Russian River Consecration

750mL Rating #700! Shared with SpencerDB

Poured into tulip a clear, deep mahogany (cloudy brown with the yeast tossed in). Head is extremely temporary tan that evaporates. No lacing. Aroma is heavy on oak barrel character, port wine, sherry, sour cherries, a bit of spiced rum or whiskey. Amazing. Taste is mouth-puckering sour cherries, sherry, a bit of vinegar, warhead sour candies, a bit of warming alcohol towards the end. Palate is very much red wine: lots of Cabernet Sauvignon throughout the taste and palate. Overall, this is very much more akin to red wine than beer. Still, this is so good. There is really no arguing that this is superbly executed.

750mL Shared with tarheels86

Drank out of a snifter. Poured surprisingly dark brown with caramel colors when put up to the light. The aroma is fantastic. It took me the entire time drinking (about 10 minutes) to figure out what exactly I was smelling. It started with obvious sour notes with backgrounds of mahogany and subtle whiskey. The initial taste was just overwhelmingly sour because I didn’t really know what to expect. The more I drank, the better it got and the more i liked it. Sour notes, added a little vinegar flavor towards the end like an aging wine. Sour but sweet at the same time with definite tastes of cherries, and other sour fruits. Awesome. Greatly enjoyed

bottle courtesy of pbsmooth. Deeper maroon color. Aromas of dried dark fruits, not sure if sour is aroma but it was. Taste was berry, dried fruits, sour, red wine. Nicely balanced & very good

Pours deep red/brown, with dissipating off white head. Aroma is massive, full of berries and sourness.
The initial flavour hits with sour currants and a beautiful texture. Full bodied flavour, but as it dissipates the sourness takes over a lot and becomes a little unpleasant.
A great sour ale, hides the ABV incredibly well with a crazy interesting flavour.

Batch 002X2: According to Russian River’s log it was brewed on 6/18/08 and bottled on 3/31/09. Pours dark reddish brown with a creamy off-white head. Currant aroma up front which is quickly superseded by the familiar barnyard brett funk and hints of oak. The oak is much more assertive, almost dominant, on the tongue; definite currant presence in the middle after which the lacto and pedio make their presence known. Slight astringency from the oak but it adds a pleasing complexity. Medium, fizzy body. A very good beer but I think it may have been better if the brett was more dominant.

750 ml bottle shared generously by footbalm. Pours out a dark but clear red/brown color with a large off-white head. The aroma is lightly tart, some cherries or perhaps currants and wood. The flavor is initially a scary tartness, some woody, fruitiness, lots of depth and a nice noticeable alcohol warmth. Very well made and nice. Great.

Poured at Malt and Vine bottle shop in Redmond, WA. Real nice sour, but not over-the-top. Don’t do one of these if you have acid reflux, as this is a heartburn inducing mother. A little hide-and-seek with the alcohol, which could be a good thing or a bad thing.

Sampled at Night of Funk. Ruby red pour with thin white head. Fruit sour aroma. Oak tart fruity flavor. I liked it and I am not a fan of the style. Reminded me a little of wine.