Russian River Sanctification

Brewed by Russian River Brewing
Style: Sour Ale/Wild Ale
Santa Rosa, California USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

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UPDATED: FEB 20, 2008 From Bottle. Banana yellow pour with slight shades of pale lemon peel and a nice thin layer of lovely white head. Slightly hazy texture, but quite even and attractive - may be the result of the beer being disturbed. Delicate aromas of lemongrass, creamy banana popsicle, and dandelion leaves. The tartness that accompanies the herbal bouquet is expertly crafted in its proportions to the herbal qualities. The Belgian Ale style is a weak descriptor for this beer, which really could belong in a class of its own. My impressions of the aroma are that its one third biere de garde, albeit less musty, one third saison ale, and one third lambic. Crisp, light refreshing mouthfeel that really shows off the delicate balance found in the aroma. The bretts aren’t overly sour and create a flavor of chilled yogurt with a fresh squeeze of lemon drizzled over the top. Some granny smith apple is in there as well. The finish is clean and well balanced with a final smack of parsley leaf and weak shaved nutmeg. Thanks, Matt!

What is amazing about this beer is the extent to which you can sense the quality of the blonde ale underneath; a little cottony sweetness, a little stony minerality, and then you get this funkiness that is slightly sour, slightly cheesy, and just plain delicious. The aroma funkifies your nose with stank, and with a little grape skin dryness. Yummy. Thanks to FlacoAlto for the bottle.

Tasted at the brewery. Had a chance to meet with Vinnie. He is truly one of the nicest brewers I have ever met. He has a drive and ambition to produce amazing beers and push the envelope with Belgians. I walked out of the brewery smiling because of the great beer and intelligent conversation. The sanctification was a wonderful beer with a nice amount of complexity. Easily drinkable and dry finish. Color was of straw and slight haze. Low hop aroma. Brett comes through nicely without a lot of overpowering horse. Carbonation was good and added to the drinkability ! Nice Job ! Kudos to Vinnie !

Pale Amber Coloring with White Head. Fruity Tart Geuze Aroma. Lightly Carbonated. Very Similair to a Geuze. Malty Fruity Background. Very Nice.

Bottle thanks to EDA at RLB’s YEHA ’05. Bright yellow/golden color with a small white head. Nice bretty aroma. Band-aids, wet leather, citrus. Flavor was more of the same, but a bit milder than expected. The brett characteristics were there, but not in your face. Mildly tart and refreshing with an aggressive carbonation.

Bottled. Batch 001. Hazy pale golden coloured. Slightly sourish fruity aroma. Slightly sour and yeasty flavour. Thin. Bland.

Thanks to Eyedrinkale for bringing this to the Yeha. Poured a pale golden with a white head. Tart cherry pie aroma. Taste is mildly tart cherry, yeasty with a dry finish. Overall a clean, refreshing tart brew. Nice.

Gold color with no head. Light honey aroma and slightly sour. The taste is only a little sour (lemon?) with a bitter finish, but that’s about it. Tasty enough, but kind of blah.

UPDATED: MAR 3, 2008 Bottle. Murky golden-orange in colour, large lasting off-white coloured head. The aroma was sour, tart, barnyard, lots of yeast and funk. The flavour was also rather sour, lots of lemons, yeasty, spicy, some earth, quite complex. Full mouthfeel, full body, high carbonation. Finishes with a lingering sourness turning dry. Very nice stuff.

Bottled. Pours a cloudy golden, with a white head. Aroma is sour, with some funky brett. Taste is slightly funky, sweet and sour