RnD IPA #68
Russian River Brewing Company

Bottle pour - pale golden straw color, short white head, scattered frosty lacing. Nose is a cornucopia of pine, citrus and dank resin. Taste hits about the same just toned down a bit. Finishes slightly dry with a bit of lingering citric bite. Quite tasty, an excellent quaff.

6/27/25 - (Bottle - Brother DA’s Home) (Las Vegas, Nevada) Bottle Notes: Gift from brother David. 17.25 oz bottled 5/7/25 at 9:40 AM. R-nD Series IPA#68 hopped with HQG #3 and HQG #4. 6.5% ABV. Russian River Brewing Company, Santa Rosa & Windsor, California.

Appearance: Crystal clear golden blond base, bright white head laves generous soapy lacing and complete creamy cover over the base. Light carbonation after initial burst. Well done. 4.5

Aroma: Wonderful very dank cat pee leads, backed by pine and citrus. Medium plus strength, higher enjoyment. 4.25

Taste: Gulping this one down quick, with pine reaching equal terms with the dankness, citrus left in the dust. Grassy with melon emerges as I work further. Excellent. 4.5

Mouthfeel: Lightly dry and bitter, very dank and piney, like a lighter version of PtE. Drinks light and easy, much easier than the 6.5% ABV. Negligible gentle carbonation. Dank pine from Go! to Finish. 4.5

Overall: Loving this beer. Unfamiliar with these hops, but love how Russian River showcases this offering, as I have done every single IPA I have had the chance to try. Sad this is likely a one off, will try to pick up a few more before it’s too late. If layout loce dank pine, this is the beer for you. 4.5

 

This is one tasty treat. Definite nomination for regular recurring status. HQG3&4 definitely bring on an intense floral/tropical fruity, w/a bit of dank, aroma/flavor.

500ml bottle found in Estes Park. Poured out a clear, golden orange color with a small, white head of foam. It left sudsy trails of lace. It smelled orange peel, grapefruit, resin and caramel. Sweet tropical fruit taste with a piney bitterness and caramel backbone.

 

 

Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a medium golden amber with a three finger white head with good retention and chunky lacing. Aroma of pale malt, citrus and fruit hops, lemon, green melon, vague tropical fruit and some light stone fruit. Flavor is pale malt, citrus, mixed fruit and dank hops, lemon, grapefruit, hints of tropical and light stone fruit and some catty dankness. Citrus rind and dank bitterness in the finish. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. Lots of fruit notes in this IPA, but other than some lemon citrus, they are mixed together into a gray palette. I'm not a huge fan of the New Zealand style mix of fruit flavors and these hops seem to parallel those profiles. A tasty enough IPA, but not my bag. Bitterness is fine if a tad astringent in the finish.

Pale yellow pour, more golden in the glass; clear; nice carbonation; thick and sudsy head, white and loosely soapy; sticky fingers and clumps of foam inside the glass. Fine aroma; a mix of pine resin, floral tones, and faint tropical fruits; mango and cantaloupe. Mellow malt base bringing a floral hop taste to the fore; relatively bold hop bitterness; grassy herbal tones. Medium-light mouthfeel; light with a feathery softness; crisp and dry.

This is an interesting and, ultimately, tasty India pale ale offering. It seems a bit rougher around the edges (e.g., the mouthfeel) than most Russian River IPAs, yet the flavors are pure west coast style bliss.

ABV: 6.50%; pouring temperature: 58.2 °F; bottling info: 050725
Source: local purchase (Lots A Liquor)