Toronado 25th Anniversary Ale - Russian River Brewing Company

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

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

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

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

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

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

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

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

The nose on this beer is like super gueuze. Flavor profile is sour to the extreme. And I know that isn't saying much considering the brewery, but this goes all the way. (Possibly, a bit too much really.) Hard to get any subtle nuances at all. But hey, as a sour, I can dig it. I mean, who can create a wild ale like this? Not many people. I would certainly like some more nuance to this, but I will take it how it is. Because it's still good. Happy birthday Toronado.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2012 21:23:55 | More by RblWthACoz

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks goes out to funkydelic for sharing this one at our Labor Day tasting! Served from bottle into a Mikkeller taster flute. Poured a deep red-orange with a one finger off-white head that subsided to a minimal amount slowly. Maintained excellent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, tart, frunk, sour, chocolate, and fruit. The flavor was of sweet malt, tart, sour, funk, fruit, tart cherry, and earth. It had a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a great brew. Really never expected to try this one based on what people are asking for these in trades. Luckily one found its way to me out of dumb luck. I have to say, I can see why it is trading so well as it is nothing short of excellent. All the flavors and aromas are very inviting and almost mocked me as I knew I would likely never get to try this one again. Very well balanced with a nice acidic touch to give you just a little bit of pucker on each sip. Definitely a well done brew that I would be more than happy to try again in the future if it presents itself. Thanks again for this one Cam! Now where can I get a T20???

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2012 14:59:18 | More by thagr81us

RuckusDu

Colorado

4.3/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - A nice half finger of off white and yellow head. Body is clear and a gorgeous brown and amber color. Some light lacing.

S - Very well balanced between tart, sweet, and funk. Raspberry, green raspberry, brett, and great red wine. Excellent.

T - Tons of green tartness of unripe fruits and earthiness. Slight white wine, green raspberry. As it warms, more brett comes out and the taste becomes more funky. Still well balanced. More red wine as well with warmth.

M - The greenness of the beer makes the acidity really stick to your tongue. Lighter carbonation and medium body. Slight drying.

O - Like eating a green raspberry. Super tart yet still very pleasant. The smoothness and how it all comes together is amazing. It is unlike anything I've had and I can't believe 6 beers came together like this.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 23:23:19 | More by RuckusDu

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

UCLABrewN84

California

4.3/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Rado for sharing this one at Wowcoolman’s tasting.

Pours a murky honey orange with a foamy beige head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Foamy streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is sour and tart with some fruit, vinegar, and acidic aromas. Taste is much the same with an acidic finish. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a very good beer that is tasty and very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2012 01:01:18 | More by UCLABrewN84

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

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

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

RodneyX

Missouri

4.5/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours with a rusty brown color that has a small tan head on it. Some wisps left on the sides, it's a little heavy looking for a wild, but it's an attractive beer. Some sour and richer tart notes. The taste reminds me of T20, but fruitier, and should get better with a little bit of time. There's a lot going on here, it's pretty complex, and you can tell the tasters put in a good bit of time with the blending. The complexity, starts deep and big, and finishes lighter and fruity, is the real winner here. Good beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2012 14:35:17 | More by RodneyX

SubpoenaDeuces

California

4.68/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Served into a Diasy Cutter glass

A: This pours a turbid brown akin to consecration but with less sheeting and legs, nice carbonation and wispy foam, very pretty.

S: There's notes of currants, funk, cherries, black cherries, and light lactic notes.

T: Wow, light consecration meets supplication is a perfect rendition of this balanced beast. This needs no time and is a juicy beast from the outset. The funk is a nice vertebrae to the affair and the dryness from the oak rounds out the finish.

M: This is dry but the fruit aspects counterbalances it well

D: This is too tart for lengthy drinking sessions but the taste is so good that you will. I can drink this more than beatification and i feel that as it warms, it offers even more complexity. highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 20:44:36 | More by SubpoenaDeuces

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

abecall98

California

4.7/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Thank you homeboys for picking me up some of this.

A - pours a bright brown, clear. At least it did before I decided to pour the sediment in my beer, on purpose. Rating the appearance before the sediment. It looked great for te style, only missing some slight head that I wanted when compared to some great Cantillons.

S - smells like good. Sweet currants, some nice almost apple aromas. Slight hint of lemon, and some yeasty notes. Just wonderful and complex, very different as it warms, the sour notes hit a little more. Damn!

T - oh boy, this beer is really good. A really sting acetic sourness just hits you. As the sourness drops, some sweet fruits follow suit. Some Unripen lemons mixed with dark berries come to mind. Some slight woodiness finishes, with no traces of alcohol. Wonderful.

M - perfectly carbonated per style. It starts off foamy, allowing the flavors to burst in your mout, just an explosion of flavor. The beer finishes sticky and slightly sweet. Man!

O - honestly better than I thought it would be. I really loved T20, and it's nice to get to try a beer like it (blend of a bunch stuff), fresh. The beer has a lot of flavors, and I just feel like it will change overtime into something different, yet just as good.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2012 05:23:00 | More by abecall98

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

wd40

New York

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

Very nice tart and sour beer. Pours a hazy amber colour with a nice bit of head that quickly dissipates into a few soapy looking sudz. The smell is pretty complex. It has a lot of similarity to the pinot noir barrelled Supplication, especially as it approaches room temperature, but with a bit more barnyard funk and hints of fruitiness. The taste is pretty tart and ascertive. Mouthfeel is nice and soft. Overall a very enjoyable beer that is a special treat to have.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2012 03:52:59 | More by wd40