Getting a lot of floral as well.

Definitely let this bad boy warm a tad to get the funk...er..party started. Sour lemons, barnyard funk, white grapefruit peel. This definitely not as sour as I was expecting. While it's tart, it is much too drinkable.

Light carbonation in the glass but an explosion in the mouth.

Overall this is definitely worth the hype. This is a fantastic beer that blends the sourness with a touch nostril-pleasing floral goodness....and keeps it very drinkable.

Great job Vin. Hell, I even drank the sediment.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 02:49:44 | More by kaseydad

rodkin

Missouri

4.41/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Batch 5. Thanks, eyebereej.

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

Oh man that's a strong smell. Comes to me easily as I pour the glass. Smells strongly of citrus. Lemon, orange, some peach, a little bit of a hay-like smell. Slightly musty. It smells like it's going to be pretty sour, I can get a bit of that mouth-puckering feeling just from a sniff. Pretty funky.

Yeah, that's pretty sour, but not at all unpleasant. Lots of citrus, some green apple, little bit of funk. Little bit of peppery spice at the finish.

Mouthfeel is just great. I don't know what else to say. I have absolutely no complaints.

The drinkability on this is nuts. I could down these all the time. Perfect summer beer: complex, light, and refreshing. Each sip finishes with this pleasant tartness that just makes me want to keep drinking. More, please!

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2012 23:46:39 | More by rodkin

animortician

California

4.78/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Batch 5

A: Hazy yellow to golden in color, light white head dissipating pretty quick. Ok lacing.

S: WOW, the smell along on the beer blows me away, SO MUCH FUNK. Very complex, goes from smelling really good first sniff to smelling like something rotten next sniff back to really good next sniff. So weird, so good!

T: Almost no funk at all in the flavor, has a very clean crisp sour flavor. Fruity, spicy and complex. Flavor is very light but also rich at the same time. amazing!

M: Light, smooth, good carbonation

O: This beer is like nothing else, the difference between the smell and the taste is something else. Would be interesting to drink a sanctification right next to it. Awesome beer but for $15 bucks a pop I'll be trading it more than drinking it.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2012 14:30:06 | More by animortician

harrymel

Washington

4.93/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Batch 5, bottled 10JAN12

Upon popping the cork and sticking my nose at the bottle neck, my initial response was to say aloud, while alone, "Why the shit is this not a regular?! Get your shit together Vinnie."

This is a crispy golden beer with a solid, fluffy, white cap and a resilient central emission of carb rises from the bottom. Lemon zest, manure, hay, arugula, horse hair, soil, yogurt and hell yeah emit from the aqueous solution. One of the most tart beers I've tasted, lemon juice, hints of bitterness, mud, weed roots, dandelion - this beer is insane. Medium bodied with higher carb than I'd prefer (easily remedied with the amount of shaking and whiffing I'm doing) and a semi dry, yet mouth watering finish.

This is the best American Wild Ale I've had (sans fruit). Just. Fucking. Outstanding.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2012 12:38:21 | More by harrymel

zaphodchak

Virginia

4.18/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottled 011012

Very light yellow body. Large fine white head. Bit of lace.

Smells almost like farts. This is some serious funk.

Incredibly sour. One of the sourest beers I've ever had. Like, Rodenbach levels of sour. Kinda sticks with you like Warheads.

Pretty fine feel, but it's a bit sticky.

Really sour and good, maybe worth the effort to get it though.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 00:55:18 | More by zaphodchak

claaark13

Indiana

4.63/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Either a Batch #5 bottle straight from RR or from Arbitrator, not sure. Poured into a Hill Farmstead tulip.

A - Pours a yellow with a hint of orange, which can be seen right through. A thick head at first, a goes down a little. Looks really fantastic.

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

T - Tartness upfront lays way to more tartness. Much like the aroma, actually, with more of the sour coming through in the flavor. There is lemon zest, some other light notes of very light fruits (apples, peach), some funkiness evident in well-blended gueuzes. The oak can be noticed behind the sourness after a few sips.

M - Lighter and crisp, which is perfect for the style.

O - This is a remarkably good AWA. It makes me think of a young gueuze blend more than any non-fruited AWA I've had. For a style that strives to be as good as something out of Belgium, RR has done it here. I find it to be slightly less layered and complex than the best gueuze I've had, but not by much.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 00:39:04 | More by claaark13

macrosmatic

Florida

4.78/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to eyebereej for the trade. Poured from Batch 5 375 mL bottle into Peg's tulip glass.

A: Golden apricot color, fairly clear. No head to speak of, instead only a ring of bubbles. There is some visible carbonation.

S: Sour, vinegar, fruity (peach/apricot/lemon) with just a bit of barnyard. Really nice aroma here.

T: Fruity again (peach, apricot, lemon, pineapple, strawberry?). There isn't much wood character but it is there in the background. Sour but not overwhelmingly so.

M: Pleasantly light mouthfeel with dry finish and moderate carbonation.

O: Awesome. Given the PITA that this ended up being for me to acquire, my hopes had really been built up. But unlike so many previous experiences with a similar backstory, it lived up to my expectations easily. Bottles of Beat would absolutely be a permanent fixture in my fridge if that was possible!

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 00:29:40 | More by macrosmatic

FosterJM

California

4.23/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

1260th Review on BA
Bottle to 5oz taster
Not sure batch

@Beachwood's BBQ Long Beach- Ode to Lambic

App- A very cloudy light to medium yellow with a good density and particle behind it. Zero head on it. Flat pineapple juice that really looks like Campbells soup to me.

Smell- A fresh field of hay in a glass. A lot of backing lemon and a bit of wheat. Not overly sour smell, more tart.

Taste- A small sour note to say the least and at 5.5%, dangerously drinkable. A good balance is struck between the lemon, wheat, tart, funk wheel of flavors.

Mouth- Punchy lemon flavors abound in this one with a light to medium body and a fairly light crisp carbonation level. A bit damp on the finish.

Drink- It's good, but didnt blow me away. I can see what the fuss was about though and very glad I have another bottle at home.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2012 19:40:07 | More by FosterJM

grittybrews

Washington

4.55/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottled 01/10/12, consumed 5/5/12. Poured a hazy straw gold with a thin slick of head. Bright aroma of sour apple and lemon.

High-ish carbonation and a light mouthfeel. Dry up front with lemon, lime, hints of wheat and pepper, and a puckering sweet tart finish.

Really good -- reminded me a bit of Temptation but much more sour and intense. Had a hard time picking up on any barrel characteristics.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2012 19:11:27 | More by grittybrews

ThePorterSorter

New York

4.28/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The beer is a light yellow with tremendous carbonation. It smells like sweet acetone sourness. The taste doesn't disappoint at all with intense sourness. The beer is incredibly drying and has a dank aftertaste that lingers. It definitely lives up to the hype with it's sourness... whoa. Tasty beer and I would compare it to a bottle of cantillon any day.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2012 02:44:41 | More by ThePorterSorter

sukwonee

Washington

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

Batch 5, obtained through a trade. Thanks!

375ml bottle poured into RR Tulip

A: Golden Yellow, half finger head, lots of bubbles. Looks delicious!

S: Very similar to Temptation, imo, but stronger funk and fruit notes.

T: Holy hell! Mouth puckering sourness, sour apple, lemon, funk, I don't get much oak, but damn, this is one of most sour and puckering thing I drank.

M: Sharp carbonation, light body, awesome. Dry finish, as expected.

O: I love this one. The closest thing I can compare this to is Temptation, but this one packs more punch and sourness and a bit more complex as well. My favorite sour to date.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2012 02:11:44 | More by sukwonee