Russian River Damnation

Pours a sparkling clear, coppery-golden color with a very full, brilliant white, creamy, frothy head which is mostly lasting and leaves nice frothy, Belgian lace. Nose is nice with lots of pear and bananas from the estery yeast; yeast is also doughy with sweet, bready malts, earthy hops, slight spice, and some hints at white grape, thyme, and mild alcohol. Flavor is similar but less focused on the yeast notes; notes of bananas from the esters, light pear, faint lemon zest, faint sweet breads from the yeast and the malts. The Sweeter, yeastier notes slowly diminish revealing earthy hops and a dry warmth. Palate is moderately full, lively, creamy, drying in the progression, and mildly warm. Finishes long, delicate, and drying with lingering earthy hops (and a light bitterness by the end), lemon zest, and some yeast esters still on the tongue. A very drinkable BSGA but somewhat similar to a triple with the fuller body and the sweeter notes. Either way, somewhat complex, balanced, and one of the better BSGA brewed in the States. Very smooth as description says.

Courtesy trade with Chewy. Thanks man! A delicious above average Belgian strong. Aroma was good, but was very metallic. All light fruit and yeast. Pour was a nice light gold with a one finger white head and lots of bubbles. Taste was a little ordinary, but since an ordinary Belgian beer is good, this was good. It was all light fruit. Apricot, white grape and pear with a nice prickly bite of carbonation. Aftertaste was sweet and dry. Very nice beer. I need to move to the west coast.

A- Pours a hazy, cloudy golden yellow with a large white creamy head that is mostly sustaining; lively particles; thick lacing throughout S- Nose of malt and citrus, strong tones of banana and pear, subtle hops and sweet bread aroma T- Very smooth and fruity taste; sweet and malty initially followed by citrus and hops in a short finish. M- Watery texture, slightly dry and bitter with lively carbonation that is not quite overwhelming D- This is a very drinkable and smooth Belgium Strong Ale with a nice blend of citrus fruit, spices, and hops. Very pleasing aftertaste that is refreshing, but short. High carbonation is the only knock on this fine ale.

Style and Glass: Belgian Strong Ale, Trappist, snifter ABV, Volume & Calories: 7.75% in 25.4 fl oz. estimated at 400 C Purchased at: The Six Pack Store, Philadelphia, PA for $20.00 (Joe, we need to talk — I have since seen this elsewhere for $8.95) Aroma: Very nice aroma, fainter, flowery, fruity, spices, cloves, cinnamon. Visuals: Very nice packaging, interesting label, educational iconography, body is very much like white balanced deep space pictures of the sun, deep muddy orange, thick with haze and sediment, bright white head, sticky Belgian lace. Taste: Delicious, well balanced. Not very sweet with malt, but a nice hoppy surprise in the finish. Palate: Starts crisp, slightly chemical, middle is somewhat fruity, malt hits for a second with peach and cherry notes, then goes to a hoppy, darker finish that stays for a short while. Overall: A very enjoyable brew. I’d have it again. I was upset to find it for less than half the price in the suburbs, but you live and learn. originally posted at: <a href="http://beercritic.wordpress.com/">http://beercritic.wordpress.com/

Bottle from Russian River. Not the best beer in the "dam nation" but it’s definitely a good one. Golden color with a medium white head. Aroma of banana, sweet malt, and yeast. Pale malt with Belgian ale yeast, banana, and spices. Very drinkable in mass quantities. Awesome for a kayaking trip on the Russian River.

Tap @ Henry’s 12th street tavern. Pours a clear gold color with a small white head that quickly dissipates. Aroma of malts, figs, and bananas. First thing that hits your taste buds is the hops, which slowly transforms into bananas and raisins. amazing beer indeed.

Bottle from FlacoAlto, batch #39. pale golden color. Citrus, melon and flowery hops in the aroma. Initial flowery hopbitterness with vanilla, followed by layers of fruit, like melon and pineapple. Earthy hopbitterness in the finish. Tasty and well balanced.

Batch 26, aged it about a year or so? WOW, score jumps quite a bit. Huge improvment, aroma, and balance. Slight malt sweetness is gone, amazing finish. Well worth the wait. Always impressed with this, very consistant out of bottle and tap. Aged a bottle for 1 year. Helped cut down on the mid palate that I sometimes feel is flawed / disjointed. Seemless and lingering finish with some age. Blind I’d never pick this as a US beer, very Belgian. Aroma is captivating. Would love to see this beer 5 years old, I’d imagine it’s fantastic.