Russian River Deviation (Bottleworks IX)
In celebration of Bottleworks 9th Anniversary, we are proud to present Deviation - a beer unique in every sense. This remarkable blend combines the oak aged diversity of PHI, Orphan Ale, and Sonambic Ale with 100% Brettanomyces Ale (Sanctification) and is bottle conditioned with additional Brettanomyces. Thanks Vinnie. Your beer is a testament to the art of deviation. 6.83%
4.2
264 reviews
Santa Rosa, United States
Community reviews
bottle shared by tom10101, many thanks bro! pours cloudy dark golden-orange with a small off-white cap showing minimal retention and lacing. bretts, toasted wheat, very peppery, other spices - aniseed, some fruity awkward notes, light to medium acidity, but everything is obscured by oxidation - old grass and off-fruity notes. light carbonation, light body, grassy-spicy and tart-citric finish. o-k..
Bottle 750ml.
Pours hazy golden with low white head. Minimal to no lacing. Aroma is of acid, bretts, fruits. Taste is of acid, bretts, sourness, fruits, apricots. Palate: Light-medium body. Light carbonation. Overall: A tad too acidic. Quite good anyways.
Pours a hazy copper with a small white rim for a head that leaves low lacing. Nose is of tomato juice, vinegar. Taste is of vinegar and really acidic. This felt old and past its prime big time. The heavy acidity (acetic acid) makes this beer hard to drink, otherwise it would be OK. Body was light and carbonation medium-high. Pretty sure this was good when it came out but now it is simply dead.
Bottle (750 ml). Thanks to Mykel for this one! Hazy golden with a small ring of white foam. Aroma is interesting, quite fruity, slightly acetic with wood, brettanomyces and oxidation notes. Taste is more oxidized and more acetic... it’s also quite fruity with oak and herbal presence. Medium body. Soft carbonation. A tad oily mouthfeel. Puckering. Decent AWA. Not super complex, too acetic... definitely on the decline but I can see that it was probably a very good beer when released.
Bottle shared at tasting. Flat gold pour. Aroma is dusty, light acetic aromas, woody aromas, earthy brett, oxidization notes (light cardboard). Taste is grassy, dusty & bitter hop, slightly acetic with a lingering woody finish. Palate is dry, med bodied with almost no carb. Unfortunate because this was probably a really good beer at one point, but this bottle was not its former self - still enjoyable though.
Pours a hazy golden copper with no head. Aroma of oak, funk, citrus and stone fruit. Taste is sour, oak, funk, citrus and stone fruit. Really complex, l really like this one
750mL bottle at Bottleworks, pours a fairly clear copper golden with a small off-white head. Aroma is extremely complex, with loads of complex brett, maybe other wild yeast, oak, and more brett. Flavour reveals loads of brett all around, oak barrels, yeast, and more brett. No hint of oxidation at all - this has certainly stood the test of time. Quite balanced and mellow. Excellent stuff.
75cl, as Deviation, retired exclusive American blended brew, with Brettanomyces, thx alot to John for bringing this rarity over!, complex sour brew, sour/woody and slightly fruity, balanced, hazy, nearly no head, good brew, ’Sadly going downhill...’
750mL bottle. Dark gold and red coloration with a slight off-white head. Sharp acetic aroma with phenolic and musty accents. Acetic flavors up front, with a bit of woody and earthen underpinnings, followed by horsey and plasticine brett characters. Slightly spicy in the finish, very tart and drying. Mouthfeel is light and astringent. There are hints of depth in flavor there that have perhaps been eclipsed by the brett given the time at which this opened. Nonetheless, a wonderful beer and an exceptional experience.
Goddamn. Huge thanks to Bruce for cracking this one open at Liquid Sunshine tonight. So we’ve all just devoured these amazing home-cooked smoked ribs and it’s nearing the time I have to relieve the babysitter, when B. asks us about our personal whales. The rest of the crowd politely deflects that question, but I can’t stop myself from blurting this one out. Moments later the bottle is on the table. The beer ... everything I love about RR. Really remarkable, beautiful beer. The experience ... everything I love about this community.
From the other day. Lots of mustiness, nice sourness, funk, and oak. Nicely blended, nicely aged.
Finally! Been searching for this too long. :D
Semi-cloudy orange hue turns ominously translucent after adding dregs. Minimal head/lace. Wild grapefruit, funked up yeast, smells really sour (a bit of vinegar?), dark bitterness from the untamed funk imparts its own little angle. Intriguing.
Tons of stone fruit, grapefruit, pears, black cherry peels, bitterness from the yeast. Pretty darn sour. Kinda flat, unfortunately, but that didn't detract much from my enjoyment. Tasty and I'm glad to have tried it, but I won't be seeking this out again. Cheers!
At my place with Thomas Scott and Samantha. Aroma is acidic, cherry, vinigar, oak. Taste is huge acidic, but somehow subdued and not mouth puckering; vinegar, tart cherries, tangy citrus fruit, very nice. Interesting. pretty cool beer. With the dregs it has mild orange peel bitterness, finish is long and acidic with grapefruit juice. Long finish.
Wish I had tried this at its peak, still, much gratitude to Ryan for sharing it with me. Tart lemon, slight funkiness, very vinegary though, hard to drink in quantity. Obviously a very good beer even with age, but was probably amazing before the acidity took over.
Pours somewhat clear pure amber with a white head that quickly forms a tannish head. Aroma is sweet Brett yeast, clean and smooth in the nose with some earthy vine notes. Flavor is similar, sweet Brett yeast with a dry body for sure and a decent puckering ending.
A- clear copper amber pour with small amount of reddish off white head. Minimal lacing. S- rich aroma of yeast and brett funk. Strong apricot and other muddled stone fruit. Some sulfur, light vinegar, fresh squeezed lemon juice, musty closet and old orange peel. Faint hint of coriander, grass and lavender. M- tart, light body with strong carbonation and crisp full palate. T- taste follows the aroma. Very strong tart lemon juice to start coupled with vinegar. Dried apricots, sour white grapes and brown sugar in the middle. Ending is more vinegar followed by some warm musty funk and lemon juice. Mild mineral water as it warms.
Sampled many times over the years at this point. Draft back in the day when it was released, and I think the last bottled sampled was sometime December 2012, thanks to Terry. He’d also popped bottles (as he had over a case to begin with) over the years since release. This brew is one of the most spectacular and mature sours I’ve ever had. It’s not trying to be overly loud, it’s just trying to be what it is: pure excellence. Even sampling the now 5-6 year old bottle last December, it had mellowed and smoother beautifully, aging like fine wine. Not sure how many bottles Terry has left, but I hope I’m around if another one gets opened!
Bottle shared at tasting at CCB. Pours cloudy amber with a small off white head. Aroma i s funky sour fruity balanced. Flavor similar to aroma, very nice balanced funky and sour. Tart finish. Very good indeed.
Clear amber with an off white head. Tart citrus, summer stone fruit, earth, with a little funky musty basement. Flavor is mildly funky, decent amount of oak, summer stone fruit and finishes tart. Reminds me of a mild beatification with a little more oak and funk. At first I wasn’t overly impressed, but as I went through my pour, the tartness started to build. I began to appreciate the subtle funk flavor mingling with the fruit and evergrowing tartness. Beautiful carbonation and palate. Very good.
750 ml bottle - thanks to ForgetFu for sharing this beauty! Pours clear yellow golden. Aroma of peach, lemon zest and barnyard funk. Light and sour body with lots of tarty and fruity flavours. Definite like!
Bottle. Huge thanks to jeremy for this one. Pours a pumpkin copper, white head and lacing. Aromas are very woody with spicy cedar, sour lemons/peach and lactic acids. The ph1, sanctification, and orphan sonambic are a perfect combo. Dusty basement notes, musky oaks, yeast, bretty leathery goodness. The most balanced and maybe one of the best sours I have tried from America. More refined beatification, with a woody and long lasting tart dry finish. Insanely complex sour ale.
Bottle sampled at Muckfest III. Amber pour with a thin off-white head. Peppery and funky nose with sour citrus notes. Malty and citrusy sour flavor with some subtle stone fruit before a peppery and sour finish.
Biottle pulled out by Puddintane at Muckfest III...thanks Dave! - Clear amber pour with a huge foamy white head. Nose is pungent lemony tartness, vanilla, Smarties, and a malty, yogurt smoothness. Nice mellow oakiness in the taste, with lemon, citrus rind, apricot, and a vinegar tartness on the finish. Carbonation is velvet, with a big, full body. Wow is all I can say. I’ve heard some folks say this beer is going downhill. It may be for all I know, but if so I can only imagine what it was like in it’s prime. One of the best beers I’ve ever tasted. Thanks again Dave for the chance to try this one.
Bottled shared my masterchiefMD at my tasting on August 7, 2010. Thanks Chris! Served alongside six other Russian River wild ales.
A: This beer appears a hazy orange hue with a small head which fades and leaves some decent lacing on the glass.
S: The aroma is wonderful. I was surprised and pleased to detect citrus notes with a musty, funky sourness. Also subtle aromas of oak.
T: Wow. This wild ale lineup is remarkable, and Deviation is among the best of the best. The beer is very pleasantly sour and citric. The taste profile is very complex, with differing degrees of tartness, certainly from the blending. Sonambic Ale, PH1, Orphan Ale and Sanctification batch 001 have been woven masterfully to create this gem. I’m very thankful to have tried it.
M: Very tart, with a slight acetic sharpness in the finish. There is a nice, lingering aftertaste I enjoyed as long as I could.
D: Totally drinkable. I really hope I have an opportunity to enjoy this again.
poured into a Lost Abbey stemmed glass, served at 46 degrees. pours a deep gold with slight hue of brown. light fluffy white head that leaves very light retention. very light lacing. has that very typical russian river sonambic scent. deep sour flavors combined with a light peach and apricot. a light zest to it. starts out quite sour and then quickly allows the flavors to really emerge. lots of peach and apricot just dominate. light grape and lemon as background fruit. a light oaky and leathery combination then begin to show themselves. a very fruit finish. a bit of oak in the aftertaste. perfect carbonation, really highlights the flavors. a hint of dryness. sourness really tingles the mouth, but for a short time so the flavors are never dulled. this is pure perfection. i am always weary of hype but this is not hype, this is the real deal. Reviewed on: 03-20-2011
Bottle kindly shared by Dennis. Pours amber peach with white head. Nose/taste of sour peach, aged cheese, oak, cherries, wild yeast and ripe peaches. Medium body. Lots of peach still on the palate. Finishes mildly acidic.
Pours murky orange with white head. Smell is light funk. Taste is a tear jerker, very acidic peach. Good. The most sour thing I’ve ever tasted, I think.
Pours a dark amber straw color. Smell is dry oak, some funk.brett, and hints of acetone. Taste is pear, grape skin, and tangerine. Almost like a softer, maltier beatification. Lots of lingering sourness in the finish and throat. Really wish I could have tried this fresh.
From notes. First reviewed 10/30/2011. Poured from a 750 mL bottle into a tulip. Glad to finally try this at our whale tasting.
The pour is a murky apple cider color with faded straw yellow edges. A small frothy off-white collar fades to nothing and leaves no lace.
There are great sour and Brett notes in the aroma. A lemon zest and sour peach provide most of the tart notes. Some straw, light malt, and grass notes provide some complement to the fruit. Light Brett funk fills out the wild part of the aroma.
Without ever reaching too far, there is a pleasant lemon and peach sour flavor that pervades the flavor. There is a soft light malt sweetness up front, some wild funky notes in the middle, and a bit of lactic tartness right at the end.
This is quite sour and tart. There are no off flavors or any surge in the sourness; it is simple, pleasant, and sour throughout.
Bottleworks IX is a great American wild that takes quite a few characteristics of a gueuze.
A - pours like the setting sun with a light layer of head and legs for days.
S - bright lemon citric acid, grapes, green apple, oak, and enough funk.
T - Spectacular! The taste is just like the nose, perfectly blended citric acid with grapes, oak, and nice funk.
M/D - Perfect carbonation and mouthfeel. I had to make sure to put my glass down between sips or I just kept bringing it to my lips.
I’m glad I finally decided to open this bottle with my tasting group. It’s over 3 years old now, and it’s amazing. The best American Wild Ale that I’ve had to date.
Serving type: bottle
Reviewed on: 06-05-2011