Russell Brewing Co. Reviews

cmacklin	2.8 Russell Craft Lager On tap. Pours a clear pale straw colour with a small, foamy, white head that laces. Faint aroma of crackery pale malt and grassy hops. Sweet flavour of grainy pale malt, lemon and grassy hops in a dry, mild bitter finish. Light body with a watery texture and average carbonation. Clean, refreshing and crushable. Fairly standard for the style. Monday, April 15, 2024
cmacklin	3.5 Russell HBC 1019 & Citra Rotating Hazy IPA 473ml can. Pours a hazy orange gold with yeast particles that sink to the bottom and a medium, foamy, long lasting, white head that leaves soapy curtains of lace. Sweet fruity aroma of bready wheat malt, tangerine, peach, lemon, pineapple, coconut and floral hops. Sweet fruity flavour of bready wheat malt, honeydew melon, pineapple, tangerine, earthy yeast, coconut and floral hops in a dry, mild bitter finish. Medium body with an oily texture and soft carbonation. Juicy and enjoyable. Tuesday, April 2, 2024
Gerbeer	3 Russell Lifeline European Espresso Stout 473 ml can. Pours a dark brown with moderate head. Aromas of lactose, nutty chocolate and roasted malts. Flavors of plastic, acidic coffee, and roasted malts with a sugary finish. Saturday, March 16, 2024
cmacklin	3.2 Russell Lifeline European Espresso Stout 473ml can. Pours a clear dark brown with a small, foamy, short lived, beige head that laces nicely. Aroma of roasted malt, earth and espresso. Sweet flavour of roasted malt, lactose, chocolate and prune in a dry, mild bitter espresso finish. Light to medium body with an oily texture and soft carbonation. Interesting concept, but falls a bit short. Not detecting the saison yeast at all. Friday, March 15, 2024
cmacklin	3 Russell Honey Lager 473ml can. Pours a clear amber gold with a small, foamy, long lasting, white head that laces. Aroma of bready pale malt, honey and floral hops. Sweet flavour of grainy pale malt, honey and spicy hops in a crisp, dry, mild bitter finish. Light body with an oily texture and average to soft carbonation. Clean and crushable, but nothing special. Friday, February 23, 2024
Crit	3.1 Russell Lifeline European Espresso Stout brown, light tan head. Big espresso nose and plate, dry malt, quite low carbonation. Pungent espresso makes saison yeast etc undistinguishable Friday, February 16, 2024
Gerbeer	3.6 Russell Really Angry Imperial Scotch Ale 473 ml can. Pours a dark brown with short head. Aromas of toasted malts, raisins, and other trail mix fruit. Flavors of bread crusts, rye, bitter nuts and dried fruit. Friday, February 9, 2024
Gerbeer	3.6 Russell Altus Ego IPA 473 ml can. Pours amber with moderate head. Aromas of fruity citrus, pine, a little grass, and toasted malts. Flavors of follow same; a bit meaty; with more emphasis on grass and less on citrus. Pine and spice on the finish. Thursday, February 8, 2024
RennyDoig	3.6 Russell Really Angry Imperial Scotch Ale 473mL can. Pours very deep amber with large beige head. Aroma of sugary malt; fairly light. Flavour stale bread, candied fruit, and some cloves (?). Burnt sugar on the finish. Light carbonation in the mouth. Enjoyable but feels a bit lacking. Tuesday, February 6, 2024
cmacklin	3.2 Russell Black Cherry Milkshake IPA 473ml can. Pours a hazy orange red with plenty of floaties and a medium, foamy, short lived, pink head that laces. Aroma of bready wheat malt, cherry, yeast and floral hops. Sweet flavour of bready wheat malt, lactose, cherry, grapefruit, yeast and oats in a dry, mild bitter finish. Medium body with an oily texture and average carbonation. Disappointing. Not very creamy and the cherry flavour is artificial and fights against the citrusy hop flavour. Wednesday, January 31, 2024
cmacklin	3.6 Russell Really Angry Imperial Scotch Ale 473ml can. Pours a clear dark brown with red hue and a medium, creamy, long lasting, beige head that laces nicely. Sweet aroma of toasted caramel malt, raisin and peat. Sweet flavour of lightly toasted malt, toffee, raisin and peat in a dry, mild bitter, warming booze finish. Full body with a smooth, oily texture and soft carbonation. Malt forward and tasty. Would love to see this barrel aged. Saturday, January 20, 2024
Crit	3.1 Russell Lights Off Dark Lager Dark brown, small beige head. Light roast nose and palate, vague smoke. Light finishing bitterness Wednesday, December 27, 2023
cmacklin	3.3 Russell Altus Ego IPA 473ml can. Pours a slightly hazy gold amber with a medium, foamy, long lasting, white head that leaves soapy curtains of lace. Aroma of grainy pale malt, herbal and piney hops. Sweet flavour of grainy pale malt, tangerine, pine resin, grass, earth and spicy hops in a dry, long bitter finish. Medium body with an oily texture and average carbonation. Well balanced. Not bad. Saturday, December 2, 2023
cmacklin	3 Russell No Way Margarita Gose 473ml can. Pours a hazy gold yellow with a small, foamy, short lived, white head that leaves spotty lacing. Aroma of grainy wheat, lime, lacto and floral hops. Sweet fruity flavour of grainy wheat, lime, salt and floral hops in a dry, slightly tart finish. Light body with a watery texture and soft carbonation. Just a very mild lime gose. Refreshing, but disappointing. Sunday, November 26, 2023
Crit	3.5 Russell Altus Ego IPA Hazy amber, small lasting white head. Light musty hop nose, more pronounced in palate. Long strong hop bitterness in finish. Nicely balanced with good malt in back. Great lace. Very nice Wednesday, November 22, 2023
SampleExports60	1.5 Russell Pumpkin Pie Milkshake IPA Saturday, October 21, 2023
gunner72	2.7 Russell Pale Ale Thursday, October 12, 2023
pictoman	2.3 Russell Here Comes the Sun Poured from the tap @ Cactus Club Burrard. Clear gold with small white head. Wheaty, very feint bitterness in the finish. Phenolic. Bleh. Thursday, September 28, 2023
Crit	3.1 Russell Chasing Solero Cloudy deep amber. Vague fruit/light malt nose. Light fruity malt profile, with medium strength long hop finish. Good body for style Monday, September 25, 2023
cmacklin	3.2 Russell Mango Bubble Tea Wheat Ale 473ml can. Pours a clear gold orange with a small, foamy, short lived, off-white head that leaves curtains of lace. Mild aroma of grainy wheat malt, mango, orange peel and black tea. Sweet fruity flavour of grainy wheat malt, lactose, mango, strawberry, black tea and floral hops in a crisp, dry, mild bitter finish. Light body with an oily texture and average carbonation. Refreshing and fun to quaff. Sunday, September 24, 2023
Gerbeer	2.8 Russell No Way Margarita Gose 473 ml can. Pours a dull cloudy amber with lighting head. Light aromas of wheat, salt, cereal, and possibly coriander. Flavors aren’t really up front, but with some thought there is some salty wheat and umami. Thursday, September 21, 2023
gunner72	3.1 Russell Red Ale Monday, September 18, 2023
cmacklin	3.2 Russell Be A Buddy Not A Bully 473ml can. Pours a clear gold with a small, foamy, short lived, white head that laces nicely. Mild aroma of pale malt and herbal hops. Sweet flavour of grainy pale malt, honeydew melon and spicy hops in a crisp, dry, mild bitter finish. Light body with a watery texture and average carbonation. Clean, refreshing and crushable. Pretty tasty for a lager. Saturday, September 9, 2023
cmacklin	3.5 Russell Stairway To Hefen 473ml can. Pours a cloudy gold orange with a large, frothy, long, lasting, off-white head that leaves curtains of lace. Aroma of bready wheat malt, yeast, grapefruit, clove and floral hops. Sweet flavour of bready wheat malt, overripe banana, grapefruit peel, clove and floral hops in a dry, mild bitter finish. Medium body with a smooth, oily texture and average to soft carbonation. Delicious and enjoyable. Monday, September 4, 2023
cmacklin	3.2 Russell Pink Boots Hazy Pale Ale 473ml can. Pours a hazy orange gold with a medium, foamy, short lived, off-white head that leaves curtains of lace. Mild aroma of bready pale malt, pithy orange, mango and floral hops. Sweet fruity flavour of bready pale malt, pithy orange, papaya, grapefruit, mango, peach and floral hops in a dry, mild bitter finish. Light to medium body with an oily texture and average carbonation. Not bad, but was hoping for more. Friday, September 1, 2023
cmacklin	3.2 Russell Crisp New Zealand Pale Ale 473ml can. Pours a slightly hazy gold with a medium, foamy, long lasting, off-white head that leaves thick, soapy curtains of lace. Aroma of rice, white wine, passionfruit and floral hops. Sweet fruity flavour of rice, white wine, pear, mango and floral hops in a crisp, dry, mild bitter finish. Light body with an oily texture and average carbonation. Clean, refreshing and crushable. Friday, September 1, 2023
mcberko	2.5 Russell Mango Bubble Tea Wheat Ale On tap at Russell, pours a clear blonde with a small white head. Aroma brings out subtle tea notes, a hint of mango, and very feint bergamot. Flavour is weak, with very subtle mango, some bergamot and biscuity malt. Useless beer. Sunday, August 27, 2023
mcberko	2.8 Russell No Way Margarita Gose On tap at Russell, pours a cloudy bright golden blonde with a small white head. Aroma brings out briny notes, light salt, citrus and a bit of boozy cocktail-like notes in poor cohesion. Flavour is salty and citric, with lots of briny notes, boozy cocktail-like notes, and lacto. It’s like salty, vodka-infused lacto. Not horrible but not good. Sunday, August 27, 2023
mcberko	2.8 Russell POG Milkshake IPA On tap at Russell, pours a cloudy orangey yellow with a small white head. Aroma brings out intense stone fruit, orange, and strong lactose. Flavour is fruity and sweet, with lots of lactose, stone fruit, and subdued hops. I hate this style and this one ain’t changing my mind, but it’s not egregious. Sunday, August 27, 2023
mcberko	2.5 Russell Desert Gold On tap at Russell, pours a mostly clear bright golden with a small white head. Aroma is basically neutral, with biscuity malt. Flavour is muddled but fairly neutral, with biscuity malt and muddled earthiness. Not clean and not well-calibrated. Poor. Sunday, August 27, 2023
Oakes	3.2 Russell POG Milkshake IPA Opaque, peachy colour. Thin head. Mellow bitterness. Some orange and passionfruit. Not so much guava. Bit of sweetness in the finish. Okay - it doesn't come together entirely but it doesn't clash either. Sunday, July 23, 2023
Oakes	3 Russell Pink Boots Hazy Pale Ale Hazy pale. Medium head. Fruity hop nose. Moderate bitterness, light underripe bitter peach kind of character. Hmmm. Something not quite right, but I think it's the fermentation. Or it's just been sitting around a bit too long and the hop brightness has become slightly oxidized. Sunday, July 23, 2023
Oakes	2.9 Russell Margarita Gose Hazy pale tan. Not much head. Mellow, touch of salt. Medium body. Slight tartness. A bit yeasty but otherwise it's okay gose. Sunday, July 23, 2023
Oakes	3 Russell Mango Bubble Tea Sour Ok, so first thing is that there were no boba in this beer. Thank christ, because that would have been just about the dumbest thing imaginable. It's dull pale, with slight haze. Light tartness, hint of mango. Sort of not much here. A mellow refresher. Sunday, July 23, 2023
cmacklin	3.2 Russell Mista Mista Vista Callista 473ml can. Pours a clear pale gold with a medium, foamy, long lasting, off-white head that laces nicely. Mild, sweet fruity aroma of grainy pale malt, peach and floral hops. Sweet fruity flavour of bready pale malt, peach, caramel, orange, papaya and floral hops in a crisp, dry, mild bitter finish. Light body with an oily to watery texture and average carbonation. Very fruity. Almost drinks like an ale. Monday, July 17, 2023
cmacklin	3.4 Russell Y2Haze Sour IPA 473ml can. Pours a hazy orange gold with a medium, foamy, short lived, off-white head that laces. Aroma of grainy wheat malt, grapefruit, peach, yogurt, funky yeast and floral hops. Sweet fruity flavour of grainy wheat malt, grapefruit, guava, pineapple, mango and floral hops in a crisp, dry, sour lacto finish. Light body with an oily to watery texture and average carbonation. Refreshing. Thursday, July 6, 2023
sulawang	3.2 Russell Storm Big Smoke Ale Bottle from BCL bought in December 2011 for $9 CAD, cellared for 11.5 years. -Poured without a head, drinks with just a bit of crispness, not much carbonation. Tastes of malty root beer with some cola, dirty malty metallic rubber peat, some briney notes, lvl4-sweetness, mostly clean but on the dull and flat side. Medium-bodied, finishes with low acridity, entry and mids are decent. Saturday, May 27, 2023
Crit	3.1 Russell Campfire Sandwich Stout Black, beige head. Light Vanilla nose and stronger in palate. Quite sweet with light bitterness in finish. Sunday, May 14, 2023
Crit	2.3 Russell Crisp New Zealand Pale Ale Spoiled by noticeable amounts of diacetyl more so in palate than nose. Friday, March 31, 2023
Crit	3.1 Russell Red Ale Amber/red , small beige head. Light malt nose and palate with light but lasting bitterness and notes of berries ? Friday, March 31, 2023
Matwill	3.5 Russell Oatmeal Stout Tuesday, March 14, 2023
Crit	3.1 Russell Can You Peel the Love Tonight Cloudy gold, lasting white head. Light citrus nose and palate. Gassy, citrus, fruity with medium bitterness and great lacing Tuesday, March 14, 2023
jercraigs	3.5 Russell Can You Peel the Love Tonight 2023-02-25. Orange body, frothy white head. 3+ Aroma is mild, lightly fruity, orange peel. Flavour is similar, lightly bitter, sweetish malt and fruity orange peel. Average bodied palate, good carbonation. 7/3/7/3/15 Can from Spinnakers, Victoria, BC. Sunday, March 12, 2023
mabel	2.7 Russell Punch Bowl North West IPA [11753-20190821] Tap. Mild green herbal aroma. Clear, golden orange body with a long-lasting creamy white head. Bitter toasted green straw grains flavour. Medium body is a little green. Average. (6/3/5/2/11) 2.7 (@ Garricks Head Pub, Victoria, BC) Saturday, March 11, 2023
Gerbeer	3.5 Russell Can You Peel the Love Tonight 473 ml can. Pours a dull amber with moderate head. Aromas of lemon wax. a little pineapple and soft wheaty malts. Flavors follow same. Getting lemon more than orange... OK Friday, February 24, 2023
Oakes	3 Russell Desert Gold All you people who aren't the #1 rater of Russell need to take notes, cause some of us know how to get things done. Sweetish, light bitterness, touch of floral, orangey hop but mostly sticky pale malt. Clean but not very exciting. Saturday, January 28, 2023
Oakes	3.6 Russell West Coast IPA Piney hop, medium bitterness, biscuity malt sweetness with a bit of crystal to it. Decent. Saturday, January 28, 2023
gunner72	3 Russell Root Beer Milk Stout Monday, January 2, 2023
Crit	2.9 Russell Fresh Hop Pale Ale Amber, small white head. Light hop nose and palate, slightly sweet Tuesday, November 29, 2022
cmacklin	3.2 Russell Mimosa Summer Ale 473ml can. Pours a hazy orange yellow with a small, foamy, short lived, off-white head that leaves spotty lacing. Aroma of grainy wheat malt, Belgian yeast, lemon and floral hops. Sweet fruity flavour of grainy wheat malt, orange, lemon, Belgian yeast, a hint of peach and floral hops in a dry, mild bitter finish. Light body with a watery texture and average carbonation. Not really getting mimosa, but refreshing and ok for a flavoured Saison. Monday, November 14, 2022