Toronado 25th Anniversary Ale - Russian River Brewing Company

champ103

Texas

4.4/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A big thanks to Dajtai007 for hooking me up with this.

A: Pours a murky reddish/orange color. Plenty of suspended yeast. A two finger white head forms, and recedes in a second to a ring. Some sticky lace is left.
S: Tart acidic cherries, vanilla, and light oak aromas. The sharp acidic quality is cut by a great bready/biscuit/cracker aroma. Love the nose, and it lingers on forever.
T: Tart and acidic up front as one would expect. The sharp acidic bite lasts throughout, but never becomes overbarring. Tart cherries and plums. Vanilla and oak flavors intermingle. Again, love it.
M/D: A medium body and very crisp carbonation. The effervescence tingles on the tongue, and a nice puckering going on. A great beer to sip on. The bottle is all mine, and I will savor it.

The acidic and tart punch asserts itself, and makes its presence know. Though that is never out of wack or unbalanced with anything else. A great blend.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2012 00:26:14 | More by champ103

Jwale73

Rhode Island

4.26/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to jedwards for breaking this out. 750ml corked and caged bottle served in a taster. Pours an amber/honey hue with a slightly hazy clarity. Nose expresses notes of vinegar, sour cherries and a trace of funkiness. Taste is tart and vinegary with some acetic acid and no real fruit presence. Mouthfeel is light and lively with an acidity that stimulates the salivary glands and continues to linger between quaffs. Finish is pleasant and semi-dry, but not puckeringly so. Overall, a very good American Wild Ale. I'm not sure how this beer will age over time (I suspect the fruit character in the nose will diminish); however, it's drinking quite well right now.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 00:39:27 | More by Jwale73

oline73

Maryland

4.15/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from the bottle into a tasting snifter.

Appearance: Pours a clear amber color with a small amount of off white head that goes away completely.

Smell: There is a mild tartness with a nice vinegar note. A good amount of malt sweetness underneath.

Taste: More sourness here than there was in the smell. I'm getting some tart lemon and vinegar like notes. There is just a touch of funk to compliment the sour notes. There is just enough sweetness to balance the beer out. The finish is sour.

Mouthfeel: The body is just on the syrupy side of medium with mild, tingly carbonation and a dry finish.

OVerall: I thought this was a very nice sour. I'm not sure it stood out among Russian River's other offerings, but I enjoyed it. It has a nice tartness to it. I'd have more in the future.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2013 03:39:02 | More by oline73

DavoleBomb

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

About 3 oz. from a bottle.

3.5 A: Moderately hazed dark orange color. Just a small off-white head.

4.0 S: Currants, hay, oak, lactic tanginess, and tons of lemon.

3.5 T: Tons of lemon and lactic funk. This is one of the most lemony beers I've had. Currants, oak, peach.

4.0 M: Lighter body. Good spritzy carbonation. Light and bubby.

4.0 D: It's tasty, but it's a little too close to straight up lemon juice than I'd like. I'd love to give this a try with a fresh palate, but I doubt I'll be searching for a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2012 18:44:22 | More by DavoleBomb

illidurit

California

4.65/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle shared at Sante Adairius Rustic Ales. Pours a nice glimmering chestnut color with a thin tan head. Aroma is lactic sour watermelon and cherry, with that trademark RR funky acidity. Flavor is similarly fruity with a nice tart malty middle. Another fantastic RR sour.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 03:32:53 | More by illidurit

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap with good friends at the party at Toronado 25th party at Russian River. Pour is dark copper with orange edges and a creamy tight slightly off white head. Nose is red grape, Cabernet barrel, nice oak presence, dark fruits, sour and light lactic. Taste is well integrated, red grapes and cab barrels, nice sourness an lactic notes, great mouthfeel, strong clean carb and easy drinking, dry finish, superbly integrated.

Serving type: on-tap

10-09-2012 16:54:31 | More by cpetrone84

claspada

New Jersey

4.43/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a light beige/maroon color with a thin, tan bubbly head that recedes at a decently fast pace leaving some spotty lacing.

Aromas begin with dark cherry, dark red grape skins and a touch of oak. Some light acidic acid is also present but the fruity aromas are much more in the forefront.

The tastes pop so much more than the aroma let one. Tons of sour fruit, oak and yeast complexity. Dark cherry, apple skin, vinious red grape and currant flavors mix with some light oak and the funky, earthy Brett yeast. Slight acidic pedio yeast flavors as well in the background.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation. Finish is perfectly balanced between sour, sweet and dry.

Overall this is absolutely fantastic. Reminds me as if a Vintage Rodenbach was aged on some sort of dark fruit and rebottled with more Brett. I was worried I wouldn't enjoy this as much as I should because of the pain in the @$$ is was to acquire, but it was well worth it. I dont often seek out beers these days after I sample them, but this fits that bill.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 02:00:38 | More by claspada

Arbitrator

California

3.18/5  rDev -27.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Had on tap at the T25 anniversary party. Admittedly not the best circumstances -- it was loud, a bit crazy, and I was wearing a wig. But before I got drunk, I had the chance to sample this, think it over, and give it a score.

A: This is well-carbonated off the tap; I ordered a Cable Car Kriek at the same time and the latter arrived almost flat (lol), but T25 held its carbonation for a good 20 minutes. Hazy maroon body capped with off-white foam.

S: The baby Consecration is evident in the aroma; it contributes a dominant currant tartness and currant skin tannins. The aroma hints at clean, lactic sourness. Lemon, oak, and a touch of acetone are noted.

T: As the nose suggested, the baby Consecration component is the most dominant. There is a dark fruit presence with mild roast that suggested that a stout went into this; I later found out it was a baltic porter. Lemon juice, oak, and currant skins bring the beer out to a dry close. Unfortunately, it's a bit simple in flavor, which becomes more evident next to beers like Cable Car and especially against true blended gueuze later on (when someone opened an Armand 4' Lente). There are no flaws, but there are no standouts, either; it's a satisfactory wild ale.

M: Good mouthfeel; the carbonation works with the dry body and tart, puckering flavor to create a very drinkable beer. The acetone touch in the finish is off-putting, but I imagine that will vanish with time.

O: I'm a big Russian River fan, but I've felt that their sours (especially Consecration) have started to go downhill, and I'm disappointed to say that the trend holds here. This probably would have been better back when there were fewer wild ales to choose from, but RR's own lineup bests this one. It's also not very impressive considering the bottle price point ($30).

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 02:57:05 | More by Arbitrator

HuskyinPDX

Washington

4.28/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle opened on 8.18.12.

A - Pours a dark fizzy brown with a one inch cream-colored bubbly head with good retention.

S - Tart barnyard, earthy. There is lots going on here. More layers keep coming as I smell.

T - Tart up front, then the barnyard funk, then some wine barrel, then a dry sweet finish.

D - Great carbonation with a medium body.

O - A nice RR brew. Different then their other stuff, but still very nice.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2012 06:25:03 | More by HuskyinPDX

Sean9689

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at RR & Toronado...a bunch of them...while celebrating T25 all weekend long.

Pours a ruby reddish color, off-white head, thin collar. Smells like dark sour cherries, light acidity, dark fruit, oak..."Consecration Light". Tastes likes Consecration, but perhaps a little "easier" to enjoy. Dark fruit, oak, stone fruit, light cherry, some funk, and nice acidity.

I like this beer better then Consecration but not T20 (when fresh). I was able to enjoy some pours at RR and the Monday following Toronado to really think about this one. I think it will improve with age and lose some of oak, but we shall see, I guess.

Serving type: on-tap

08-14-2012 04:56:10 | More by Sean9689

scottfrie

California

4.18/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at the brewey on release day. Damn you TurdFurgison.

A: Cloudy deep current/iced tea color with a soft film of head. Great sheets of lacing left down the glass, great film retention.
S: Smells a bit like Consecration with a bit more fruit diversity. Tart smelling with good dry oak barrel quality. Stone fruits, maybe peach, and lots of dark fruits come through.
T: Definitely stone fruits mixed with dark fruits. I get a touch of lemon, currents, oak, acid, and a faint hint of acetone. The finish is fruity and dry.
M: Drying yet smooth mouthfeel. Tartness is clean, refreshing, and mild. Extremely drinkable. The tartness is acidicly citrus.
O: A very sold sour beer. It's no better than RR's year round sours but it's no worse, just different. I'd definitely buy this along with the other regular 375ml sours if this was available year-round.

Serving type: on-tap

08-09-2012 19:30:47 | More by scottfrie

cosmicevan

New York

4.23/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Notes taken from a bottleshare at the Phoenix Sun in NYC. Thanks kindly to Mike for sharing.

a - looks like an amber ale a bit.
s - nice brett like smell. some sour and funky currants.
t - tastes like supplication in a wine barrel. some funk, but not as much as the nose suggests. tastes better than it smells. good one.
m - fairly smooth, good carbonation. not fruity or too sour.
o - pretty good. doesn't blow my mind. tastes like a russian river sour. solidly made but nothing light years ahead of RR's regular lineup.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2012 20:02:39 | More by cosmicevan

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750mL bottle poured into taster - thanks goon

Pours a hazed amber, copper color with darker hues. Coating of off-white head slowly fades into cloudy film and some spots of lacing dotting the glass.

Smells similar to a combination of RR beers - red wine, oak, bretty funk, lactic sourness, currants. Light warmth, slightly earthy, touches of grapes and dark fruit.

Acidic sourness with oaked red wine notes, grape skins and dark fruit. Hints of currants, cherry and raisin with a bretty, yeasty funk. Soft leather and earthy backbone. Finishes aggressively sour and dry on the tongue.

Lighter medium body, higher carbonation, dry and lingering on the tongue. I expected a world class wild ale and that's exactly what I experienced - I might have to seek out another bottle of this for down the road. We all agreed this reminded us of Consecration/Supplication, but with more components.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 16:12:18 | More by xnicknj

Gobzilla

California

4.8/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: poured a copperish brown in color with golden yellow highlights and a half finger of head with good retention which left a little bubbly lacing sticking to the glass.

S: definitely was able to detect a variety of berries such as strawberries, cherries, blueberries, and cranberries with good oakiness, some wine barrel vinous character, acidic notes, a little brett funk, citrus and a little orange rind.

T: lots going on in the taste but like the nose suggest, I was able to get lots of berry character mostly cherries and strawberries, good acidic citrus coming through, nice oaky accents, a hint of vanilla, vinous wine barrel character, great inviting brett funkiness with a touch of horse blanket and mild mango fruit; whoa.

M: the brew was medium in body with a fair amount of bubbly carbonation which had a fruity, oaky, vinous, acidic, sour and slightly dry finish.

O: very glad my boy beezler opened this sucker up. This one definitely lives up to the hype IMO. Solid american wild all around with an exceptional taste. Mmmm.. I want more, someone hook me up. Ha!!

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 21:08:13 | More by Gobzilla

birchstick

Missouri

4.05/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - pours a rustic orange without much of a head on it

S - nose consists of vinous oak bubblegum. Not exactly what I was expecting, but it smells good.

T - starts off super sour and locks up the jaw (can't say many sours I have tried have actually done this to me). Some noir wine flavors mixed in with sour lemon citrus flavors are up next. Ends with funk, straw, sour notes, and a little fruity. Very nice!

M - full and well carbonated

D - nice American wild ale here. Beautiful blend of a beer here...the most sour American wild I have tried to date...

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 02:38:54 | More by birchstick

SpeedwayJim

New York

3.96/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to Mike for this one. 4oz. pour into a Cantillon flute. Reviewed from notes 1/12/13.

Pours a thin, white head with little retention. Spotty lace with little stick and thin legs. Beer is a clear, pink-bronze. Pretty average. Nice color though.

Nose is vinegar, cherry and other fresh, red fruit and hay. Pretty mild with moderate funk.

Opens with fresh cherry tartness. Cinnamon spice, mild tartness in the middle with a slight hay and woodiness towards the end. Tart red fruit finish with a cherry pit and strawberry seed tart-bitter aftertaste. Nice.

Light to medium bodied with high carbonation. Dry and prickly in the mouth and dry going down. Clean finish with a sticky, slightly lingering aftertaste. Really lively and true to the style.

It was really nice to have this side-by-side with T20 and the difference is dramatic. A real solid beer all the way around that displays a great fruit bouquet and nice funkiness. T20 in comparison is a shell of this. Worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 16:39:40 | More by SpeedwayJim

DovaliHops

California

4.48/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours an almost-clear, reddish-amber color with a large off-white head that goes down quickly. Scent is very oaky with just the right amount of funk for this particular beer. Some cherry and currant in the nose, along with red berry aromas. Vinous with more oak and tartness. Taste is very enjoyable. At first, the berries come through very aggressively, then I get a mellow oak flavor that has a hint of sweet vanilla to it. The berry flavor turns to bitter currants. A bit of red-wine vinegar with a pleasant oaky finish. Very sour, and quite complex IMO...but that's too be expected from a beer that is made up of 6 barrel aged beers. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, crisp, and puckering. Drinkability is high, as I can't believe this beer is almost 9%. Overall, this is a fantastic beer. I had this on tap at the release, and I wasn't as impressed as I am by the bottled version.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 08:59:24 | More by DovaliHops

elNopalero

Texas

4.98/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This was absolutely fantastic.

Pours a ruddy reddish hue with nice foaming.

I enjoyed the challenge of figured out the aroma. I got a lot of immediate sour, tartness, with dark ruby red grapefruit and some cherry essence. Mouthpuckering flavor—intensely so—with some sour tart cherry essence and some oaky tannins.

Wonderfully rounded flavor. I get some dried stone fruits—raspberries, blackberries, a touch of honey and a hint of vanilla. This warms wonderfully. In fact, it just becomes amazing as it warms, with a rounded sweetness that emerges. Great effervescence and surprisingly sweet on the finish.

Incredible. Can I have another?
(Review #650!)

Serving type: on-tap

08-28-2012 08:29:43 | More by elNopalero

jmarsh123

Indiana

3.9/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to SubpoenaDeuces for the bottle!

Pours deep copper with a small white head leaving decent retention and lacing down the glass.

Lots going on in the aroma. Lots of cherry and oak. I can definitely smell the Consecration influence coming through on this. Some other generic berry along with tartness as well.

Again Consecration comes through in the taste. Lots of dark fruit up front with some vinous quality. Drying towards the middle as the oak comes out, but finishes slightly sweet. Good level of tartness, but not really digging the finish.

Medium bodied. Good carbonation.

A nice beer, but nowhere near the level of hype. Many of us agreed we'd rather just have a Supplication over this. Still glad I got the opporitunity to try it and wish I had another bottle as it does seem to have some good aging potential.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2012 13:16:34 | More by jmarsh123

brystmar

New York

4.35/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks Mike!

Ruby red grapefruit hues in the body scare off the white head. Freshly blended fruit aroma gets a shot in the arm from tart brett and Belgian yeast. Smells really nice.

As others have mentioned, this tastes like Consecration & Supplication spent a messy night together. The best qualities of each shine through with a freshly fruity tang. Should age nicely in the near term, but honestly this is drinking great right now.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2012 22:05:27 | More by brystmar

hooliganlife

Missouri

4.43/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

pours a slightly ruby brown, fizzy head, crisp and bubbly. great retention and lacing, which tossed my rating to a 4.5.

bright fruit, currant and sour cherry. a hint of oak and lemon.

similar to nose, lots of bright sour fruit. mainly cherry and currant. a sour candy aspect going on. through out there is that signature RR sour and yeast. malt body seems to stick out a bit. light oak.

nice light body with a near perfect bite. carbonation is spot on. slight dryness in the finish. a little more dryness and i'd nail this a 5.0. lip puckering sour, curls the lips and tongue.

a fine beer, missed out on T20 so when this dropped, I laid down trades and would do so again. great beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 22:07:08 | More by hooliganlife

WillCarrera

Illinois

4.29/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Bottle generously shared at the Peg's tasting on 3/8/13.

A- Pours a caramel/maroonish color, thin off-white head.

S- Tart aroma of dark fruits, cherry and red wine, some oak.

T- Similar to the aroma, tart flavor, nice lactic acidity with lots of fruit and vinous flavors. Has a nice musty funkiness to it with wet oak.

M- Medium-bodied, nice carbonation with a dry finish.

O- A damn nice beer, probably one of the better sours I've had from Russian River, really tasty stuff.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 00:25:20 | More by WillCarrera

Etan

Illinois

4.36/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle into a snifter.

A: Pours a light caramel color with a nice white head.

S: Brett is doing good work in the nose. Pineapple, lightly gamey, old hay, mildly sweet maltiness and a good dose of dry sourness underneath.

T: The taste follows the nose with notes of tart grapefruit and pineapple, drying oak, subtle pale malt sweetness. It's not very sour, but the acidity is diverse. I can taste lactic acid along with a small amount of acetic acid, very much in balance.

M: Between light and medium-bodied with light and creamy carbonation. Very drinkable.

O: This is a brett beer, front and foremost, and works wonderfully in that regard. I'm missing the currants and the complexity of a 6-beer blend, but it's tasty enough to make up for that.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 18:59:09 | More by Etan

tewaris

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks Frank for sending this! Shared with a few BAs.

As instructed, drank at ~60 degrees.

Clear, dark amber-brown with plenty of effervescence. Smells pretty gueuze like but with its own personality --- Fruit jam and acid. Tastes sour, oaky, tannic, rind-y and lactic. Effervescent but not harsh on the palate with a pretty light feel. I had no idea that this was 8+ % ABV. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2012 08:36:25 | More by tewaris

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4.38/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle poured into HF stemmed glass and split 3 ways. Served lightly chilled. Thanks to standardcherry for this one.

A- Pours a fairly dark purplish red that is mostly opaque and has just over a 1-finger fizzy white head that recedes fairly fast to leave just a thin white layer and some clingy lacing. Decent carbonation.

S- Vinous muscat grapes, merlot, currants, dried plums, hints of vanilla and oak and a very faint chocolate from the porter. Nice vinegar/brett sourness. Nicely balanced, complex, and fairly aromatic. The currants definitely stand out and provide a fairly reminiscient aroma of Consecration that's a little bit more sour.

T- Vinous muscat grapes, currants, a little bit of merlot wine similar to other RRs, finishes fairly sour with a little bit of vinegar, nice lingering sour aftertaste of currants.

M- Medium bodied, fairly carbonated but dies down, very easy drinking, hard to distinguish abv.

O- This was another great sour from Russian River. It definitely had a nice flavor of currants and wine characteristics trademark of RR that balanced well with the level of sourness in the beer. The currants definitely reminded me of Consecration except T25 was more sour and complex. Overall a great use of blending and barrel-aging provided a nice tasting and fairly complex sour. I definitely recommend this beer although it is fairly sour and probably isn't for everyone.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 16:19:30 | More by jaasen64