Bravo
Russian River Brewing Company

Pours a bright clear gold color, with a decent white head on top.

Aromas are mineral like, and of spicy belgain yeast.

Taste is quite bitter. There are floral hop flavors, that are bitter and mineral like. The malt flavors are bright, crisp, and a bit bubblegum like. This reminds me of what a Belgian IPA would taste like. (I haven't tried one before... but I think this should be classified as one, it was served in a tulip.)

Mouthfeel is nice. This has a REALLY full feel in the mouth.

Drinkability was pretty good. An interesting beer... but this really didn't really blow me away though.

 

 

On-tap at the T. Light golden with a small whispy white head with minimal legs and lacing. Aromas of all bravo hops, a bit sharp,a bit astringent, a bit green with high alpha acid activity for sure, and a somewhat limited resin oil profile. Taste is hoppy with a nice bready malt in the middle to smooth out the sharpness of these beastly hops. Mouthfeel is medium bodied but a bit of dry/sticky/hop tongue ensues on the swallow. A ncie brew, but I'm personally not a bravo hop lover. Still Vinnie probably made the best beer that I have ever had that was straight-up bravo hopped. so I say, Bravo!

Served on tap at the brewery. The body is crystal clear and amber colored with a scattering of white bubbles on the surface. The aroma is very malty with crisp hop aromas. There are some yeasty notes but it smells more like wort than beer. The hop flavor is stronger than the aroma but equally as crisp. The malt flavor is dominated by the hops. It has a medium body and decent drinkability.

Clear, light copper with a thin head and fine lace. The aroma of Belgian yeast with a light hoppiness fills the air. Not very complex but inviting. The hops dominate the flavor and they are quite tasty. The bitterness is fairly pressing, but some light cookie-malt sweetness helps to round it out a bit. The mouthfeel is somewhat light, a bit slick with medium carbonation. I thought it was pretty tasty. Brewed with 100% Bravo hops it was quite hoppy with a nice lingering bitterness. This is not an American IPA though as the Belgian yeast notes are strongly evident. I guess you could call it a Belgian IPA, and a good one at that...

On tap at the Brewpub. Came in a tulip glass. This was listed on the board on the Belgium side. I was a little surprised when it smelled and tasted like an IPA, and now that I am here to rate it I find out why. It was an IPA. Nose of floral hops this clear amber colored brew had nice smooth mouthfeel and good flavors of caramel malts and hops. Good bitter finish. A very smooth and drinkable brew.

Had this on tap at the RR brewpub the other night.

The beer pours a somewhat light gold color, but with great head retention and lacing. On the nose I'm reminded of Salvation (sweet honey and banana), but with a some hoppy citrus and white pepper as well. The flavors on the palate replicate the nose, with a strong, dry, pepper, bitter hop profile permeating throughout. The hops only become more noticeable as the beer sits in the glass, though the beer is never heavy or tiring to drink. This beer is very drinkable, with the abv. well disguised.

Considering how well RR does with hops and the Belgian style, it is no surprise at all that they would do a good job with something like this. A very good beer indeed.

Wow was I lucky to make a trip to Russian River. Had this baby on draught, served in a tulip glass which gives me the impression it was a Belgian IPA. This one uses 100% Bravo hops, claims the chalkboard.

Pours a light, clear, rich copper hue with a small half finger head that dies down to almost nothing. Stickiness is pretty good, spotty here and there on the sides. Smell gives off more of a Belgian yeasty odor with a good mix with some floral hops as well. Bready caramel notes are also detected in the nose which makes this one a very complex smelling brew. Taste starts off a bit citrusy from the bravo hops which is soon followed by the yeasty/bready/buttery flavor. Aftertaste is a bit dry and bitter coming from the hops. Mouthfeel is a bit light to medium with a good amount of carbonation. A bit chewy as well. Drinkability will probably vary for most people. Me, being a hop-head, find this quite easy to put down. But for someone who enjoys their Belgian beers, I could see having an issue finishing this one. I would classify this as a Bitter Belgian or the more common Belgian IPA.

Filled a growler at the brewery on 8/4, drank the beer on 8/6.

I was somewhat surprised to see this listed as an American IPA. Color is much lighter than I would expect for the style. Poured a light golden with a nice a head. Lacing was fair.
No real hop aroma present, not sure if this is typical for the Bravo hop. Smell is fruity; reminiscent of Belgian pales. An upfront sour fruitiness is followed by slightly bitter finish. Highly carbonated mouthfeel is almost lager-like.
Good drinkabilty as the slight bitterness balances the sourness.

Background: Made with 100% Bravo Hops. Bravo is a fairly young hop variety cultivated in 2000 at Golden Gate Roza Hop Ranches in Prosser, Washington. It’s known for particularly high yields and high levels of alpha acids. Bravo only became available commercially last year. At least 21 brewers in the NW have created beers over the last year using 100% Bravo hops.

Appearance: Ultra pale gold body with ample carbonation and average white head that quickly dissipates to a thin, and non-clingy skim.

Aroma: Grapefruit. Bushels of grapefruit. Lemon rind. Mild Belgian like yeast fruitness.

Taste: Grapefruit. Some fruity yeast flavor. Mildly reminiscent of Houblon Chouffe because of the way the yeast flavor blends with the intense bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Uncannily lingering bitterness. Otherwise light bodied and almost watery. Very bitter despite being less then a hop bomb in flavor and aroma terms. Heavily carbonated.

Drinkability: Easy to drink but the bitterness would get to me after a beer and a half or so.

07/14/07- Had on tap at Russian River Brewing in Santa Rosa, CA.

Presentation- From the tap into a standard pint glass.

Appearance- Light pale golden in color. Standard 1/2 inch head upon pour. Light traces of lace left behind.

Smell- Lemon rind hoppy notes with a bit of a woodsy scent. Not really much malt.

Taste- Not super hopped, but has a large bitterness. There is a toasted malt background, but not enough to ease the hops. Very bitter ones with no real defining flavor. Just bitter.

Mouthfeel- Dry and a bit watery with a spritzy like carbonation level.

Drinkability- A one hop brewed beer like last years Summitt version. Just not my cup of tea I guess.