Hop Growers Tribute Series: CLS Farms
Russian River Brewing Company

Its funny thinking back in the days when you could count in the single digits the number of beers made from some of the huge widely known breweries. Now everyone makes hundreds of different beers it seems, and the variety bug has certainly hit Russian River the last decade. Here's one from last year.

Pours golden yellow color without good clarity. Its cloudy but not hazy. 1/3 white head. The aroma leaned heavily on Chinook, while there are like three other proprietary hops, this one hit that old school Chinook pine firmly and in the greatest quantity.

Taste was like a lower malt bill of the current trend pattern but through a mostly older school pine Chinook bitterness with a layer of grapefruit rind to round it out in the most familiar C hops of ways. Wasn't much more beyond that, which is fine by me. Light, crisp, brisk, even slight peppery edge to the mouthfeel. Easy to drink. Doesn't knock your socks off but its a nice tribute to a hop farm.

 

 

Bottle poured into a Russian River Brewing Co pub glass

A: Pours golden straw yellow with a frothy off white head that settles to a firm layer and laces quite nicely.

S: Citrus, resinous pine, grassy, light tropical and stone fruit, a touch of peppery spice, floral notes, and crackery biscuity malt.

T: Spicy resinous pine, citrus zest, grapefruit, lemon, and mandarin orange, earthy herbal notes, underlying tropical and stone fruit, pineapple, pear, apricot, watermelon, peach, passion fruit, papaya, and a hint of plum, somewhat grassy, light floral notes, crackery biscuity malt, and a fairly dry finish.

M: A little on the lighter side of medium body, moderate carbonation, crisp yet soft and creamy.

O: This one grew on me. The initial sips were a bit abrasive and I'm not typically big on the fruity notes that El Dorado brings, but as it warmed up it all came together.

 

 

Pours a very pale yellow amber, with a light head. Aroma is piney with forest dankness. Taste is very smooth - starts off with a pronounced bitterness which carries through on the finish to the very end eith some background flavors of plums and figs. Dry body. Lightly carbonated and very drinkable at 6.5% ABV

A great IPA with 100% sourced Yakima hops.

Bottle pour - almost clear pale lemony yellow with foamy white head leaving frosty lacing. Nose is floral, grassy and dank with citrus notes. Taste follows with a bit of pine and lots of citrus that lingers on the finish. Nicely done.

Bottled on 9/7/23; consumed on 10/16/23

Pours a clear, straw-gold body capped with three fingers of airy, soapy, eggshell-white foam; good head retention yields a finger of cap, large, frothy collar, and generous array of webby lacing trickling down the walls of the glass.

Aromas of sticky grapefruit and intense florality steadily welcome orange oils and fresh resins, with wet grass residuals meeting piney waves on the latter half of the bouquet.

Taste offers pine and subtler grapefruit rind upfront, with a touch of orange zest settling atop a flaky malt foundation as floral undertones and a slight note of dew-soaked grass touch the back end.

Mouthfeel brings a lighter body and arounded, effortless fluff of higher-end carbonation; soft, flaky texturing guides to glossy resins over the mid-palate and an airy bittering on the back end, leaving shreds of earthy grot meandering through an otherwise clean finish.

Fragrant greenery with a floral focus and distant citrus inflections emphasize a sort of rustic pseudo-perfumery, and a fresh-hop ale at its finest; a delicate, easy-drinking ode to the 'greenest' iterations of the style.

 

Wow, this one surprised me. Sweet, pillowy, and cotton candy aroma aroma coming off it at first smell. Call me crazy but I got some wild desert spices coming through on the tastes. Sage and pine hit the tongue first and then it's gone. Medium mouthfeel and very smooth. There is a creaminess too. Just a fantastic unique beer. It wont punch you in the face with dankness, instead it guides you. You can tell theres two elements. The spice profile hits first, and then the creaminess puts you at ease. My first time trying Zappa hops and I'm a happy customer. Not a cohesive beer, but very enjoyable nonetheless due to the uniqueness. It just works.

 

510ml brown glass bottle bottled 09/07/23.

Melon, juicy fruit, passionfruit, citrus, faint pine needle, subdued strawberry. Not too pulpy (as El Dorado hopped IPAs often can be).

Pungent with a coating mouthfeel.

A rather well balanced IPA with a very pleasant approachable hop profile. Also unfortunately a rather pricey beer. It's another winner from Russian River, and well worth trying if you can stomach the price.

High B / GOOD

Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a light to medium golden amber with a fine, one finger white head with great retention and lacing. Aroma of pale malt, citrus and lightly grassy hops, lemon, mixed stone fruit and a hint of pine. Flavor is pale malt, citrus and piney hops, lemon, grapefruit, pine, hints of orange and melon. Finishes with pine and citrus rind and good bitterness. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. A solid IPA as expected from Russian River, not quite as aromatic as Pliny, fresh and herbal, not too different from the fresh hops I've been drinking this month. A nice hop bill that leans to West Coast with solid citrus and pine, but also fleeting flavors of other fruit. Very nice. These hops traveled from just east of my residence to California and back in fine form.

 

Yellow body, clear; excellent carbonation, small-bubble and slowly rising; thick head, white, spongy, long-lasting. Huge floral and tropical fruit aroma; pineapple; lemon bread. Incredibly complex and balanced flavor; deft touch of lemon and white bread crust; honey dew melon; medium-light dose of lingering hop bitterness. Medium-heavy body; softly scratchy on the palate.

I was stoked to find a new type of Russian River on the shelves. I was not disappointed. This is a very tasty, nicely nuanced, and easy drinking American India pale ale. I will find a couple more bottles.

Pouring temperature: 49 °F; bottling info: 090723
Source: local purchase (Cheers! Liquors)

I guess I am a little embarrased that I can't discern what hops went into this (the label gives no indication). I don't have a sophisticated palate where I get notes of some obscure orange, or that sort of thing. It's got a pleasant nose and it seems a bit drier (less malty) than Pliny the Elder. The finish is quick and that is appreciated; unlike some IPAs that linger on the tongue long after, this give you some hop flavor and aroma, and then it is gone. No residual bitterness or lingering aftertaste. 6.5% ABV is good with me, because as they say, one's not enough, two is too many, and three's just right.

 

Hop Growers pours a yellow tinted lager color with a fabulous floral aroma and nice head. It’s got a hint of citrus with the flavorful floral and finishes dry. Tasty and dry. Bottled 090723 via California.