Russian River Redemption Blonde Ale

Russian River Brewing has so many “-ation” offerings I sometimes get confused which style I’m getting when I order at a bar.  Apparently this carries over to shopping the beer isle as well, as I picked up Russian River Redemption, their Belgian blonde ale, thinking it was one of their barrel-aged beers!  Now that I’ve adjusted my expectations away from something sour, let’s pop the cork.

Russian River Redemption Blonde Ale poured heavily carbonated in the glass with a light, honey-yellow transparent body topped by a tiny, bubbly head and grounded with small amounts of yeast from the bottle conditioning.  The nose was filled with banana, pepper, and clove. 

Russian River Redemption Blonde Ale’s aggressive carbonation came through in the mouth-fell, opening with banana and lemon and a subtle note of iron.  After briefly settling into an herbal, grassy middle the ale dried up surprisingly fast, bringing forward spicy pepper and clove that lingered in the fade.

Russian River Redemption Blonde Ale is an enjoyable, spicy take on a blonde ale.  It is both lighter and yet more complex than the typical blonde… not an easy balancing act to pull off!

Russian River Blind Pig IPA

Russian River Blind Pig IPA, a standard offering and one of the few Russian River brews usually accessible in Southern Oregon, poured a transparent gold into the glass with a soapy white head and tiny suspended yeat particles moving about.  The nose brought forward soft, subtle notes of mango, pineapple, and melon with no detectable bitterness.


Russian River Blind Pig IPA opened with sweet mango and pineapple over semi-sweet caramel.  There was a subtle undercurrent of bitterness that slowly rose to the forefront as the ale faded.  The hop flavors, as opposed to the bitterness, were the star of the show.


Russian River Blind Pig IPA is the little brother to Pliny the Elder in every way... lighter, less alcohol, and maybe just a little bit less interesting.  Taking that comparison way, Blind Pig is a must try ale.

Russian River It Takes a Lot of Great Beer to Make Great Wine Pale Ale

Russian River It Takes a Lot of Great Beer to Make Great Wine Pale Ale, a rarer offering from Russian River brewed in celebration of the Sonoma wineries and the tradition of serving the vineyard workers ale with their lunches (a nod to Vinnie's previous occupation), poured a crystal-clear pale yellow with loads of carbonation and a thick, sudsy white head.  The nose carried aromas of lemon, grass, and cereal malt.


Russian River ITALOGBTMGW Pale Ale opened with bright, floral lemons and an underlying soft corn sweetness.  A touch of grassy bitterness came through before the ale dried in the middle and slowly thickened again and sweetened a bit on the way out.  


The philosophy of the beer is clear- to provide a refreshing and light beer with low ABV without sacrificing flavor or mouthfeel.  I can't find a reliable source to confirm this, but although every reference I have found refers to the beer as an "American Pale Ale", my palette found this sitting clearly in the lager camp... the malt, the hops, the yeast flavors... it's more flavorful than most light lagers, but it is a far cry from any pale ale I have tried (in a good way).

Russian River Sanctification Sour Blonde Ale

Russian River Sanctification Sour Blonde Ale was a heavily carbonated Chardonnay color with a thin white head.   There was visible sediment in the glass, and it had the sour aroma of apple, and a dry gewürztraminer.

Russian River Sanctification Sour Blonde Ale opened with funky sour lemon start, with hints of tart green apple and dry, spicy white wine.  The ale thickened and sweetened just a touch on the fade, giving rise to a subtle grain and spent yeast background.

As far as brett (brettanomyces) beers  go, Russian River Sanctification Sour Blonde Ale

is the one to beat.  It’s less sour than it is dry and tart, but that doesn’t take away from the singularly unique experience.

Russian River Pliny the Elder Imperial IPA

The uncertainty of what I will drink the rest of this week (business travel) forced me to call out the big guns for tonight... Russian River Brewing Co.'s famous Pliny the Elder.  Named after the Roman naturalist who first tried to catalog the world as it was known all that time (with some pretty humanitarian philosophies), Pliny the Elder is one of those beers that could only come from a micro brewery that loves what it's doing.

Pliny poured a slightly hazy amber into the glass with a ton of bubbles that shot straight to the head, leaving a pleasing, lacy foam coating the surface.  The scent was amazing and everything I want hops to be, with hints of tropical fruits and a solid fresh-squeezed grapefruit aroma.

On the tongue, Pliny the Elder is crisp and reminiscent of the best sparkling grapefruit mineral water you've never had, bright on the tongue but in a pleasant, non-intrusive way.  The malt backbone has that flavor I've heard described as umami, just a pleasant support structure for the flavor, and the beer has a lingering grapefruit rind.

Pliny the Elder is widely considered one of the best beers in the USA, and it's a hard label to argue.  Truly a beer experience unlike any other (and at a drinkable but heady 8%), this is one of the greatest I have had the pleasure of tasting, regardless of beer type.  It should be noted Russian River strongly suggest drinking the beer fresh (doubtless to retain the hop profile), and mine had a bottle date of 12/17/10.  If only Russian River made it more available...

ABV 8.0
IBU N/A
OG 1.071
TG N/A

Russian River Supplication Sour Brown Ale

Russian River Supplication Sour Brown Ale, one of Russian River’s barrel aged beers, is just amazing.  I could write extended tasting notes, but it is hands down the best American wild ale I have tried.  It brings a tartness most sours only hint at, perfectly balances the malts, fruit, and oak, and is wine-like in complexity and wildness.  Seriously, why am I still writing… a rare, top in class beverage.

Mad River Steelhead Double India Pale Ale

Mad River Steelhead Double IPA, one of the bigger ABV offerings from Mad River Brewing, poured a cloudy, honey-hued color into the glass, with lots of suspended particles agitated by mild carbonation that fed to almost no head.  The nose carried through pine, grapefruit, and a soft pear sweetness.

Mad River Steelhead opened with sweet orange and some spice on the first taste, with some vanilla and more tropical notes coming through in the middle as the ale mellowed.  The ale ended with loads of tropical flavors, slight grapefruit rind bitterness, and just a touch of heat.

Mad River Steelhead Double IPA falls cleanly into the category of fruity and tropical IPAs, alongside classics like Russian River’s Pliny the Elder.  Refined, highly drinkable, and a well-hidden ABV made this a beer I have always enjoyed drinking, but the $10+ a six-pack price used to dissuade me.  After watching my beer spend this year though, I didn’t feel too bad picking up a second pack!

Mad River Brewing Jamaica Sunset IPA

It's always a great day when I find a promising looking new beer from a brewery I'm already a fan of.  In this particular instance it was a six-pack of an IPA from Mad River Brewing Company I eagerly picked up.  Being familiar with their Jamaica Brand Red Ale, I was surprised to see this new beer, Jamaica Sunset IPA using the same "Jamaica Brand" brand.  A little bit of research revealed the Jamaica Brand originated from Mad River's involvement with the Reggae on the River festival; Jamaica Brand beers being those originally brewed for the event. 

Poured into the glass, I have to say Jamaica Brand Sunset IPA was gorgeous... red-clover honey in color with a hazy body that emitted a warm glow from within as it reflected the ambient light and subtly moved as the light carbonation trails bubbles to the top.  The head was a bright white and tight without being sticky.  I'm not sure if it was the "Sunset" in the name affecting my subconscious perception, but Sunset IPA might be the best and most unique looking beer I have seen in a glass.  The nose was very similar to some of my favorite IPAs... light grapefruit notes without the bitterness. 

The first taste of Jamaica Brand Sunset IPA was a firm, but not overwhelming, candied grapefruit with enough carbonation to open my taste buds.  As the carbonation faded and the ale settled on my palette, the sweet grapefruit flavor gained a toasty characteristic, but none of the typical bread notes that come with it.  Sunset IPA ended on a grapefruit rind linger that was less bitter than most.

I loved this beer, and plan on adding this to my regular rotation for session beers.  It's closer in taste to Russian River's Pliny the Elder than the big, piny IPAs of the Northwest, but slightly lighter, easier to take on, and (being pragmatic) a much more affordable habit.

Firestone Walker Double Jack Imperial IPA

The Pear Blossom Festival found me wandering around downtown today with my daughter and somewhat underwhelmed by the beers represented at the beer and wine tent and dodging the n-teenth Elephant Ear cart.  Fortunately, the good folk at Jackson Creek Pizza have the right combination of kid-friendliness and a good (if limited) tap lineup.  Today the mystery handle yielded a brew from Firestone Walker Brewing Company, the hard-to-find Firestone Walker Double Jack Imperial IPA.

Firestone Walker Double Jack Imperial IPA poured crystal clear from the tap, honey-hued with a sticky white head and vigorously carbonated body.  The nose was full of nectarine and mango... slightly less sweet than Russian River’s standard-setting Pliny the Elder, but eerily similar.

The similarities didn’t stop at the nose, as Firestone Walker Double Jack opened with bold flavors of nectarine, peach, and papaya sweetness in the front that settled into a very dry, light body in the fade with a touch of bitterness.  I hate to compare, but other than being slightly less integrated and smooth this ale was 90% to being a Pliny the Elder Clone.  

Similarities aside (although in this case it’s a compliment), Firestone Double Jack Imperial IPA achieves perfection in offering a hard-to-put-down drinkability with a head swooning 9.5% ABV.  The tropical fruitiness of the beer is dry enough to never be cloying, and it was hard to resist ordering a second pint.

Oskar Blues Gubna Imperial IPA

Oskar Blues Gubna Imperial IPA, probably the first beer I tried from Oskar Blues several years ago when they first hit Southern Oregon, poured the cloudy hue of green tea, with loads of carbonation trailing to a big, loose white head.  The nose was led by pineapple, mango, and apple with an underlying bitterness.


Oskar Blues Gubna IPA opened with a juicy apple and pineapple start that was too quickly kicked into gear by a strong alcohol heat.  An otherwise sweet malt backbone was somewhat undermined by a rising bitterness in the fade.  


All in all, Oskar Blues Gubna Imperial IPA is a delicious, if somewhat rough and uneven, IPA that comes closer to Russian River's Pliny the Elder than it does the typical "bigger and more of the same" Imperial IPAs offered by most brewers.  The high price of admission is a bit of a turn off, but by the second can, you'll forget to care.

Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale Brown Shugga' Substitute

Well, Lagunitas is nothing if not overly honest.  Apparently they blew their production schedule and didn't have room for their winter seasonal Lagunitas Brown Shugga'.  Rather than moving on and hoping no one would notice, they released the self-effacing Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale (Brown Shugga' Substitute).  Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale poured a transparent gold color with medium carbonation trailing to a bright white, half inch foam head.  The nose carried pure mango and pineapple, and immediately reminded me of last night's beer in its similarity to Russian River's Pliny the Elder.


Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale did not fully follow through on the promise of the nose, with the expected sweet pineapple juice at the start almost immediately met with an underlying, resinous bitterness.  Notes of pineapple and tropical fruits lingered throughout the taste, but the roughness of the bitterness and a bit too obvious alcohol heat ultimately stole from the show.  


Make no mistake, there are a lot worse decisions one could make than picking up a six pack of this limited released, but Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale Brown Shugga' Substitute is so close to being a well balanced, sublime beer that the flaws (which are common and not flaws in most IPAs) take away from the experience as a whole.  Cheers to Lagunitas, regardless, and their dedication to honesty and the pursuit of great beer.