Beatification is a 6% American Wild Ale, aka a "sour beer," and specifically the type of sour beer that is spontaneously fermented (more on that below.) It's an incredibly complex process to create these, and Beatification is a rare offering from Russian River that only comes out every few years. It's a brewery-only release, so you (or someone you know) need(s) to go up to Santa Rosa, CA to get it.
You may be able to read from the label that this beer is 100% spontaneously fermented. This basically means that they didn't rely on controlled amounts or strains of brewers yeast (typically S. cerevisiae) to ferment this beer. Instead, the brewed wort (pre-beer) is left to the open air, so any old kind of bacteria or yeast can get at it. A particularly infamous type of yeast, Brettanomyces, flourishes in these conditions, and this yeast, along with bacteria Lactobacillus and Acetobacter, will create sour flavors as byproducts of their fermentations. What is usually a kind of scary thing is, in this case, encouraged, and many batches of these soured beers will usually be aged for many months, and then blended together until the brewers find a mixture they like. It's an acquired taste for many, but these beers often take on characteristics closer to wine (minus wine being sour) and as such have become lauded for their complexity -- and deliciousness!
Appearance: Light, clear honey caramel, with tons of active, visible carbonation. The head is small and pours initially about 2 fingers tall but recedes quickly to a thin layer of foam that is kept continuously active by the ever flowing carbonation.
Smell: Oak, vinegar, funky leather/tannic quality from the Brett, some lemon and grass.
Taste: Definite tart, sour funkiness from the Brett! Some acidic qualities as well, with lemon, a distinct woodiness, and some smoothing herbal flavors on the back end. Overall, the taste has a lot more kind of straightforward, clean sour flavors, while the nose carries a bit more of the barnyard funk.
Mouthfeel: The carbonation is intense and noticeable, but the beer on the whole is very light-bodied and has a wonderful, dry finish. LOVE that dry finish.
Overall: This is a sour lover's sour. It's SUPER tart, but with some great citrus and earthy notes. I love how it feels to drink -- so light and refreshing, but there is such power in the taste. I'm drinking this bottle somewhat fresh, but this will be a fun one to hang onto for a bit to see how it continues to develop in the bottle. What a great beer!
4.5/5
You may be able to read from the label that this beer is 100% spontaneously fermented. This basically means that they didn't rely on controlled amounts or strains of brewers yeast (typically S. cerevisiae) to ferment this beer. Instead, the brewed wort (pre-beer) is left to the open air, so any old kind of bacteria or yeast can get at it. A particularly infamous type of yeast, Brettanomyces, flourishes in these conditions, and this yeast, along with bacteria Lactobacillus and Acetobacter, will create sour flavors as byproducts of their fermentations. What is usually a kind of scary thing is, in this case, encouraged, and many batches of these soured beers will usually be aged for many months, and then blended together until the brewers find a mixture they like. It's an acquired taste for many, but these beers often take on characteristics closer to wine (minus wine being sour) and as such have become lauded for their complexity -- and deliciousness!
Appearance: Light, clear honey caramel, with tons of active, visible carbonation. The head is small and pours initially about 2 fingers tall but recedes quickly to a thin layer of foam that is kept continuously active by the ever flowing carbonation.
Smell: Oak, vinegar, funky leather/tannic quality from the Brett, some lemon and grass.
Taste: Definite tart, sour funkiness from the Brett! Some acidic qualities as well, with lemon, a distinct woodiness, and some smoothing herbal flavors on the back end. Overall, the taste has a lot more kind of straightforward, clean sour flavors, while the nose carries a bit more of the barnyard funk.
Mouthfeel: The carbonation is intense and noticeable, but the beer on the whole is very light-bodied and has a wonderful, dry finish. LOVE that dry finish.
Overall: This is a sour lover's sour. It's SUPER tart, but with some great citrus and earthy notes. I love how it feels to drink -- so light and refreshing, but there is such power in the taste. I'm drinking this bottle somewhat fresh, but this will be a fun one to hang onto for a bit to see how it continues to develop in the bottle. What a great beer!
4.5/5
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