More Cowbell
Russian River Brewing Company

 

 

Big thanks to TurdFurgison for sharing this growler. Pours a nice golden color with a white head and some nice lacing. The nose carries some pineapple, mango, and tropical fruits plus a bit of citrus. Flavor is similar but a bit more pungent. Everything is more on the mellow end of the spectrum, especially for Russian River. Body is light-medium and somewhat bitter. Quite interesting and fairly tasty. I certainly wouldn’t complain about having this again.

 

 

 

Thanks for the assist, Chris. Shared with a bunch of folks tonight.

Pouring darker than I was expecting (especially when coupled with the nose), this is a crystal clear amber with a dense off-white head with excellent retention and lacing. I know squat about this hop, but in the beer that it's been used, it smells incredibly like a more floral and citrusy Cascade. It's got that chalky hop aroma that I associate with Cascades, along with lemon, lime and a little caramel. The palate replicates these flavors, with a blend of mild sweetness, a high, green. leafy chalky hop flavor with mild bitterness, moderate citrus and some pale malt. Medium-light in body with moderate carbonation, this beer is medium light in body, a little too sweet for my liking (especially given its lineage) and mostly, just nice. While I drank 12 oz, and could have drunk another 12 oz, this isn't even close to being a favorite of mine.

 

Growler

Thanks for opening this with me, Some Guy at Churchill's!

Dark, clear golden and yellow with a moderately sized near-white head that leaves plenty of lacing down the glass.

Really nice aroma, though there are better. There's plenty of juicy citrus elements (grapefruit, tangerine, and orange) along with mild pine, floral elements, earth, and mild, bready malt.

The flavor too is very nice, though isn't quite as pungent as the aroma. There's plenty of citrus, mild bitterness, a little bit of cracker, and floral elements.

Medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation and incredibly drinkable. I was surprised to look down at my glass and see that I was almost done.

A fantastic, gulpable, delicious IPA from Russian River. Surprise, surprise.

 

 

5/20/2012

Big thanks for the growler. Pint glass.

A: Burnished yellow gold with a big white head. Nice retention with much lacing.

S: Reminds me a bit of Simcoe with spicy grapefruit and dank earth. Tangerine melds with orange and mango with a whisper of pine. Malt is faint and crackery. Great nose.

T: Blend of peach, tangerine, orange, mango, and grapefruit flesh. Crackery malt imparts a whisper of sweetness. Well attenuated and clean like all of the Russian River hoppy beers. Citrus rind makes an appearance in the finish and imparts a touch of astringency.

M: Lower medium body with upper medium carbonation. The mouthfeel is dry, crisp, and sticky.

Overall: A very nice IPA. This new hop 430 reminds me of Simcoe. Just a crushable dry and crisp IPA with a really nice aroma.

 

Growler into snifter.
A: Pours a glowing amber with huge and fluffy off white head. Head took a while to fade into a lingering film that left wispy lace down the glass.
S: Citrus nose with a hint of herbal spiciness. Smells decently potent and flavorful.
T: A mix of citrus, tangerine, cookie dough, clean malty grains and a hint of earthy and herbal spices. Finish is clean and easy, and the aftertaste has a hint of lemon.
M: Clean and crisp mouthfeel, medium-light body, with soft and easy carbonation.
O: Definitely a solid and hoppy IPA. I can’t help but compare this to RR's other IPAs, and in that sense it falls short, but I would definitely drink this again.

 

Appearance: Pours the typical pale amber color of most of RRBC's hoppy beers, perhaps a shade darker than Blind Pig. The head is voluminous and lasting.

Smell: Orange, tangerine, pine. Slight spiciness that reminds me of cedar, and some bready/grainy malt notes. Nice, but fairy mild compared to most of RRBC's other IPAs.

Palate: Similar to the nose, with orange and pine hop flavors up front and a touch of spiciness beneath. Malt is bready and grainy without lending much sweetness, and the body is light. There's a touch of candied orange. Bitterness is fairly mild - there's a slight herbal bite to the finish, but it's tame.

Overall: Tasty stuff, but it doesn't stand out in RRBC's lineup. I'd take Blind Pig over this 9 times out of 10.