Russian River Brewing Company
6.5% ABV
American Wild Ale
12.7 oz bottle from 2011 (base beer Temptation: Blonde Ale with Raspberries and Brettnomyces aged in French oak Chardonnay barrels) poured into a snifter. Thanks Ron!
A beautiful and sparkling clear rose color with a light pink, creamy, fluffy head. Good retention and lacing too. Funky notes with raspberry at the back jump out of the glass, this is a true Framboise. Rather light on the fruit, the base beer is strong in this one. Strong funk, some soft fruity notes (from the tame yeast), and then the berries. I think it is more complex than the bottle of Temptation that I had, and not only because of raspberries.
The sourness from the wild yeast and the tartness from the raspberries are felt distinctly in the taste. While the palate is not super funky, the oak and leather linger in the aftertaste. Finish is quite dry, and the mouthfeel light and crisp.
The sharpness, although not abrasive, begins to dominate as the beer warms up. Overall I was very impressed by the aroma of this beer, but the taste/feel left something to be desired... it seemed a tad empty. Perhaps there's a lot of room for development?
4.5, 4, 3.5, 4, 4.5
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