Sonoma Pride
Russian River Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

brewed for the fire relief efforts, this beer is amazing! fair price for the bottle too, which is even cooler! i love the clarity on the pour, this looks like a bright golden pils type, no haze at all, radiant carbonation, and over an inch of pure white head in my teku, positively sparkling and gorgeous. the beer has a ton of character, especially for a simply categorized blonde ale, its evolved and beer geeky still. i get plenty of fresh barley malt, pale two row and a pils type, with a juicy and grassy hop complexion in nose and taste, a limey earthy sort of saaz vibe, but also a little more of a northwestern higher alpha citrusy vibe, which serves to make this decidedly american and very distinct from other beers in its field. the yeast is killer too, sort of has a lager complexion to it, but also a faint saison or farmhouse character, not wild or funky or anything, but leaning sort of ambient to me, just subtle and interesting, white grape and lemon notes in the background, insanely well refined. blonde ale is a style i usually dont spend much time with, there is rarely enough there to hold my attention or keep me stoked, but this is absolutely next level, one of the best beers in this category i have had all year. russian river is famous for hoppy and wild beers, but this is as good as anything i have ever had from them. top tier pale brew, hoppy enough, super drinkable. i wish i had ten more bottles!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Reminiscent of Pilsner balanced with a grassy creaminess. Carbonation left my mouth feeling like I'd consumed liquid pop rocks. Interesting easy drinking. Would definitely buy again. Thank you Russian River and power on Sonoma County!