Row 2/Hill 56
Russian River Brewing Company

Sweet, sweet Simcoe. Wow. Dank. Strawberry jam. Diesel. Allium. Pine. Maple sugared grapefruit. Faint clementine-kiwi. Super light and quenching. Powerfully flavorful. Beautiful in the glass, gleaming body, flourishing head. So aromatic. This was incredibly delicious beer.

Picked up a 510 ml bottle at the Windsor facility cooler on 3-9-26 for $5.99. Bottled 2-23-26; consumed 3-13-26.

Beer poured light gold with a nice white head.

Nose is very dank and full of floral hops.

Taste is a very light pale malt base in which the grapefruit shines thru up front while on the back end there is a very bitter pine and rind finish; 8/10 on my scale.

Mouthfeel is light bodied with each sip being very refreshing.

Overall, i am glad i finally got a chance to have this via takeout. What a great use of hops by the RRBC crew!

 

500ml bottle picked up at ABV Public House in Hillsboro, OR
Poured into a Russian River pint glass

Pumped to finally be able to try this one!

P gold w/ a very slight chill haze; 2f white head; a good amount of active carb; looks great; maintains a small cap for a bit; faint lacing left behind
N med nose of fresh bread, honey, and light citrus
T orange peel, earthiness, and fresh bread, w/ a light underlaying sweetness; more mellow than anticipated, but a pleasant profile for sure
Mf light to light-med bodied w/ med-high carb; a touch dry
O a nicely done pale ale, just as anticipated; nothing over the top, but definitely well-executed

Review date: 08.22.25
Bottle date: not captured

 

 

 

I bought my copy from RR's bottle shop at their Santa Rosa brewpub. Should have bought at least two.

One of the prettiest pale ales I've seen in a while, crystal clear and a healthy foam... even on the second day.
Smells are mostly grapefruit and pine and could moderate both. Tastes are balanced, seemingly without much effort by the single Simcoe selections; but I'd like it more if the grapefruit rind was milder in the finish (Note: I'm a malt-head.) However as a plus to RR following, this 100% Simcoe teaches the value of simplicity to minimize aftertaste mish-mash that sinks lots of APAs for me. Medium-mouthed being pushed into fullness by its softness.

I'm A big fan of RR's Belgians, but I still can appreciate how RR keeps their hop-head fanatics. While wine predominantly is made in Sonoma Valley, RRBC excellent use of hops has made them part of the Valley's culinary terroir. Big Overall Hugs for that achievement.

Bottle from brewery:
Near clear golden body with a fair amount of white head ending in a medium-plus collar. Honeydew and sweet tropical notes with a mildly dank herbal note behind those scents. Soft feel disrupted by a medium plus carbonation as the beer flows over my tongue. Not as sweet or tropical as the nose, with the rind of the melon that comes through added to the mix. The bitter impression of the rind feeds into a more grassy herb bitterness.

Pours a light, clear, gold with medium head and good carbonation, bubbles. The aroma is not super strong but it smells dank and citrusy with a whiff of malt. It’s bittah, citrus - grapefruit flavors, strawberries maybe?, and some other UFF’s (unidentified fruit flavors) with a little malt. It’s a little on the thin side, but well crafted and easy to drink. Drinking today, 6-20, and it was canned 5-14 and is still very fresh. A new favorite Pale Ale for me and another banger from Russian River.

 

Beautiful pale golden color, crystal clear with a pillowy head. Grainy and grapefruit aroma. Mild grapefruit flavors with nice pine/resinous bite. This is so light bodied, crisp and clean. I’m not sure a better pale ale is possible.

 

Another good beer from these people. Pours a light golden color with a small head. Aroma is mild malt and hops, taste is similar. Good beer with a hint of sweetness. Rated 4-5-2-25

Look: Clear yellow with a medium white head that has good retention. Nice lacing.
Smell: A gentle hop aroma is present.
Taste: Sweeter notes of malt and citrus. There is a light bitterness upfront that is much stronger in the aftertaste.
Feel: Good. High in the mouth.
Overall: This is a good well-balanced brew that I would drink again.

 

in draft, in tulip glass

clear, light golden in color, foamy white head. Wonderful hop aroma - floral, dank, a touch of tropical fruits. Medium bitterness, drier finish

Grabbed a bottle at Bine and Vine. Another very well made RR brew. I love Simcoe and had high hopes. Certainly Simcoe forward, but overall in this day and age a pretty modest pale ale. Very thin in both feel and taste. No appreciable malt at all. Perhaps a fresh draft would come across differently, but doesn’t seem so. Meh.

(10 oz pour on draft at the Windsor brewery on 6 Jul 2024... reviewed from notes and recollections)

notes: green grass, green onion... lime pith and dried ginger artefacts... bit of a blonde ale (malt/yeast) foundation... one of the most 'complex' Simcoe showcases in the aftertaste... dry, yeast-coated background note also in the aft... beautiful perfumy, peppery bitterness... (feel) tingling, lifting, but nipping not biting... grass and white wine

recollections: I had had what I thought was an interesting Simcoe pale ale a couple days prior but, looking at my notes, this was on a whole other level... the development and evolution of its flavors, not to mention all the subtle nuances of them, over the course of the glass, made this one of the more interesting beers, and especially hoppy beers, I've had in recent memory... shame on me if they had bottles (they didn't) and I didn't leave with one (2345)

519 ml bottle that's less than 1 month old (from bottling date stamped on the label). Purchased for about $6 at a small market in Geyserville, CA just north of the brewery.

Pours with a tall, foamy white head over a light and pale golden body. Some medium-high but soft carbonation stands behind that head and the fine, light bodied mouthfeel. Nice balance and mix of hops, grains and bitterness.