Velvet Glow
Russian River Brewing Company

4.06/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by augustgarage from California

Packaged on 1/10/22 - consumed on 3/7/22. Poured from a 500mL bottle into my Moonlight shaped pint glass.

Pale vanilla liquid with a bit of chill haze and a smattering of weak ghost white foam. Active head, loose lacing, no legs. Average retention.

Creamy malty aroma with a gentle grainy sweetness and a whisper of grassy hops. Clean.

Pils character on the palate entry (with a brief glimmer of DMS maybe?) gives way to a bread note, which grows richer before the hops make a brief appearance in the medium-dry, faintly grassy finish. Maybe a hint of citrus at times. Mild bitterness throughout. Cleanly lagered.

Medium-light bodied, with medium carbonation.

Pretty true to style I think, but it's been a while since I've had another example...

Mar 07, 2022

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by gatornation from Minnesota

Pours a clear pale straw color with a nice white head. Smell is lemon citrus grassy notes with cracker bread malts. Taste is herbal with crisp with lemon citrus some dank grassy notes and sweet bread malts. A crisp mouth feel refreshing and tasty, delicious.

Jan 31, 2022

4.02/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by sjrider from California

Bottle pour- almost clear pale lemon yellow straw color with fat white head leaving frosty lacing. Nose is earthy and grainy. Taste follows with pale malt and dryish finish. Definitely true to the label - pale dry beer.

Sep 07, 2021

5/5  rDev +24.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
by MattBeer from California

This is the best helles lager I've ever had, and I've had quite a few. It's like if you kidnapped George Heineken, gave him a trillion dollars, and forced him to work in your lab. Night and day, with his life and the lives of his loved ones in jeopardy, he perfected his craft, ultimately making the absolute best lager that could be made. Also you can drink it.

Mar 14, 2021

4.29/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
by bret27 from California

Bottle from lupulo Santa Cruz.
Nice quaffable representation of style.

Dec 23, 2020

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by jkblr from Indiana

510mL bottled 042920 (67 days ago) poured into a pokal glass at fridge temp 4.75% ABV.
Note: I should have let it warm more. Totally different & better experience. The beer pours barely hazy light straw yellow with nearly white head. The head recedes to a thin cap and clings to the glass just above liquid level. The aroma is earthy & musty hops with a hint of pale malt. The taste is more of the same with a yeasty, earthy, musty note over the top of subdued malt. Mildly bitter. The mouthfeel is thin to medium bodied with average carbonation and a very dry finish. Overall, good lager. Thanks @beergoot!

As it approaches room temperature the chill haze disappears to leave it mostly bright. The fullness of the malt is more pronounced and the dry, mineral character integrates into the hoppy profile more seamlessly. Very good - just don't drink it cold!

Jul 05, 2020

4.36/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
by beergoot from Colorado

Clear, pale yellow body; beautiful carbonation; thick and fluffy white head. Classic German helles aroma; light breadiness with a gentle, fruity aroma. The taste mirrors the smell; biscuit-like; mildly herbal with a fantastically balanced hop bitterness; a bit of honey and musk melon. Light body; soft and pillowy; gentle sweetness initially, finishes with a mild dryness.

There is nothing like finding another tasty and well-made beer from one of your favorite breweries. Russian River did an excellent job creating balance, depth, and complexity with this beer.

Jun 22, 2020

4.25/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by acurtis from New Jersey

On Lukr at Blackback pub

Jun 21, 2020

3.29/5  rDev -18%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
by entheos from California

Reminds me of a Coors. Bottled 04.29.20. Crisp. Light. Very malty. It’s too expensive to enjoy daily, but it’s a good beer. It’s just not my preferred style of ale.

Jun 20, 2020

4.15/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by BucannonXC5 from California

Type: 510-ml. bottle
Reviewed as: Munich Helles Lager
Glass: Gordon Biersch .5L Stein
Price: $5.99
From: Windmill Farms in Del Cerro (San Diego), Calif.
Purchased: March 13, 2020
Consumed: March 13, 2020
Misc.: Bottled on Jan. 15, 2020 at 10:09 a.m. PT

Was psyched to see this one in stores on a recent trip to Windmill Farms, right next to Pliny, Pig and STS Pils. I used to hate this style, but now it’s in my Mt. Rushmore. And to see Russian River doing one really got me excited. Bottle description read, “Velvet Glow is an homage to the Grace Family, who once owned Grace Brothers Brewing in Santa Rosa. This is the second Grace Brothers brand we resurrected, the other being Happy Hops! Velvet Glow is a Helles style lager with a crisp malt character and a dry, refreshing finish.”

Poured a pale yellow clear color with seven fingers of rocky white head. Lots of bubble streams coming up from the bottom of the glass - faster in the middle and a little bit slower on the sides. Average spotty lacing. World-class retention. (Sight - 4.25)

Smelled sourdough bread, grass, white cracker, Cheerios, corn, honey, pilsner malt and Noble hops. Not as good out of the bottle. (Smell - 4.25)

Taste was not as good, but still outstanding. In order got white cracker, sourdough bread, Cheerios, grass, hay, Noble hops, black pepper (Saaz?), honey and corn. (Taste - 4.00)

Light body. Oily-to-creamy texture. Fizzy carbonation. Long, dry finish. (Feel -

Full body. Creamy-to-sticky texture. Soft carbonation. Long finish. (Feel - 4.25)

Excellent overall. Glad I got to try it. (Overall - 4.25)

4.15 | 93 | A-

Apr 27, 2020

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by RyanK252 from California

Bottle poured into a Russian River Brewing Co pub glass

A: Pours crystal clear golden straw with a frothy off white head that settles to a nice layer and leaves some spotty lacing.

S: A little spicy, floral, grassy, yeasty, faint fruity notes, all held together with lightly toasty crackery bready malt.

T: Floral, light spice, slightly grassy, underlying fruity notes, sort of a peach/apricot thing, a little yeasty, faintly toasty crackery bready malt, and just a touch of sweetness.

M: Light to medium body, moderate carbonation.

O: I've slowly developed an appreciation for these kinds of beers. It's pretty much exactly what you would expect from Russian River: well made, super drinkable, just an all around good beer.

Apr 24, 2020

4.32/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
by bubseymour from Maryland

Really well made traditional Helles Lager. Checks all the boxes. Easily drinkable.

Feb 17, 2020

3.43/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
by Alieniloquium from Florida

500 mL bottle. Pours clear and very pale yellow. Smells of soft doughy malt and light spicy hop. Tastes of bready and lightly sweet dough. Light spicy hops throughout but I keep expecting it to peak with a spicy bite, but never does. Very light. It hints a hefty hop back end it but drops off in favor of a delicate malt flavor.

Feb 06, 2020

4.23/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
by unlikelyspiderperson from California

Pours a pale yellow, clear with a thin and sticky white head.
Nose is lightly bready with a slight grassy touch.
Taste wonderful, clean cracker flavor with some slight floral and grassy edges. Really well put together
Mouthfeel is excellent, smooth and crisp with an extremely clean finish.
Overall this is one of the better lagers that I've had from the states. Super clean flavors and excellent crisp feel.

Oct 27, 2019