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Author Topic: Russian River - Damnation  (Read 1422 times)

Offline morticaixavier

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Russian River - Damnation
« on: May 08, 2011, 10:25:23 pm »
Let me start by saying that is some damn good head! and then i opened the beer (badda bum, I'm here all week, order the tofu)

But seriously, after pulling the cork with a satisfying POP I poured a full large red wine glass full of foam. Okay so I had just gotten the beer home and I live on a bumpy road so...

The head, even after settling for a few minutes, was a mousy crisp, just off white 3 inches. After my first sip it collapsed, I suspect I had some oil on my lip or similar. Second pour to top it off and finish the 375ml bottle and the head returned even mousier this time around (is mousier a word? Does it refer to small twitchy rodents? Well you get my point). The beer is a slightly cloudy golden color more toward the orange end than the yellow. I suspect some of the cloudiness at least is also the fault of the drive home.

The aroma is delightful, I have never been to Belgium and so have never had the opportunity to taste a good belgian farmhouse beer in it's ideal form but this is what I hope to taste when I do! I can see where the descriptors 'horse blanket' or 'farmyard' come from but in this they are subtle but well defined, you can smell (and indeed taste) warm hay and grainy, fermented silage (but in a good way)

The taste is dry and funky. There is black pepper in the aftertaste and a lingering farmyard sourness with a surprising fresh lemon finish. There is very little indication of the somewhat hefty 7.75% abv. If not for the sensory overload from the array of funky... I was going to say Belgian character, but I suspect this funk owes a lot of it's unusual mode of funkiness to it's northern California roots.

Overall this is really nice beer and The apparent alchahol level would not stop me from having another, but I suspect that after this first one I will have had enough for tonight! (and I am not just saying that cause I only got one!) It's funkiness is exactly what I was looking for in a big wine class as I fold laundry and watch TV!
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Offline Pinski

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Re: Russian River - Damnation
« Reply #1 on: May 09, 2011, 12:35:41 am »
Sounds good. I enjoyed a Consecration last night. 
Steve Carper
Green Dragon Brewers
Clubs: Oregon Brew Crew & Strange Brew
BJCP Certified