Can I just say I hate lawsuits. Anything can be the issue of a lawsuit and most of the time, they do nothing but ruin the things in life that we love. This is why beer is better than most aspects of life. Avery Brewing and Russian River Brewing both have a beer named Salvation. So instead of taking the issue to court Adam Avery and Vinnie of Russian River Brewing sat down and worked our a compromise. The two brews would be blended, creating Collaboration Not Litigation and there was much rejoicing, yay.
This brew is not for the beginner, that is for sure. It pours a murky copper with a big white head. The aroma is yeast, lots of it. This follows through to the taste, where the yeast is the star of the show. Fairly strong brew, it finishes on a dry note. My tasting abilities are not up to the task of breaking down the flavors within the yeast but there is definitely a sense of fruit to the beer, no doubt created by the yeast.
More interesting than the actual beer is the story printed on the label. This isn’t a bad beer, far from it, but I think my expectations were a bit high. I’m a big fan of Salvation (Russian River’s) and this Collaboration is right on par with that beer, but for some reason I think I expected more. As usual, try to find a bottle for yourself, because it is definitely worth a try.
On a side note, I was excited to use my tulip glass again and reached for it immediately. Upon sitting down and drinking the beer I noticed the Chimay glass on the label. Damn, I have that glass. Oh well, maybe I’ll buy another bottle just for the novelty of drinking it out of the glass shown on the label.
