*First off, let me make a disclaimer: I live in Napa Valley. I work in a winery. I could talk about wine till the motherfkng cows come home. But, BEER? I love beer, but have NO CLUE how to review it. Bear this in mind.*

After living in Atlanta for a year, and experiencing the remarkable availability of some pretty amazing beers, to come back here to what feels like a wasteland was hugely disappointing. With the wine selection so much bigger than good beer, I've become lazy in my beer consumption. So I challenged myself...try something you've never had from a brewery you've never had. How bad can it really be? I decided to start locally, with Russian River Brewing Company, from right over the western hills, in Santa Rosa, and chose Damnation Golden Ale. I was pretty excited, so when I poured it, my mouth actually watered. It's a beautiful golden color, and ever so slightly cloudy. Like the tanned older sister of Hefeweizen. The aroma is deliciously malty and spicy. The head lightly foamy, but not thick. The first sip was surprising...much more citrus fruity in flavor than I was expecting after the nose on it (but not terribly sweet, either), and slightly more hops than I was expecting. I'm not big on the super hoppy beers, but this was perfectly balanced for me. As I continued to sip, I really started to appreciate the layers that this ale possesses. Fruity, spicy, malty, hoppy...it's got a great mix of all the wonderful characteristics that make a fantastic beer.
The back of the bottle says this: ''dam-na-tion, n. 1. the act of damning. 2. the state of being condemned to eternal punishment in hell.'' If hell consists of more of THIS beer, eternity will be a fun time. ENJOY!