Russian River Beatification (Batch 002+)
Although we enjoyed aging Batch #1 in used La Folie barrels from New Belgium Brewery, one of which was the renowned PH1 barrel, Batch #2 is something completely different. After a trip to Belgium in 2006, Vinnie successfully tried his hand at spontaneous fermentation using traditional, and not so traditional, Lambic methods. Out of respect for our Belgian brewing friends, we call this style “Sonambic”, a portmanteau between Sonoma and Lambic.
We stole this term from our friend Brian Hunt at Moonlight, our local farmhouse brewery. In 2007, we executed a second spontaneous fermentation, making yet another batch of Sonambic. This year, we blended those two batches to create our second bottling of Beatification which we are very excited about! Batch #2 has a big grapefruit aroma and grapefruit rind flavor with funky Brettanomyces and a tart finish.
from Batch 003 label:
Beer Aged in Oak Barrels
Refermented in this Bottle
be•at•i•fi•ca•tion. n 1 a state of supreme happiness. 2. the action of rendering supremely blessed and extremely happy. 3. an act of the Pope whe declares that a deceased person lived a holy life and is worthy of public veneration; a first step toward canonization.
The beer inside this bottle, is a blend of two vintages of a base beer we call "Sonambic" which is 100% spontaneously fermented. Additionally, we have blended a couple other, orphan beers to soften up the mouth feel. What is an orphan beer you ask, well, there are bears that we brew specifically for the purpose of blending. Usually these bears never make t to market on their own, but, they serve an important purpose to either help soften up a barrel aged beer, or in some cases actually make more acidic.
Blonde in color, Beatification has notes of citrus and earthiness, while the finish is refreshingly sour and dry.
Beatification undergoes a secondary fermentation in this Bottle to create its fine carbonation - a process commonly used in Champagne and sparkling wine. Spent yeast cells form a thin layer in the bottom of the battle, adding even more complexity and flavors. Pour slowly to allow the natural sediment to remain in the bottle.
5.75%
from 2020 label:
100% Spontaneously Fermented Beer Aged in Wine Barrels
Barrel Aged 9 to 36 Months
Lactobacillus • Brettanomyces • Saccharomyces • Pediococcus
Beatification is a 100% spontaneously fermented beer using only wild yeast and bacteria, something we have been doing since 2006. We start by filling our koelschip or horny tank and let the wort sit overnight. The inoculated wort is then transferred to used oak barrels and allowed to slowly, naturally ferment. Multiple vintages are combined to create the perfect blend. This beer has notes of citrus and earthiness with a tart finish. Beatification is refermented in this bottle to create its carbonation.
from https://www.russianriverbrewing.com/beatification :
This beer is very unique and inspired by breweries in the Lambic region of Belgium and, especially, our friends at Cantillon. It is 100% spontaneously fermented, meaning yeast is not added. Once the beer is brewed, it is transferred to a cool-ship or “horny” tank located in our barrel room at the pub. There it sits overnight and collects whatever funky wild yeast and bacteria may be living in the room. The next day it is transferred to oak wine barrels where it ferments wildly and ages for a few months. The end result is a wild, spontaneously fermented, sour, and tasty hand-crafted beer!
Original Gravity: 1.050
Color: Blonde/golden
Bitterness: High
We stole this term from our friend Brian Hunt at Moonlight, our local farmhouse brewery. In 2007, we executed a second spontaneous fermentation, making yet another batch of Sonambic. This year, we blended those two batches to create our second bottling of Beatification which we are very excited about! Batch #2 has a big grapefruit aroma and grapefruit rind flavor with funky Brettanomyces and a tart finish.
from Batch 003 label:
Beer Aged in Oak Barrels
Refermented in this Bottle
be•at•i•fi•ca•tion. n 1 a state of supreme happiness. 2. the action of rendering supremely blessed and extremely happy. 3. an act of the Pope whe declares that a deceased person lived a holy life and is worthy of public veneration; a first step toward canonization.
The beer inside this bottle, is a blend of two vintages of a base beer we call "Sonambic" which is 100% spontaneously fermented. Additionally, we have blended a couple other, orphan beers to soften up the mouth feel. What is an orphan beer you ask, well, there are bears that we brew specifically for the purpose of blending. Usually these bears never make t to market on their own, but, they serve an important purpose to either help soften up a barrel aged beer, or in some cases actually make more acidic.
Blonde in color, Beatification has notes of citrus and earthiness, while the finish is refreshingly sour and dry.
Beatification undergoes a secondary fermentation in this Bottle to create its fine carbonation - a process commonly used in Champagne and sparkling wine. Spent yeast cells form a thin layer in the bottom of the battle, adding even more complexity and flavors. Pour slowly to allow the natural sediment to remain in the bottle.
5.75%
from 2020 label:
100% Spontaneously Fermented Beer Aged in Wine Barrels
Barrel Aged 9 to 36 Months
Lactobacillus • Brettanomyces • Saccharomyces • Pediococcus
Beatification is a 100% spontaneously fermented beer using only wild yeast and bacteria, something we have been doing since 2006. We start by filling our koelschip or horny tank and let the wort sit overnight. The inoculated wort is then transferred to used oak barrels and allowed to slowly, naturally ferment. Multiple vintages are combined to create the perfect blend. This beer has notes of citrus and earthiness with a tart finish. Beatification is refermented in this bottle to create its carbonation.
from https://www.russianriverbrewing.com/beatification :
This beer is very unique and inspired by breweries in the Lambic region of Belgium and, especially, our friends at Cantillon. It is 100% spontaneously fermented, meaning yeast is not added. Once the beer is brewed, it is transferred to a cool-ship or “horny” tank located in our barrel room at the pub. There it sits overnight and collects whatever funky wild yeast and bacteria may be living in the room. The next day it is transferred to oak wine barrels where it ferments wildly and ages for a few months. The end result is a wild, spontaneously fermented, sour, and tasty hand-crafted beer!
Original Gravity: 1.050
Color: Blonde/golden
Bitterness: High
4.1
712 reviews
Santa Rosa, United States
Community reviews
Super crisp and ever so slightly hazy pure blonde coloured body with a super thin, pale white head. Aroma of white grape juice, pale malt, wheat, grass, hay, flowers and a heavy amount of Brett and a pungent yeast strain. Light-bodied; Clean and very elegant grassy and herbal flavour with a lot of light fruits like white grapes, apples and a dose of guava that show above the pure clean yeast notes, but the sweetness, bread from the yeast and especially the tartness, which is ever present. Aftertaste shows a lot of clean wheat, lemons, citrus and pure brett and yeast throughout that makes this very elegant and enjoyable. Overall, a very nice, crisp and refined beer that shows all the important pieces, especially the fruit, yeast and tartness and done superbly - great overall! Get this one if you can find it, I'm glad that I had this on tap, but I'd get a few bottles if I could find them, to age! I sampled this eight ounce pour on draught from Toronado in San Francisco, California on 13-March-2019. Batch #17 (or the sign in Toronado says Beatification 17.
Flaska från trade. Vintage 2013. Smådisig ljusguldig med vit krona. Funkigt, syrligt med snygga toner av gröna druvor, vit persika, päron, druvskal, citronskal och en lätt ton av filmjölk som jag kanske kunde varit utan. I övrigt clean och fin med bra fattoner. Åldern märks knappt av - oerhört pigg för sin ålder.
Bottle shared with Pilsnertest. Pours cloudy yellow with brief, white head. Peach, white wine, heavily citric sourness, some oak and vanilla. Light and easy to drink. Lacks complexity.
Bottle from a trade. Bottle on 031113. So this is 5 years old. Bright orange amber in the glass, absolutely no head. Nose is funky, straight off the bat. White vinegar and apple vinegar tart and sour, brown oxidised apple flesh, apple skin tannin, cider, acidic sour, old leather, lemon peel, clean crisp minerals. Taste is clean, crisp, tart, sour, crisp minerals, really nice and super tart but with the edges rounded off with apple, oxidised apple, slight cider, apple vinegar, white vinegar, malt vinegar, malt. Nose is big and funky like a lambic, taste a little cleaner with less funk and malt base character. Very tar and very good.
375ml bottle. Pours hazy bright yellow. White wine, peach, barnyard, biscuit, floral, elderflower, very floral, vanilla, nectarine, very tart. Good body. Excellent.
Bottle shared by guys from L'ermitage huge thanks, at L'ermitage taproom, Brussels, Belgium. Pour it yellow color with small whhite head. Aroma woody, vanilla, tart. Taste smooth light fruity, vanilla, tart, grapes, smooth finish, really complexed, medium sweetness, full body, thick feel, lively, long finish.
American Wild Perfection👌JesterKingHouseStrainSoft, ein komplexer SteinfruchtAnstrich & ein flauschig zartes tartes MilkFinish💚 Tap Stuff. RUSSIAN RIVER TAPROOM, No Batch ;)..
On tap @ City Beer. Pours clear pale yellow golden with thin white head. Aroma is sharply tart acidic pears and lemon; earthy, blue cheese funky, and dry. Taste is similar, though more mellow. Tart green apples, lemon, oak barrels - amazing depth of flavor. Crisp but not crushingly tart. Outstanding beer.
Draught @ Russian River Brewpub, Santa Rosa. 2018 version on release day. Pours light golden with a white head. Aroma of light sourness, malt, yeast, brett, barnyard, wood, wine grapes, grapefruit. Flavor is lightly sour, malt, yeast, bretty, leather, wet wood, tart fruit, green grapes, citrus, grapefruit. Medium body, soft to average carbonation, dry and light acidic finish. Very well balanced. 200718
Bottle poured into a teku showing moderately filtered straw with a finger of clean white foam.
The nose shows pronounced notes of brett and lighter tart notes of citrus and grapefruit.
The palate is well carbonated and light bodied. Moderately tart with moderately intense notes of brett, grapefruit, grapefruit rind, and milder notes of apricot. Leaves a light zestiness on palate with light Belgian yeast sweetness.
Hazy golden color. Aroma has funky yeast notes, ripe apricot, almond and earthy notes. Taste is sour and astringent with almond bitterness and unripe stonefruits. Medium body and carbonation, really dry feel. Overall it's a quite well made sour ale.
Tasted from bottle batch 7. Pours a slight cloudy gold with no head. Lot of oak notes along with wine notes. A little bit of sour funk. Taste refreshing mildly sour funky refreshing beer. Some grassy notes along with grapes and maybe a little peach. Very well done.
Aroma is lemon and grapefruit with a distinct dry wood character. Taste is direct and solid tartness, lemons and light earthy undertones. Soothing sweetness beneath the tartness, with a hint of sweet orange. Clean brett aura and a dry finish. A very good "Sonambic".
W aromacie mnóstwo świeżych brzoskwini, cytrusów w typie limonki oraz charakterystycznych dzikusów. Smak początkowo słodki, owocowy, ale szybko staje się cierpki i kwaśny z lekkimi nutami drewna. Średnie ale krągłe w ustach. Niskie wysycenie z przyjemną trawiastą goryczką. Z pewnością piwo spełnia oczekiwania i jest świetnym kolejnym przykładem że browar Vinniego tworzy klasowe, kwaśne piwa.
Draught at Toronado SF. Golden color, white head. Sour taste with citrus, wheat, brett, tart, sour apples, toast and white currant. Sour finish with citrus, wheat, tart, sour apple, toast and grass. Excellent sour ale.
Vinegar, citrus, white grapes, oak, floral, some spicy notes.
Medium to heavy sour, slightly sweet, lightly tannic.
old rating from a notebook. batch 3. smells like pleasure. so tart an acidic fruit and sweat and things that shouldnt make me smile. my jaw clenches just smelling this. tangy sour flavor that is so nicely soured and a pleasure to drink. only thing i'm missing is a good goat cheese. there is a light tannic grape note in the finish that works well. makes the cut on my lip and mouth burn so bad. love the burn. embrace it.
Oak, sweet, red berries, sweet citrus fruits. Slightly hazy gold, medium, creamy, white head. Medium sour. More sour, acidic lemon and lime, soft carbonation, medium bodied. Very sour Sour. Keg at GABF17, Denver.
Pours cloudy golden with low white head. Aroma of grass, green grapes, apples and mild hay. Taste is rich tart, mellow fruit funky finish. Light and crisp body with average carbonation.
Tasting at Tokyo Midtown. Batch 008. Light yellow pour, cloudy. Light acidic nose and some spicy oak in the nose. White currants. Taste has more barrel, woody and quite acidic. Feels fresh, bone dry, more white currants and spicy oak. Definitely a living classic.
Nice golden color with just the right amount of tartness. Light and refreshing without too much sweetness.
duft funk abrikos citrus
smag malt citrus frisk abrikos lime alt i alt en ok øl
Santa Rosa, Ca - on tap at Russian River,Hazy, light golden pour, fluffy white bubbly head, Solid sour aroma, some dried apricot accents, a hint of vinegar, in a good way, Bold, very puckering flavor, raspberries and apricots come to mind, Solid thick spritz to the mouthfeel. Rating #6 of of my 2017 Northern California vacation,
Draft at the brewpub. Aroma of tart, horseblanket, citrus, vanilla, oak and funk. Rich taste of horseblanket, funky barnyard, oak, vanilla, soft tart, green apples and a long tasty dry finish. A true californian lambic.
From tap at Russian River, Santa Rosa. Aroma is Bretty with lots of funk, citrus, oak, lemon, barnyard, touch of grapes, apple, and apricot. Flavour is puckering sour with a dry finish. Body is medium. Delicious, drinks very much like a Lambic, with a complex fruity funky aroma and a tasty sour flavour. Amazing.
Pours hazy orange with a low white head. Aromas of citrus, grass, farmhouse, earthy notes. Taste is fruity and sour with prominent oak and earthy notes. Mouthfeel is light bodied with medium carbonation.
Pours foggy yellow with minimal head
Aromas tart of citrus, tangerine, lemons,
Taste has tart notes of green grapes, citrusy fruits, slightly herbal, wine barrel, stable
@RBB: pours golden color, haze, unstable tan head. Aro.a-flavor: peaches, citruses, grape, funk, salt, tart dry finish. Moderate body, soft texture and medium carbonation.
From bottle into snifter, apples, butter, white wine, some funk, a bit of barnyard. Yellow golden color, a bit of carbonation. Very acidic, slightly sweet. Okay finish, very nice beer.
Bottle. Hazy golden with a white head. Aroma of stonefruits, honey dew, light vinegar, grape, white grapes, slight vinous. Taste is heavy sour, slight barn loads of fruity character with a touch if vinegar.