Russian River Brewing Co - Santa Rosa Row 2, Hill 56

Brilliant lasting head. Crisp, spicy hop character out front, with floral, citrus, and raw grain notes. Pronounced malt flavor throughout—clear, dry toasted notes with subtle, layered sweetness. The bitter-and-sweet balance of hops and grain flourishes on the tastebuds. Finish is fairly aggressively bitter, with a grassy lingering aftertaste. Bright throughout, trends toward bitter, but that works.

“Orange-forward nose with a dash of spice. Fresh citrus hop notes on the retronasal. Lightly sweet malt background, fresh white bread. Soft pale body elevates the orange and lemon hop flavors. Captivating conclusion brings an elevated bitterness together with the semisweet plump flavor.”

**Aroma:** “Nice bright citrus fruity notes of orange, lemon, and some grapefruit layered atop a bready malt sweetness with hints of pine and peppercorn. Hops are light and earthy, moderate nutty, and notes of light banana plus a touch of pear and light caramel drive the nose.” **Flavor:** “Malt sweetness carries through the beer with slight caramel in the back. Hops-driven juicy orange, grapefruit, and lemon flavors are all evident, but the resiny earthy hops bitterness helps to balance some of the sweetness, leading to a well-integrated finish with just a bit of lingering grapefruit sweet bitterness. Slight alcohol warmth aftertaste.“ **Overall:** “Juicy and sweet. The hops worked well with the malt in this beer. A very well balanced beer, nice piney bitterness in the finish. Good sweetness with assertive hops. A bit of a drier barleywine.”