Beer Esteam
Russian River Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Draught at the brewpub during RBSG09. Toasty amber color, lightly hazy, with a white head. Subtle herbal hops and toasty malt aroma. The flavor is a great example of balance, with toasty and caramel malt flavors mixing with herbal hops. More hop flavor than anchor steam, but along the same lines. Medium bodied with medium carbonation. A very solid, easier drinking offering from Russian River. Like pretty much every beer they make, you can tell that a lot of thought was put into its construction.

On tap at the brewery in August 2009.

A: Pours a dark gold and is fairly cloudy. White head that is fairly long-lasting.

S: A little bit of roasted malt, some hops, and a little bit of citrus.

T: Roasted caramel taste with a bit of earthy and citrus hop.

M: Light-to-medium body with a moderate amount of carbonation.

D: Fairly drinkable; interesting and somewhat complex, but not one I would return to again and again.

Had this on-tap at the brewpub in Santa Rosa. Not my favorite style, but I like the history of the style and the California connection. Still, this was one of the better ones I've had of the style. Pours a light orange/amber with a relatively thin but silken head and superb lacing. Smells relatively light and grainy and with a very light lemony fruitiness. Tastes less grainy, but there is still a bit of graininess. There is also the typical ale and lager combo of yeastiness with some earthy and citrusy hoppiness, some more of that light lemon flavor, and a finish of spent grain, like a small beer. Very, very smooth and easy to drink.

On tap at Russian River on 7/19/09.

A - Hazy amber/orange, copper-colored body with lively carbonation and slim off-white head that transformed into a bubbly ring and wispy veil, leaving a bit of lacing around the glass.

S - Caramel, burnt sugars and maple syrup provide a sweet base to this steam beer, while light earthy and herbal hops add a hint of bitterness to the nose. Some citrusy hops also emerged as the liquid warmed up.

T - Initial flavor is malty with bread and caramel notes, then segues into a spicy kick accompanied by plenty of sweetness suggesting toffee and burnt sugars. A fairly significant hop character surfaces in the finish with earthy, herbal notes and a hint of citrus fruit.

M - Medium bodied with a thick, syrupy texture and ample carbonation. Rich and bittersweet. Fairly dry finish with a moderate bitterness and residual sweetness on the palate.

D - Great steam beer with lots of flavor and plenty of hop bitterness, but not too much of either. Really tasty stuff, and a nice example of the style.

Had this beer in a 2oz sample glass at the brewery as part of a sampler.

A-nice amber color and a white head

S-malt and some corn flake

T-tastes like fritos? some bread.

M-medium

D-despite the frito flavor, I actually like this beer alot. It was incredibly refreshing. I would have this again.

RBSG09 on tap at the brewpub. Pours dark orange with a thick, cascading, light-beige head. Aroma is nice fresh bread dough with some fruity hops and a metallic note. Flavor is milky and doughy, with light caramel sweetness and some citrus. Nice bitterness and a dry finish.

On tap at Russian River. Poured into a pint glass. Comes in at 43 IBUs and 5.5%.

A-Looks like unfiltered apple cider. Very cloudy and dark. Has a one finger white head that stays around.

S-Subtle nose. When I first smelled it, I picked up on the lager yeast. Reminded me in someways of a pilsner. As it warmed, lots of grapefruit comes out...maybe from Simcoe hops?

T-Like the smell, when it is first consumed it tastes very much like a pilsner from the yeast. It has a subtle earthy hop bite at the end. As it warms, the grapefruit gets stronger and becomes more pronounced.

M-Medium bodied with that smooth RR mouthfeel.

D-At 43 IBUs, it is not a palate wrecker and its lower alcohol makes it sessionable.

This was my first time trying this beer. Definitely has a RR twist on a style that I typically do not order. This one is a lot better after it has warmed for at least 10 minutes. Not bad, but with so many others on the board, I would go for something else.

This is one of my least favourite beers from Russian River. It's bland and one-dimensional, with far too much bitterness for the body and flavour.

Darkish gold-amber, it has a small but fairly dense white head that dissipates quickly to a foam ring, but leaves some lacing throughout, a common good point about Russian River beers.

The aroma is very weak and almost nothing but hop, especially pine.

The taste is pine, a hint of grass, and only a weak, burnt toast flavour for the malt. It's too bitter, mostly just hops, without the fullness of body or flavours to back this up. It may not be very bitter on an absolute scale, but it's far too bitter considering its other qualities.

01/30/08- Had on tap at Russian River Brewery in Santa Rosa, CA.

Presentation- Via the tap into sampler glasses.

Appearance- Darker golden colored pour with a 3/4 inch white head. Left mild patchwork behind.

Smell- Light hoppy aroma, some fresh roasted malt notes and a touch of citrus.

Taste- Unlike the Anchor Steam beer I was expecting it to taste like. A good amount of hoppiness with a nice roasted caramel malt bite to it. Also has a lemon and orange squeeze of juice flavoring.

Mouthfeel- Quite fresh tasting and crisp as well. Nice carbonation level.

Drinkability- Damn, I wish I had tried this earlier. I see a growler of this in the future this coming summer. Hopefully it's still around.

On tap at Russian River Brewing.

The beer poured a rich amber from the tap with a minimal white lace of a head.

The nose was of herbal hops with hints of caramel malt and a clean lager-like yeast.

The flavor of the beer was assertively hoppy with the hops having a slightly citrus flavor with some earthiness and wintergreen accents. The maltiness poked through after the burst of hops and helped balance things out.

The mouthfeel was good, but a tad on the thin side. The ester profile hit the mark with subtle fruitiness and a clean finish. Gotta love that steam beer yeast.

The carbonation was good and overall the beer was crisp and very drinkable.