Russian River Damnation

Photo credit: J.C. Edwards

The Brewers:
Brewmaster: Vinnie Cilurzo
Company: Russian River Brewing Company
Location: 725 4th Street Santa Rosa, California
Website:  http://www.russianriverbrewing.com

The Beer:
Style: Golden Ale (Belgian)
ABV: 7%
Served: 375mL bottle at Tria's of Philadelphia (http://www.triacafe.com/)

The Drink:
Drank out of a 10oz. Belgian tulip

Pours bright golden/yellow, with moderate haze.  Head dissipates quickly, leaving little lace.

Strong clove, citrus and banana on the nose, with subtle spiciness.  

Beer starts with healthy carbonation and an upfront citrus fruity-sweet presence.  Body is full and malty sweet, and lends a refreshing, robust and fruity middle.  Finish is cool, dry and peppery spice builds into a moderately long presence.  At the end of the beer I swirled the sediment in, which added an additional layer of toasty, bready flavor to the beer as well as increasing the body a bit.

Overall:
Yet again, a standard setting beer from Russian River.  Inspired by traditional Belgian golden ales, this beer fills the shoes of the likes of the Duvel-family easily.  Though expensive and near-impossible to find on the east coast, Russian River never disappoints.  Despite being more basic than some of their more unique beers, you can't go wrong with Damnation.  The carbonation and fruitiness make this beer extremely refreshing, and the spicy/dry finish make this a remarkably complex beer, given how "simple" a Belgian golden ale is.  Perfect for the change of season or for a midsummer's afternoon, Damnation is worth the work, but do your best to make it last.  Oh, and I kept the bottle.