Russian River Damnation

Brewed by Russian River Brewing
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Santa Rosa, California USA

#666: trappist glass; fresh aroma and fizzy pour; slightly hazy golden-straw body with a busy white head that calms quickly and eventually diminishes; soapy, wild lacing; creamy and smooth mouthfeel with just enough carbonation; there is primarily lemon and banana to me, with a small peppery note, and a good amount of yeastiness; i’ll be damned! this is anything, but hell! it is God-damned drinkable!

golden color, big white head, nose is apricotes lemon, maybe some Banana odd, flavor is again banana lemon homen some tartness, too much carbonation, somewhat strong alcohol . Ok beer.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.