Deviation - Bottleworks 9th Anniversary - Russian River Brewing Company

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.7/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

As I pour this brew I get a nice aroma of sour grapefruit and spicy oak. The beer is topped by a frothy, initially three-finger thick, light tan colored head that leaves some light lacing on the sides of my Tripel Karmeliet tulip as it slowly recedes. The beer is a ruddy, amber hue and shows a lightly hazy, copper color when held up to the light. The aroma is quite tart and lactic; a mix of sour grapefruit, sour-orange & slightly moldy lemon notes. Other than the tartness the nose has alight, underlying funkiness that reminds me of some light musty leather notes, some Brett influenced butyric acid, damp cellar aromas and even a touch of cat piss. Some fruit notes reminiscent of a mix of pears, tart plums, aromatic apples and some star-fruit are also found in the nose and add some needed, additional complexity. I really like the nice, bright acidity that is noticeable in the nose, it makes this quite appetizing.

Bracingly tart, as much or more so than many a Lambic. This tartness melds quite well with the light, yet substantial oak and a tannic, chewy body. Like the best Gueuzes, this beer is quite light and quaffable, yet still has a fair amount of heft to it; this heft seems to come from a tannic texture that in this beer is clearly barrel influenced. Lactic acid notes provide the bulk of the tartness, but there does seem to be a touch of acetic, hints of uriatic acid & some funky butyric acid notes. Oak flavors play a role here, but thankfully they form a part of the supporting cast; the oak provides a bit of spiciness to the flavor more than anything. The oak does provide some hot, oral-nasal notes that hit me as I am taking a sip, this provides a bit of warmth that is almost like that from Bourbon. Brett influenced notes play a supporting role here that provides a lot of subtle complexity; flavors of phenolic soaked cotton balls, light horse blanket and a soft general funk.

Fruit flavors provide a light touch of sour-plum, pear, some sour-cherry notes (this is accented by the tannins that evoke thoughts of tannic cherry skins), definite grapefruit (though more from the tartness than from Kloeckera) and apple essence, all without any accentuating sweetness. As the beer warms the tannins really start to contribute a texture / presence that coats the roof of my mouth and back of my teeth. A bit of hot alcohol also becomes a bit more noticeable in the nose as it warms up, but so does some toasty grain & soda-cracker malt aromatics. My second & last pour is a bit more hazy, but not enough to really effect the flavor. Biscuit malt and soda-cracker grain notes also provide some character to the finish of this brew.

I like that the oak plays a supporting role here; it really provides a nice texture and body to this brew as well as a touch of spiciness that works sort of like hops do (though there really is no sweet malt character to balance here). Actually the texture of this beer is quite divine, the tannins provide a satin-like texture without really interfering with the light, quaffability of this brew. This is much more sour than I was expecting, luckily I am a complete sour-head, and I really am quite happy about how tart this is. Makes me want to crack open one of the batch two Beatifications, that will be the next beer to go into the beer fridge.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2008 04:36:42 | More by Gueuzedude

francisweizen

Australia

4.9/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Rusty blood orange with brown. highlights. Off white small head with Bruges lace highlights. Aromas of funky barnyard brett. The PH1 and orphan ale come through more than anything else, but you can sense the cranberry and sanctification in the blend as well! Taste is fresh cut cranberry, bog and all with barnyard horse barn funk, wild Belgian notes. Cantillon brewery funk, Crab apple cranberry and more. Such as funky hay, leather shoes, and nutty fruit seeds. Fuck me, this is complex. Fuck. Fuck. Mouth feel is smooth and super refined. Saint Lamvinus like, but almost better, although not quite. The best of the Russian River sours, maybe in overall presentation and effect. Maybe not from a strictly brewing accomplishment standpoint, but still...This is up there with the compunction. Oh yes, drinkability is INSANE. Damn this shit is off the hook. Oh man, if you can find this one....definitely get it !

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2008 08:32:21 | More by francisweizen

Lothore

California

4.18/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Pours a beautiful cloudy peach color with a small, white head.

S- Smell is definite barnyard funk, peach, light fruits, sourness.

T- Taste is incredibly complex. Sour all the way through, very earthy, tart, light fruits.

M- Light and crisp with a good amount of carbonation. Very dry.

D- This is a great sipper. Russian River's sour lineup is incredible but I think this is the most balanced one that i've had of the bunch. Seek this one out, you won't regret it.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2008 01:32:07 | More by Lothore

TheBungyo

Washington

4.93/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This pours a luscious shade of honey kissed by golden sunshine. The head is flat and dense ... white as summer clouds.

Nose is amazing. Tart sourness, flanked by lemon, rose petals, and fleeting candy sweetness.

Taste is all about the sourness. In spite of that there's plenty of lemon, citric acid, fruity zest, and an insane crisp dryness like no other. Truly remarkable.

Carbonation is just slight enough to be pleasing, and never steals the show from the flavor.

In all, this is just as good as us Seattlites hoped it would be way back when we heard RR was doing the next in the series for Bottleworks. I'm going to miss this when I run out of bottles.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2008 04:22:56 | More by TheBungyo

mnapier

Washington

4.47/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Service Temperature, 35 degrees. Service Glassware 10oz Brandy Snifter.

Service Location Brouwers's Cafe

Pours with a light copper with a strong density. The head profile is strong with a web of tattered lace throughout.
Slight wild floral, almost farmlike, with some raisins, and figs.
A bitterness throughout, alongside some roasted, oakiness.
Mouthfeel is strong but thins out as it coarses down my throat.
This beer kicks major ass and would go awsome with some pork.

Serving type: on-tap

04-02-2008 01:47:30 | More by mnapier