Russian River Depuration
Blonde Ale aged in French oak Chardonnay barrels with white wine grapes for one year with three strains of Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus & Pediococcus
4
195 reviews
Santa Rosa, United States
Community reviews
38cl, Batch 1, retired exclusive American brew, with white wine grapes, thx alot to Walt!, very complex sour fruit brew, vinous/woody and slightly sour/malty, easy to drink, very balanced, cloudy, nearly no head, very good brew!
Bottle shared by shigadeyo. Pours a hazy peach color with some floaties and a small white head. The aroma is initially soft with oak, white wine and some mild acidic and tart notes. This opens with some warming and a little agitation. The flavor is somewhat tart with a big emphasis on white wine and oak. The bugs have been working their magic for a couple years producing a mildly acidic, moderately tart brew that is very drinkable. The Brett has added a nice funk to the mix. Light-medium bodied. Very good.
HUGE thanks to Alex via Nerd... Pours dark honey gold with a bit of milkyness to it, bright white head... Wonderful nose, smells like SH Peconic, white grapes, sweet fruits, the temptation really shows throw... The taste is like the nose but a little muted, wish it was a tad more tart but overall wonderfully refreshing
Bottle, Batch 1 compliments of Pat on my birthday. Huge thanks for this ridic sour Annie. Pour is a very deep murky dark orange. Very minimal head and thin circle of lacing around the inner glass. Aromas of honey mead, barley wine aroma, juicy caramel, buttery oak, french chardonay, delicious malts, funky wild yeast and other notes like temptation. Taste is the perfect amount of sourness, slightly restrained. Taste of honey, bret, aged balsemic, lemon leather, vinous notes, lactic acidity, white grapes, chardonay. Wasnt sour at first but an insane mouth watering puckeryness comes out at the finish especially on the back and sides of the tongue. Shit mehhh. Insanely rare and unique sour from one of my all time favorite sour producers.
Bottle. Batch 001. 12.7 oz. Split with Sean and Vininie for his 25th Birthday. This beauty pours a nearly opaque chestnut light honey brown with a thin, lacy, tightly-bubbled khaki head. Aroma of sweet honey, purple and white grapes, green apples, pears, figs, and some slight traces of lemon, vanilla, leather and moist, dank oak. The body is soft as silk, and almost watery at first, but as it settles, it firms up a bit and swells with some velvety support. Grapes, honey, and fresh baked, malty bread flavors abound, followed through by even juicer grape and lemon hints, some vinious, balsamic notes, and finishing with just the absolute perfect amount of sour bite to undercut the sweetness overburdening the taste until it rolls upon a wave of tongue cotating sourness. Smelling like a beautiful, sumptuous mead crossed with a fine Chardonnnay blanc, and tasting of the finest grapes and earth, this sour clocks in as one of my favorite beer experiences of all time and one I shall always remember. A truly special beer, and one which I was lucky enough to share with two of my best friends. Salute!
Bottle at Max and Jess’s housewarming, thank rciesla. Orange golden pour with tan head. Funky fruit aroma, including brett, lacto and a touch of chardonnay. Flavor is tart white grapes, citrus, funked fruit. Man this was good.
Bottle Thanks to Dany for hooking me up with this, this is gold. Consumed at 3 years old, batch 1. Pours a hazy rustic orange and amber fall body with a white head and good retention. White whine, chardonnay, leather and brett tones. A light lactic acid note, grapes and fresh frozen fruit scent. Very low acidity a hint of lemon, and light citrus. Cob webs, light funk y notes. Delicious!
Bottle from major trade with Eclectic - thank you. The pour is deep yellow with a attitude topped with a mild white head. The aroma has a wild sourness with a nice auro of farts and tons of wood and a very gently balnced sweetness. The taste is dominated by the grapes that really stands out together with a sweetnes like peaches. Pretty acidic but still with a controled temper. The finish is rather anonymous but with a mild sweetness. Medium mouthfell with a litlle oily feeling. NIce
Bottle shared by shigadeyo. Poured a hazy orange color with an average frothy white head that mostly lasted with good lacing. Moderate to heavy sour, yeast and white grape aroma. Medium to full body with a smooth texture and flat carbonation. Medium to heavy sour flavor with a medium to heavy sweet & sour finish of moderate to long duration. This is a standout beer.
Rating number 4,000. Bottle of batch 001 thanks to bu11zeye! Pours with a murky orange-brown body with a small, but vibrant white head. Aroma of some bready oxidation, fruits, horseblanket, lychee, maderized wine, toffee, white wine, oak, lacto. Aroma reminds me a bit of a less boozy version of SNR2000. Very complex to say the least. Flavor is floral, delicate, slightly oxidized, lightly sour, lacto and pedio, cobwebs, melon, grapes, white wine, rum soaked cake. The duration is very long and keeps getting better and better. Very well balanced and really tart more than sour. The grape character is faded and is more floral than fruit. Tingly carbonation and dry. Very interesting and very good, but probably doesn’t have too many years (probably months) left in it. A great beer to mark the journey to 4,000 rates.
Thanks to rayg1 for this gem. I am very happy to have tried this one! Pours a nice cloudy yellowish color with a white head. Aroma is tart, funky, lemony, cobwebs, dank basement, horseblanket. Flavor is tart but not crazy sour. Earthy, dry, funky, woody. Damn fine beer. Really awesome stuff.
A: The pour is a very hazy golden color with some small carbonation bubbles, but not too much in the way of head formation.
S: The grapes really stand out despite this bottle being about four years old. The fruit provides a very interesting combination of buttery sweetness and tartness which is very inviting. There is a bit of lemony lactic tartness to the nose as well.
T: The nose translates almost perfectly to the palate, with the flavor being a little bit better (though that’s certainly hard to do). Again, the grapes really come through strongly and have such an amazing contrast. The front end features the sweetness of the grapes with the back end being tart, fruity, and dry.
M: The beer is smooth, and despite the low visual appearance of carbonation, there are a nice amount of bubbles on the tongue.
D: Easily one of my favorite beers I’ve had the pleasure of trying. It’s too bad this one won’t be made again and that it’s so hard to come by.
10th May 2008. Starts like a Geuze but finishes like cider with a champagne crispness and dryness. An entirely seperate silky smooth vanilla oak rides alongside these flavours. Unusual.
@Pauls Girardin chugging-courtesy of eclectic-12.7oz bottle–pours a white ring for a head and hazy yellow color. Aroma is tart light fruit, wood/spice, yeast. Taste is tart light fruit-apricot/lemon, wood/spice, yeast. Interesting.
Batch 001. Huge pop of the cork. Clear light amber with little head. Lightly oxidized aroma with caramel, vanilla, wood, white grapes. Medium body with soft carbonation. Light to medium sour flavors of tart white grapes with wet wood, vanilla, and lightly sweet malts. Would like to try a fresh one of these some time.
Bottle from Tever, Batch 1, been sitting on it for around 2 years. Poured a nice golden color, sweet/tart aroma with hints of wine and sourness. Very winey, for those in the Great Lakes area, very close to some pink catawaba. Nice beer but I think it might have been past its prime.
Shared by Dickinsonbeer. Poured fairly flat. Reminiscent of every other russian river sour i’ve drank. I felt that up front the sourness was subdued but towards the tail end of the midpallette it becomes alot more pronounced. Not bad stuff at all.
Batch 001. Sampled in a RR Damnation tulip glass.
Poured a hazy deep golden color with a nice pop on the cork. There was a fizzy white head that ran away quickly and gave way to a slight white ring around the edge of the glass.
The nose was earthy, horse blanket, a bit peppery maybe and a tad winey to boot. The taste a bit tart up front with a bit of sweetness on the tongue. There was a definite vineous character going on in here but not overly so. Just enough grape taste to keep you interested but not enough to think you are drinking wine. The carbonation was perfectly layered into this brew and made for a somewhat light and refreshing body. After a few more sips the wine character gets a little bigger and brings out some wood notes as well. Overall this is another fine brew from RR but seems a bit young and could probably use a little more aging in the bottle. Bottle # 2 to be drank after some aging in the cellar.
Batch 1. 375ml bottle. Pours a murky amber color with small white head. Nose is funky, sour, fruit, citrus, grapes, barnyard. Initial taste sour, grapes, yeasty, earthy, oak and musty. Mid to finish displays barnyard funk and wet hay. Body is light and refreshing. Carbonation is perfect. Dry tart finish. Average head retention. Good palate duration. Excellent sour!
Bottled, Batch 1. Poured dirty medium amber with a dusting of white head. The aroma was sour and strong with vinegary notes, light-medium skinned fruits, and white grapes around.. even stronger and more engaging as it warmed up. The flavor was spicy and strong for the most part with moderate sourness always present (from vinous notes and vinegar).. long, warm, sour finish. Medium-bodied and sour as mentioned on the palate.. felt good the whole way through. Excellent!
"Depuration" is cleasing or renewel; fitting that Batch 001 was sampled to celebrate Obama’s inauguration. Very slighty hazy yellow-orange pour, small head. Champagny, funky nose, somewhat tart, grapes on oak, rich and complex. In addition to everything in the aroma, cheese and salt in the flavor, lemon and peppercorns on the close along with more buttery oak. Delicious and very accessible. Here’s to hope.
Bottle from Pantanap. Pours golden color with almost no head. Funky and somewhat fruity aroma with oak notes. Nice sour taste with a citrus touch. Grapes are there but subtile. This is another very good tasting experience from Russian River. Thanks Kan!
Pours bright golden with no head. Nose and flavor are tart grapefruit, funk, and oak. Lively and tannic mouthfeel.
Yeah 2008 (thanks Jason): Golden hue with a small head and minimal lace. The aroma has notes of funk (a hint poopy) and acidity, grassy and herbal hops, grapes, butterscotch, and oak. The taste start twangy and acidic with a noticeable grape presence. Salty and minerally in mid stream and finishes peppery and grassy with a touch of oak. The mouth feel is sharp and lively, quite refreshing except for some mineral like abrasiveness. Overall it is outstanding due to the uniqueness of the palate, tart yet not overpowering. Jizz in my pants.
shared by wetherel at the LA Barrel Night. Golden/ amber pour with a thin white head. Aroma of funk, citrus, and a hint of sweetness. Great mouthfeel with a zesty tartness that quickly smoothes into flavors of citrus, tart grape, and earthy funk.
Bottle - 375mL corked and caged. Pretty golden pour. Small particulates dance, suspended in the liquid. The small white head seems to disappear as quickly as it formed. Aroma is divine! Sour fruits, funky yeast, wet earth, some sweat, grape skins, oak, and a touch of cat urine. There’s also a moldy type of cheesiness in the aroma. Taste is sour but oh so lovely! Sour fruits, light sweat, leather, funky yeast, earthy notes, musty books, grapes, oak and orange peel. The body is light, VERY dry, acidic and spritzy. Though I don’t want this to end, it’s demise brings forth more sweat, sour fruit, wet leather, damp wood, earthen flavors, litter box/barnyard, and grapes. Does Russian River make a bad beer? I don’t think I’ve had one if they do.
Pours a golden color with lots of minute particulate; with some white sudsy ring. Aroma is funky, citrus, grape, tart barnyard. Taste is much the same. Very good, but I could do with some more carbonation and bite.
Bottle shared by wetherel at the 2008 Lost Abbey Barrel Tasting. Thanks for bringing this rarity John. Dark and hazy yellow color with ample carbonation. Some thin white head. Complex, tart aroma that is both vinous and kind of cheesy. Very nice. Some buttery diacetyl flavors are mixed in with tart citrus and funky yeast biscuit. Oak shows nicely too. Extremely easy to drink. A really neat beer all around.
Sample from Wetherel....thanks John! Mellow, soft but tight carbonation that rolls over the tongue. A nice balance between oak and bugs. I liked this a bit more than Temptation...awesome.
12.7oz bottle from kp. Huge thanks Keith. Great sour aroma. Cloudy yellow amber color. Mild sourness. Lots of carbonation. One of the best sours I’ve had. Possibly mellowed from age.