Russian River Brewing Company
Sanctification Sour Blonde
American Wild Ale
California
6.75%
12.68oz, Single
$10.29
Thin dusting of bright white foam across the surface, quickly enough gone, meager lacing. Lightly bronzed gold base, the liquid is clean close to luminescent. While the nose is sour it's not bracingly so, pulped lemons, wheat germ, grassy without seeming green, you get banana before green apple, passion fruit scents, a few notes which evoke the dill in American oak. Medium-bodied, smooth and not that dry. The carbonation is low, adds creaminess as anything. Plenty of unprocessed grains and hay, the lemony accents verge on white grapefruit. Spiced like Indian mukhwas. The peach, apricot, passion fruit nowhere near the focus of the beer, yet at the same time a steady support. Floral with a nod towards lavender. Echo of banana and bubblegum through the finish. Ends on a savory note, clean with the various elements tightly woven together. Total greater than the sum of its parts, about as quaffable as a wild ale can get.
5 out of 5