Russian River Damnation Batch 23 (Oak Aged)

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

review from a few months ago, so details lacking. nice belgian strong/tripel (though a little dark and sweet for a classic triple). the oak aging was evident. fruity belgian yeast esters. very nice. only real flaw? the alcohol shows a wee bit too much.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Insanely drinkable Tripel, never would have guessed the strength had the bottle not stated it. Beautiful light golden body with a foamy white head and heavy lacing. Very fruity and lively with hints of passion fruit and a mild peppery spice. Moderate esters provide some warming depth. Light, dry and wonderful.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

For a triple, this beer is so damned drinkable it’s not funny. It’s so easy to expect great beer from RR, but I try not to. Each time is always a fantastic experience, be it drinking the beer at the brewery or out of the bottle at home. This beer pours out a cloudy, orange/amber color, 2" thick white head with some nice creamyness to it. Aromas are bouncing everywhere here. Caramel, cantaloupe, honey, yeast, light oak, fruity esters, and vanilla. Flavor has a sweetness to it that meshes well with the alcohol and fruity character of the beer. Fruit, honey, oak, caramel, alcohol and banana are all present. Carbonation eases up a bit , but it is rather biting in the beginning. Alcohol is a bit bracing, but that too eases up. Perhaps it just getting drunk, enjoying the beer that makes it easier?

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

wow, how cool to try this... mouthfeel is a bonus: nice and spritzy ... i do detect honey and delightful fun flavours ... the abv really is covered nicely .. a fun delicate brew ...

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

This Belgian Tripel pours a orange gold color from a corked 750ml bottle. Small to medium sized white foamy head, with nice retention. The aroma is orange and floral, yeasty and a touch of brett. A medium bodied Belgian Tripel. The malts are fruity and sweet, with lots of orange, apricot and citrus. The hops are citrusy and floral. There is a slight touch of oak as well. Some spices, some brett and must. This beer is very hoppy for tripel, but is not overpowering and the spices, the hops and the oak blend well together. Lively carbonation. Hides the alcohol very well. This bottle has been sitting in the fridge for a year or so, wish I had a few more to age. Really nice beer. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is crisp and slightly dry. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

Quite oak-like in the aroma, but it is not overpowering & in fact took me a second to recognize. The beer is a brilliantly clear, copper tinged, gold color and is topped by a frothy, initially two-finger thick, pale, off-white colored head. Aromatic notes of buttery oak, vanillin, orange zest, and a light, yet sharp, spicy oak character. The hints of vanilla and orange remind me a bit of an orange-cream candy, though the aroma is fairly dry smelling. Boozy notes of warm alcohol are present, especially if you linger too long over the nose. Slightly must, but overall the aroma is nice, but not all that striking. It actually might not be the alcohol alone that is noticeable, but really a lot of the spicy oak character that is accentuating a sharpness / hotness in the aromatic finish.

The taste is quite a bit sweeter than the aroma suggested, but it is well within line for a beer of this strength. The sweetness accentuates a note of orange / lemon zest. This beer is actually fairly dry over all & becomes lightly sweet as my palate adjusts to it. The beer finishes with a mix of hot, higher alcohols, bitter hops, some light phenolics & spicy oak character. The oak / barrel character is quite a bit more subtle than the aroma would have suggested, which in my opinion is a good thing. Oak notes of vanillin, spicy, woody oak and a touch of tannic astringency are all noticeable if you dig a bit, but really they contribute to the overall character of this beer. Really the oak, while not hugely apparent individually, does have a large effect on the flavor profile of this beer (from the vanilla notes, the spicy character, to the perception of bitterness, astringency & alcohol in the finish). Floral notes of honeysuckle, orange blossom and bird of paradise add an interesting component to the flavor profile. The residual sugars provide a nice, softly creamy, heft to this beer that makes this beer contemplative; it is nothing like a chewy, all malt beer (like a Barleywine), as it is fairly light for its strength. In fact, at times it is down right drinkable; I think a big part of this is that the carbonation helps to refresh and lighten up the overall perception of this beer.

This beer definitely is strong, while the 10.5% does not quite hit you over the head, it is still noticeable. I really am enjoying the soft, orange like flavors & aromas in this beer; these notes pair quite well with some of the oak components. I have a feeling this beer will age quite well for a long time. In fact, this beer really needs to age for quite some time as it is a bit too young right now; perhaps a year but maybe even three would do this beer wonders To tell you the truth, I wouldn't be surprised if this peaked at 5 or 10 years even. It is certainly not a bad tipple right now, it is just that I see this getting a lot better.