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Russian River Damnation

Russian River Damnation - Belgian Strong Ale

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 Percentile 
96
overall
Brewed by Russian River Brewing
Style: Belgian Strong Ale

Santa Rosa, California USA

bottled
common

on tap
common

Regional Distribution
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 Ratings  Average  Score  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in 
7393.75/5.03.74/5.07.75%90.2Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler
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Commercial Description:
In the great beer producing country of Belgium, some brewers have made it a tradition to give their beers an unusual name. Sometimes the name is curious, now and then it is diabolical and other times it is just plain silly. Damnation is our brewmaster’s interpretation of a Belgian style Strong Golden Ale. It has extraordinary aromas of banana and pear with mouth filling flavors of sweet malt and earthy hops. The lingering finish is dry and slightly bitter but very, very smooth.

Editor’s Note: this entry is for all batches EXCEPT batches 23 and 46 <a href=/beer/russian-river-damnation-batch-23-(oak-aged)/74510/>see separate entry.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 doubleo (1096), San Diego, California, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20
Jan 30, 2008  
Pours a golden honey color that’s clear at the beginnign of the bottle and cloudy towards the finish (stirrin’ up the yeast). Somewhat frothy head that laces the glass. Smells yeasty and bready. Also a good bit of citrus, orange peel smell. Tastes pretty citrusy and spicy. A little bit deeper flavor than your normal Belgian. A lot of bready, yeasty characteristics. Somewhat thick mouthfeel but the flavors show why. Good full body and great carbonation. Very drinkable tasty brew.


 Naka (524), Indiana, Pennsylvania, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/103/517/20
Jan 28, 2008  
A clear light golden color with a moderate fizzy white head. Clove and banana nose with some yeast and bitterness. Tastes sweet with a really strange, dry bitterness. There are some apples and spice, and leaves a lingering alcohol on the tongue. A nice light beer that would be pretty refreshing in the summer.


 diabel (1366), Aarschot, Belgium
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/103/58/103/515/20
Jan 28, 2008  
Bottle Yellow, hazy body. White, creamy head. Aroma of hops, perfume, flowers (marigold), citrus, orange, hops, ... Quite complex and well balanced. Moderately bitter, lighty sweet flavour. Good balanced but the flavour is not as complex as the aroma. Nice beer however!


 illidurit (851), Santa Cruz, California, USA
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/59/104/518/20
Jan 26, 2008  
As with all BSPAs, this one is poured into my Duvel tulip. Hazy gold color with a fluffy white head of 2 fingers. Nice Belgian lacing. Smells a bit like a wheat beer, with banana/clove phenols. A nice yeasty flavor comes through as well, with some pear and apple rounding out the fruitiness. Flavor is like a sweeter Duvel. Banana and yeast are very strong, with some great spicing along the lines of coriander and mild ginger. Very soft and mellow mouthfeel, with fluffy carbonation and a medium body. Extremely drinkable.


 Beerlando (2281), Orlando, Florida, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/104/516/20
Jan 24, 2008  
Courtesy TheCheeseMan. Wow! This is one of those beers that redefines a style for me! The pour yields a cloudy, golden-tangerine body with a large, frothy, pure white head that resembles whipped egg whites. Well retained foam yields thick, patchy, intertwined lacing. The aroma is fantastic. Light buttery toffee malts lay the groundwork for fresh oranges, lemon chiffon, caramelized plantains, roasted pears, and a light saison style farmhouse funk. What a blend! If I had to draw up the perfect Belgian golden ale aroma, this would be it! The flavor follows suit well, but isn’t quite as impressive. The toffee morphs into more of a lightly toasted caramel component, with banana, clove, saison funk, coriander and orange peel adding layer upon complimentary layer of depth. The perfect carbonation and medium body leads into a medium-long, dry, and slightly bitter finish. Awesome brew. This is the gold standard for Belgian golden ales for me!


 pinkzambia (986), Boise, Idaho, USA
3.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/55/104/515/20
Jan 22, 2008  
Tap: Clear gold with a fluffy, white head. Yeasty aroma with lots of malts. Interesting - a Belgian with a zing to it. I liked it better than most Belgian style ales.


 railcat1 (578), Orlando, Florida, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/56/103/518/20
Jan 18, 2008  
This was a very tasty beer with hints of bananas and hops,very interesting and reminded me of a hefeweizen,overall a good beer to drink.CHEERS!


 scoobysnak (249), Appleton, Wisconsin, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/105/56/104/516/20
Jan 17, 2008  
A very white head about two finger widths tall. Reducing down to a slight film. Good lacing, smell mostly of banana and pear with a small hops element that is very unique. The taste is slightly citrus but mainly astringent and esthery also a little of bananas and pears again. Very good and enjoyable.



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