It Takes A Lot Of Great Beer To Make Great Wine
Russian River Brewing Company

It Takes A Lot Of Great Beer To Make Great WineIt Takes A Lot Of Great Beer To Make Great Wine
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From:
Russian River Brewing Company
 
California, United States
Style:
Belgian Pale Ale
Ranked #25
ABV:
5.2%
Score:
87
Ranked #16,452
Avg:
3.88 | pDev: 9.79%
Reviews:
75
Ratings:
249
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 10, 2023
Added:
Aug 27, 2011
Wants:
  33
Gots:
  18
There is an old familiar saying in the wine business: "It takes a lot of great beer to make great wine!" Winemakers, cellar workers, and grape pickers alike rarely (if ever) reach for a nice big glass of red wine in the middle of harvest. Wine is quite delicious, but not very refreshing on a hot summer day. The beverage of choice during harvest is BEER! Ice-cold, refreshing, and thirst-quenching BEER! The beer in this bottle is a toast to our winemaking friends who work around the clock during harvest to make world-class wine right here in our own back yard! Cheers!

Brewed with a blend of California ale yeast and saison yeast.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by t2grogan:
Photo of t2grogan
Rated by t2grogan from Arizona

3.5/5  rDev -9.8%

Oct 09, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of RyanK252
Reviewed by RyanK252 from California

3.96/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottle poured into a Russian River Brewing Co pub glass

A: Pours golden straw with a frothy off white head that hangs around and leaves plenty of nice lacing.

S: Green, grassy, herbal, slightly resinous, citrus zest, hints of stone fruit, subtle spice, and crackery malt.

T: Grassy, resinous herbal notes, citrus zest, grapefruit, lemon, and tangerine, a little spice, hints of stone fruit, and crackery malt with a dry finish.

M: Light to medium body, moderate carbonation, crisp and dry yet ever so subtly creamy.

O: Light and refreshing with just enough bite and a little Belgian character showing through, especially on the back end. Would hit the spot after a warm day in the vineyard during crush.
Nov 10, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by Gobzilla from California

Oct 04, 2023
 
Rated: 4.08 by BAsbill from California

Oct 02, 2023
 
Rated: 3.83 by jakecattleco from California

Oct 02, 2023
 
Rated: 4.1 by Hophazzard from California

Dec 06, 2021
 
Rated: 3.95 by mdfb79 from New York

Oct 30, 2021
Photo of lucius10
Reviewed by lucius10 from California

4.18/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Sweet, tropical hoppy, and hint of citrus-dank nose on this one! Nice aromatics for a pale ale! Taste follows with a clean and refreshing, and light hoppy citrus bitter swallow. This finishes a little dry on the backend but it's still crushable and enjoyable. This is good!
Sep 22, 2021
 
Rated: 4.25 by Stengelfoot from California

Sep 17, 2021
Photo of sjrider
Reviewed by sjrider from California

4.07/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Bottle pour- almost clear pale gold straw color with white head leaving frosty lacing. Nose is crisp and grassy with a hint of citrus. Taste follows with a bit of yeast. Finishes clean and almost dry. Tasty.
Sep 07, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by mrcraft from California

Aug 29, 2021
Photo of unlikelyspiderperson
Reviewed by unlikelyspiderperson from California

4.49/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
This beer was the standout from the mixed case I ordered. Light and grassy with some pleasantly delicate floral and barn yard notes. Super easy drinking for these last dusty days of summer in northern California

A pale straw brew with loads of active carbonation and a thin but persistent head of foam.
Lovely California fall time aromas of feint citrus and fresh straw. A bit of crusty white bread as well.
Taste follows with a soft breadiness combined with light orange notes and a floral/grassy/fresh hay bite. Almost slightly sour flavor flittering around the edges
Mouthfeel is crisp and dry. Very drinkable
Oct 01, 2020
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.65/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Keeping up with today's late summer 2014 beers comes this slight rarity from Russian River.

Pours an industry standard golden/yellow with 1/2" white head. Definitely beer, not wine. Not their most aromatic beer, significantly below average in terms of hoppiness going on compared to their normal lineup. Couldn't tell it had a saison yeast, but maybe there was some canceling out that occurred with the hops and secondary yeast.

Taste was like a hoppier Mischief. Grapefruit leads the way, crisp, clean pale malt barley underneath. Ample carbonation keeps it lively, even though its got a relatively bready interior. The hops don't really seem all that "proprietary" just nothing in terms of dank or aroma hops going on. Plenty of floral, botanical, hay and grass aspects to it. Zesty citrus rind like mouth feel. Mouth feel with its levity and livelihood is the best part of this beer. I might buy it once more. Its definitely good, but maybe not when you want your hop fix.
Apr 14, 2020
 
Rated: 4.12 by ummswimmin from New Jersey

Dec 07, 2019
Photo of augustgarage
Reviewed by augustgarage from California

4.31/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Bottled on August 21st, consumed on September 22nd. Poured from a 500mL bottle into my Troubadour tulip.

Clear amber body with a fat fist of champagne soft peaks. Crenellated, pearling lacing; excellent retention.

C-hops and a light wildflower aroma in the nose.

Concentrated, mineral-laden tartness married to a burst of citrus-tinged, forest floor bitterness jumps ahead rapidly to a bone dry, faintly spicy finish. Phenols and hop oils intermingle beautifully. Almost like a Belgian APA, though the yeast presence is more subdued and the hops are more forward as you might expect from Russian River.

Crisp, but also a bit soft, medium-light bodied, and refreshing. Well carbonated.

Slightly more rustic yet slightly more complex than your run of the mill APA without running to far afield from the style's traditions. Very good.
Sep 22, 2019
 
Rated: 3.91 by Hop_God from California

Sep 20, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by kdown from California

Sep 16, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by smartassboiler from Illinois

Sep 15, 2019
 
Rated: 4.48 by Shy5 from Oregon

Sep 09, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by pkalix from California

Sep 08, 2019
It Takes A Lot Of Great Beer To Make Great Wine from Russian River Brewing Company
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 249 ratings