UPDATED: APR 8, 2024 Pours slightly hazy golden yellow with decent white lacing foam head. Aroma has notes of fruits and malty. Taste fruit tones, malt and some spices tones. Nice. (San Francisco 2404)

UPDATED: SEP 13, 2023 I hold a curiously corked and caged 375 ml bottle of Damnation, thank you very much. My first Russian River, a Belgian pale ale, all right by me. Easily the best selection I made at a somewhat stuck-in-time liquor store in Colorado Springs this past June. But they did have some interesting beers to sell. The label has changed, the graphics, an improvement I think, and the abv is now 7.5%. Bottled on 11/17/22 and now consumed on 9/13/23, time to proceed. I have a snifter from Great Heights in place and pour after the cork is released. I determine a pale gold-yellow body finished by a creamy head of snow white foam. The smell, it is really all right. Grain, yellow fruit and some yeastiness wafting upward. The taste is quite nice, best I have had in the style in some time. Subtle but assured. Apricots, grain, yeast, malt, nectarines providing a small sweetness, a touch of floral and some earthiness. Solid.

UPDATED: JUL 7, 2023 It pours yellow and quite clear with a pillow like white head. It has excellent head retention. There is pronounce grainy malts in the aroma. It has some light spices in the nose with a touch of pear. There are some Belgian funk elements with malty grain. There are some spicy elements with light banana and pear. It has a medium body with an easy drinking finish. Overall, the balance between flavors is quite good, but the aroma is lighter than I like.

UPDATED: MAY 16, 2023 Draft 13 oz pour at Elliott Bay Pizza. Very surprised to see that rating this classic has somehow fallen through the cracks. Had this in the old days a dozen times, and this draft pour is a continued celebration of their distro return to Seattle. Mostly clean golden pour, shiny, plenty of foam head. Gentle floral, Belgian nose. Flavor is crisp up front, well rounded to follow, with bold floral and herbal notes over an icy cool finish. Belgian strong that tastes like a Belgian smooth. I never think of this style when I think Russian River, but they sure do it well. Very good.

UPDATED: JUL 19, 2022 Hazy golden in the glass and a fine head Pleasant intensity in the aroma Balanced sweetness and a fine carbonation level Banana, malty, fruity, herbal, some yeast and some spices in the flavor [Bottle from a trade with ChrisOfstad]

UPDATED: MAR 25, 2022 Fairly clear with a white head. Great yeast phenolics on the nose. Pretty dry finish. Nice spicy flavor profile.

UPDATED: OCT 17, 2021 Clear gold with a dense white head. Aroma is sweet grains, light fruit, grassy, and herbal. Taste is medium sweet and medium bitter.

UPDATED: SEP 18, 2021 Bottle@home, from a friend, USA. Strong, balanced nuances of sour and dry fruits. Some minerals. Some honey. Medium body with medium carbonation. Overall, schoolbook quality. 7 4 8 4 18

UPDATED: FEB 21, 2020 Keg at O’Briens, San Diego, CA on 23/04/2008. A very nice pale, with the Belgian yeast working well with the west coast hop profile.

UPDATED: OCT 28, 2019 Fat @ Russian River. Gyllenorange öl med gulvitt skum. Doft och smak av malt, karamell, frukt, jäst, ljust bröd och lätta honungstoner.