Deification
Russian River Brewing Company

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From:
Russian River Brewing Company
 
California, United States
Style:
Wild Ale
ABV:
6.35%
Score:
94
Avg:
4.34 | pDev: 8.53%
Reviews:
22
Ratings:
26
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 04, 2016
Added:
Jan 04, 2006
Wants:
  72
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 4.25 by BEER88 from North Carolina

Dec 04, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by t0rin0 from California

Dec 26, 2012
 
Rated: 5 by MrFootstones from California

Nov 15, 2011
 
Rated: 4.5 by westcoastbeerlvr from California

Nov 14, 2011
Photo of bulletrain76
Reviewed by bulletrain76 from California

4.2/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
Draught at Toronado for RR -tion night. Gold with a thick, lasting white head. Grassy, funky, bretty aroma with some sweet grainy malt and touch of hops. Slighty sour with lots of funky brett, lemon peel, and a bitter, dry finish. This batch has to be pretty old because this is super bretty and getting a little sour, though it still has pale ale character in there, with the hops being pretty present. Really refreshing and drinkable.
Feb 12, 2010
Photo of popery
Reviewed by popery from California

4.35/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Draft, Toronado. Wonderful sour. This beer came as something of a surprise, trying it third after rushing for glasses of Toronado 20th and Deviation. It measured up rather well to the rest of the group. It's sour and crisp with lot of subtle complexity. There are some apple, earth and oak notes with more delicately fruity malt than I was prepared for. This is yet another incredible sour from Russian River. It would be great to see bottles.
Feb 10, 2010
Photo of Offa
Reviewed by Offa from California

3.35/5  rDev -22.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Light amber, this has a thin off-white head steadily shrinking to a thin ring and leaving only a little weak lace, unusual for Russian River.

The aroma is yeasty, lightly fruity, and citrusy.

The taste is mostly tart and sour, with a little sweetness and no bitterness. It's yeasty-tangy with weak elements of sour pears, hints of lemon, sulphured dried apricots, and vinegar. It is clean, light, crisp, and refreshing, while the tart-sweet-sour quality is intriguing. However, it has little real flavour anmd the tart-sour quality is a little to dominant. The best thing about it is that it is quite clean and refreshing, but even so it's hard to drink much of this as the sourt-tartness tends to wear on my throat and mouth.
Oct 09, 2008
Photo of largadeer
Reviewed by largadeer from California

4.38/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
This is an interesting one; apparently it's a pale ale fermented with brettanomyces. Clear gold in color with a frothy white head that leaves trails of lace as it recedes, it's certainly a pretty beer. The nose is sour and lemony with a mild funk and hoppiness. The taste follows the nose: light, crisp and mildly sour. Lemon peel and herbal/citrusy hops. It finishes clean and mildly tart with a hint of hop bitterness. Pretty ingenious stuff here - the sourness and funk from the brett works beautifully with the pale ale foundation, making for one seriously refreshing beer.
Jun 28, 2008
Photo of francisweizen
Reviewed by francisweizen from Washington

4.6/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Light hazy sunset with a nice tightly capped top of white foam. Aromas are all hoppy pale ale laced down with brett. I've had this on tap many times and this beer may change more from batch to batch than any other RR creation as it seems to be very different each time I sample iton draught. Anyways, the aroma is barnyard brett funk, oak, and green hops with a beautiful biscuity malt right in the middle aroma as well. Taste is slightly spicy, hoppy, biscuity, tinged with the funk which dominates the middle palate, and smooths out the other flavor notes and makes for something exceedingly drinkable and smooth with pitch perfect carbonation in the mouth. Superbly drinkable. A summer wild ale meant for magnificently copious quantity quaffing.
Mar 21, 2008
Photo of SacoDeToro
Reviewed by SacoDeToro from California

4.47/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
On tap at RR Brewco.

Poured a pale straw yellow with a generous merengue head.

The aroma of the beer was full of the wonderful brett goodness. Tart fruits and barnyard funk dominated the nose and damn did it smell good.

The flavor of the beer was assertively tart and crisp. The spicy and floral hops came through nicely in the finish. The maltiness was very light and a good proportion of wheat tartness came through as well. This beer presents an interesting juxtaposition of funky brett flavors while being a very clean beer at the same time.

The carbonation was dialed in just right. The mouthfeel was light and slightly creamy.

This beer was masterfully brewed and formulated and the brett did an amazing job of creating a truly unique flavor profile. For me, this beer seemed like a beefed up Orval, and IMO better.
Mar 11, 2008
Photo of BrewnZ
Reviewed by BrewnZ from Washington

4.84/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
12 Feb 08

On draft at the Santa Rosa brewpub - you all know about the beer but this is a very cool place with great service also. Deification is describe as a "Pale Ale with Brettanomyces" served in a goblet. 40 IBU's, 1.059 OG, 6.35% abv.

A: Clear but not filtered, light honey with collar of white foam.

S: F'n good tart Brett. and wood.

T: Very bright, medium tart with complex yeast and sweet malt to back up the tartness. Bitterness seems lower than the claimed 40 IBU's, low bright orange hop flavor.

M: Medium bodied with high CO2

D: High! Especially on a sunny day in Santa Rosa, tart and refreshing. My favorite beer of a Seattle to San Diego road trip. I'll cavet my score by letting you know I am found of sour beers and this is a dam good one.
Mar 11, 2008
Photo of John_M
Reviewed by John_M from Washington

4.33/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Had on tap at the brewpub in Santa Rosa...

The beer pours an impressive honey color with good head retentiona and lacing. This beer looks very impressive. On the nose I get some cherry, honey and casava melon, but with a hint of underlying sour. This beer is pretty complex, with just enough sour to keep the beer interesting without shoving aside any of the other flavors. There is so much going on with this beer; lots of fruit interlaced with the light sour. This beer is very light on its feet and is oh so easy to drink. I could drink this all night (if I had unlimited funds), and wouldn't mind doing so at all.

I quite liked this one. It's enjoyable and very easy to drink. A solid effort from RR.
Jan 27, 2008
Photo of brewmaster411
Reviewed by brewmaster411 from California

4.2/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
This is the 2nd 100% Brett fermented beer at Russian River. I recently tried in Nov 2007. I tried this side-by-side with Santification. This is a Belgium Blonde ale that undergoes a unique fermentation.

The appearance is a gold color with a nice white head. Smell is of light bread dominated by a lactic tang and a mild hopping that.

The taste is predominate lactic tang with a bready malt character. The hops are light and floral.

While I feel the Sanctification is divine, and this Deification is also exceptional, the brett character seems out of place in this beer.
Nov 03, 2007
Photo of drseamus
Reviewed by drseamus from New York

4.17/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Served on draft at the brewpub. Pours a cloudy amber body with a thin white head in a nice tulip glass. The aroma is nice and tart with a big apple presence. The flavor starts off with a blast of tartness that has sweet apples playing second fiddle. The hop bitterness is obvious and there is some hop flavor as well in the background. It finishes pretty dry and is light bodied. Pretty good drinkability all around. It didn't hold it's own when compared with Sanctification though.
Oct 14, 2007
Photo of bennetj17
Reviewed by bennetj17 from Arizona

3.85/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Light copper appearance with a slight haze. Thin head with decent retetion, and great lacing. Tart Brett nose, with vinegar and sour fruit notes. Plenty of funk, very nice.

The flavor is sort of appley sweet with only a mild tartness up front fading toward the finish. Where is this beer trying to go? There just isn't enough happening here as the wonderful sourness expected from the aroma wasn't very evident. The mouthfeel felt medium in thickness, with the carbonation perhaps a bit low.

Nice try, but with all of Russian River's other sour beers this one seemed like a weak choice. On to the next offering...
Oct 09, 2007
Photo of jaluria
Reviewed by jaluria from Connecticut

3.33/5  rDev -23.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Appeared a slightly cloudy, yellow with subtle orange and tangerine colors. A thin head with little lacing. Aromas of yeast, fresh fruits, and rye bread. The taste was unique in that this was one of my first brett beers. It starts off a bit funky as if the beer has spoiled ever so slightly. That leads into a phenol flavor that quickly becomes hoppy and sharp. Flavorful and unique, certainly. Funky flavors work well together to present a mirage of flavors and textures. I enjoyed this beer, but I think I need to let my palette develop a bit to truly enjoy this style of beer. I can see myself enjoying this in the future, however.
Feb 01, 2007
Photo of objectivemonkey
Reviewed by objectivemonkey from Minnesota

4.3/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
From my notes on recent trip, poured into a sampling glass, arrived with ok head, golden color had a little lacing. Aroma is sweet, fruity, lemons and oranges and spices, really nice. Taste is again sweet with fruits, but has a hop bitterness that evens things out. Good mouth, medium body, dry finish. Darn drinkable beer in my book.
Apr 19, 2006
Photo of amatuerbeerguy
Reviewed by amatuerbeerguy from Oklahoma

4.22/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Golden color pour, some particulates floating, lacing, long lasting head retention. Aroma of sweetness, brett apparent, some hop, moderate malt, some fruitiness. Tasting sweet with some tart twang, nice hop bitterness, fruity. Moderate carbonation, medium bodied, drying in the finish. Nicely done, very drinkable, subtle with the brett character. Nicely balance, recommend highly.
Mar 26, 2006
Photo of weeare138
Reviewed by weeare138 from Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
On tap at The Drafting Room...
Appears a hazy gold color with a 1 finger white head that reminds of pancake batter when it first hits the griddle with the little bubbles foaming and popping out. Small amounts of lacing are left around the glass.
Smell is of citrus, orange peel, cardamom, and lively brettanomyces.
Taste is of the citrusy flavor with the brett, mild apple, and lemon flavor giving the beer an almost chardonnay like flavor that works well with a sweet & sour balance along the palate.
Mouthfeel is light bodied with some of the lemon zest starting off sweet along with some sour notes that cut out in the middle of the tongue like a fine dry white wine.
Mar 12, 2006
Photo of DarkerTheBetter
Reviewed by DarkerTheBetter from Minnesota

4.53/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
This beer came a healthy luminous copper with streams of bubbles sustaining an uneven thin white head. This color looked absolutely amazing back-lit by the candle at my table at Tria.

Smelled of bread dough, lemons and grapefruit with a musky tanginess.

Tasted of a sweet honey, pineapple and apple that sort of materialized out of storm of carbonation. When it settles there’s a crisp nutty malt and a musky, crisp and tangy sour fruit (Brett, I presume) with blueberry and cherry. Finishes a little sour and dry with a hint of ash.

The mouth feel is light bodied with a light large bubbled carbonation.

This is a unique and amazing beer that is surprisingly simple and subtle but brilliantly assembled. The combination of the big bubbles in the carbonation and the sour Brett make this ridiculously drinkable. I would like nothing more than a growler of this to myself on a hot summer day.
Feb 05, 2006
Deification from Russian River Brewing Company
Beer rating: 94 out of 100 with 26 ratings