Defenestration
Russian River Brewing Company

DefenestrationDefenestration
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From:
Russian River Brewing Company
 
California, United States
Style:
Brett Beer
ABV:
6.5%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.9 | pDev: 10%
Reviews:
79
Ratings:
386
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 19, 2021
Added:
Sep 25, 2008
Wants:
  36
Gots:
  30
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by flayedandskinned:
Photo of flayedandskinned
Reviewed by flayedandskinned from California

4.4/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A fresh Growler less than a day old.
Poured into a Duvel Tulip glass.

Appearance: (4)
Pours a hazy, straw gold with honey esque, orange highlights. A pure white, 2.5 finger tall head sprouts as soon as the beer hits the glass. Good head retention and the head leaves some spotty lacing down the sides of the tulip.

Aroma: (4.5)
Big, fruity Belgian yeast phenols erupt out of the glass; banana, red apple flesh, and a hint of spicy close. There is a burst of orange blossom and a whisper of lemon, as well as some grassiness from the hops. A strong biscuity malt presence rounds off the very floral, sweet nose. Light tropical notes appear as the beer warms.

Taste: (4.5)
Juicy notes of orange, lemon and light grass hit your palate right away, with a huge yeasty middle in tow; The yeast is very fruit forward and slightly musty(definitely seems to be a Biere De Garde yeast); banana, pear, and apple flesh, much like the nose. Some sweet biscuit malt helps round out the flavor profile before the abrasively dry, bitter finish. Notes of apple, banana, tart apricot and juicy orange from the hops are left dancing on your palate.

Mouthfeel: (4.25) Full Bodied with moderate to high carbonation. Very, very dry. Never had a beer quite like this, it starts drying out your tongue before you even swallow it.

Overall: (4.25) A Belgian IPA, done the Vinnie Cilurzo way. Vinnie seems to have taken the Belgian IPA style and put his own twist on it. He has done away with the super citrus-y, piney and tropical American hops in conjunction with Belgian yeast. Which to me, is a really good call because when the high alpha American hops are used in tandem with the naturally very fruity, estery Belgian yeast, is an absolute train wreck in flavor; The yeast and hops just fight each other too much and the beer tends to get this weird peanut butter flavor as the hops start to oxidize. Defenestration does not suffer from these qualms at all; the yeast esters and floral hops really marry well together and they coalesce beautifully in the incredibly dry finish. Russian River does an incredible job as usual with this beer!
May 23, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.25 by Beerasaurus from Virginia

Nov 19, 2021
 
Rated: 3.75 by TedStrosser from Pennsylvania

Nov 06, 2021
 
Rated: 4.09 by unclekeith from Alaska

Nov 19, 2020
 
Rated: 3.97 by InfernoBoss from California

Nov 15, 2020
 
Rated: 4.03 by NolaHopHead from Louisiana

Nov 14, 2020
 
Rated: 4.37 by gbiello from Massachusetts

Nov 14, 2020
Photo of RyanK252
Reviewed by RyanK252 from California

3.79/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Bottle poured into a snifter

A: Pours slightly hazy golden yellow with a frothy off white head that settles to a light layer and leaves some spotty lacing.

S: Peppery spice, grassy, earthy, citrus zest, fair hint of funk, and some biscuity malt.

T: Citrus, lemon, grapefruit, and a touch of orange, peppery spice, floral, grassy, herbal, earthy, pretty pronounced funk, and a little clove, all held together with some biscuity malt.

M: Medium body, moderate carbonation, bone dry finish.

O: Belgian/Saison + Brett is an area where I really don't have a ton of experience, so I'm shooting from the hip here.
There's a fairly assertive bitterness that goes along with a notable funky Brett presence. I'm not crazy about it, but some people might be. I know Vinny and the whole Russian River crew put a lot of thought into this one, but it's not my favorite.
Nov 04, 2020
Photo of JamarcusMarinovich
Reviewed by JamarcusMarinovich from California

4.22/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Russian River has always been a favorite of mine, but had never tried this one...a hoppy Belgian-inspired. How did I miss it? Poured into pint glass (I don't really buy into the 'gotta be in a tulip' biz)...nice 4-finger head dissipates properly into a half-finger that stays. A slightly darker golden ale look with a slightly bready nose that doesn't really hint at what the taste will be. That's where it changes...hoppy Belgian indeed, but not overly aggressive hops (none on the nose, but tang on the tongue). Lingers a bit on the back of the tongue with a bit of tropical fruit and not nearly as yeasty-bready as some Belgians. This is NOT a Brett-IPA (to me) like some have said, but an excellent hoppy-Belgian combo.
Nov 01, 2020
Photo of AJM_Beers
Reviewed by AJM_Beers from California

3.87/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Bottle from Hi-Lo in Culver City.
What's a Brett Beer really anyways? The bottle says it's a hoppy belgian. That is accurate. Definitely a belgian or in a belgian sub category. That said, it's delicious. Does a great job of hitting belgian smells and tastes while introducing more hops.
Oct 04, 2020
Photo of bret27
Reviewed by bret27 from California

4.26/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Bottle from lupulo Santa Cruz.
Fresh drip from RR however bottling date shows about 3 months old.
L: classic Belgian. Opaque copper, off-white creamy head that retains forever with lacing. A few tiny suspended yeasty chunks.
S: Banana, clove, bubblegum, bread, earthy.
T: Banana, clove, hat, fruit, Earthy grassy bitterness.
F: Medium.
Overall: Definitely a Belgian-inspired brew. I think I liked it but the style is confusing. BA calls it a brett beer. Untappd calls it a Belgian ipa. The actual bottle calls it a “hoppy Belgian-inspired blond”.
Sep 05, 2020
Photo of spicyhopdaddy
Rated by spicyhopdaddy from California

5/5  rDev +28.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Super piney. I can taste the forest. Reminds me of camping trips, when you first arrive at the campground, and experience the full woodland bouquet.
Sep 01, 2020
 
Rated: 4.25 by wc94wc from California

Mar 02, 2020
 
Rated: 4.03 by JamieDuncan from Maryland

Feb 23, 2020
 
Rated: 4.04 by bubseymour from Maryland

Feb 22, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by kmoen from California

Feb 08, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by BAsbill from California

Feb 08, 2020
Photo of augustgarage
Reviewed by augustgarage from California

4.14/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Bottled on July 12th, 2019, consumed on December 19th, 2019 (slightly belated impeachment celebration perhaps?) - poured from a 500mL bottle into my 3 Fonteinen tumbler.

Nearly clear antimony liquid with five fingers of bombastic ivory up top - rising like a soufflé, where it forms a formidable bulwark against a would be sipper. Thick, rocky, lacing; superior, ostentatious retention.

Peppery, winter fruit laden aromatics with a hint of fruity/barnyard funk, wildflowers, tangerine pith, and spicy hops. Lovely.

No real acidity on the palate entry, this is not at all sour, and any Brett. is quite restrained at the moment. Clean (continental) malt, crackery with a slight herbaceous edge. Dry yet round, not quite bright, finish suggests chayote squash, asian pears, and a nice balance of floral and mineral elements. Moderately hoppy, with a clean, herbal, faintly spicy bitterness. Yeast character is present, but not as dominant as most Belgian ales. Intriguing, but ultimately somewhat banal.

Soft, light bodied, with less feeling of carbonation than the appearance would suggest. Average ABV.

An unusual beast, not quite up to the brewery's normal standards for a recipe in my opinion - would rather have Sanctification or Blind Pig rather than what almost comes across as an odd watered down mix of the two.
Dec 19, 2019
 
Rated: 4.13 by ummswimmin from New Jersey

Dec 05, 2019
 
Rated: 3.54 by Ajlvt from Washington

Nov 27, 2019
Defenestration from Russian River Brewing Company
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 386 ratings