Russian River Compunction

Formerly brewed at Russian River Brewing
Style: Sour Ale
Santa Rosa, California USA

[DLD 08] Thanks Funky Brewster! Darker golden with not much of a head. Belgian yeast aroma with sour tart fruits. Intense flavor! Very tart and sweet yet still manages to maintain some of the freshness of the fruits. Vinegar and lactic acid. Lemons, ginger, grapes and berries... this stuff was delicious and completely overshadowed the 05 Panil I brought. Fantastic palate.

On tap at the Monk’s Cafe. Clear copper with a white head. Nose is sour lemon, apricot and some spice; basil? Medium light with mild carb. Taste like the nose, primarily apricot, but hints of apple, pear and white grape juice. Missing some of the fruitiness that makes other RR’s great but still very good.

Growler. Near heavenly nose. Tart and lightly funky aroma. Citrusy, slightly musty. Tart apples. Apricot skin, dry and dusty basement. Slightly cheesy. Pours a bright, hazy gold with a thin but lasting white head. Tart and acidic with some juicy fruit undertones. A hint of basement. Slightly spicy. Vinegary with near stinging acidity. Some hints of a Flemish sour but with a lot more acidity. Absolutely wonderfully funky, albeit lacking the complexity of Deviation. Lush and creamy with lively carbonation. Excellent lasting vinegary, tart and acidic finish. Thanks a ton for this kick ass beer Mark!

Growler. Skin of glassy white on a fully hazed blonde pour. Sunny, bitingly acidic aroma of pineapple and apricot with some basic sugars; brilliant funkiness of white cheeses, mildew, wet socks and grasses beneath. Light bodied balsamic. Suitable softness and balance. Gewurtztraminer and tropical fruit flavor carries a zingy tart punch, but comes across softly with a silky film of vanilla. Seems to ring of a tinny honey presence at times, mostly landing on a firm resonance of apricot, plum, pineapple, guava and extended juicy fruitiness. Dries out a little, before blossoming in full furious acidity; tanginess of musty vinaigrette and pepperiness. Surprisingly full mouthfeel with sparkly carbonation; very punchy, demanding and confronting especially for its leanness. Raw lemon juice finish that doesn’t gather the typical funkiness. Streamlined and scrappy, which makes up for its relative simplicity quite kindly. Thanks for sharing, Tyler!

This is my new favorite RR Sour. The others are complex and subtle with slight influences that you have to search for and wait as they develop. This one kicks you in the teeth like an explosion of flavor. No subtlety about it! First on the tip of your tongue, than the roof of your mouth, and finally the back of your tongue and throat. Like chewing a sweet tart, the flavors mix wonderfully of sour grapefruit and a Granny Smith like apple to sweet apricots and plums that carry to the finish. A warning, DO NOT try the Beatification immediately after this one. Like going from a hot tub to a cold shower. Trust me, I learned the hard way.

growler on behalf of amorphiss (thanks peter!)..... poured a cloudy light orange brown with a significant soapy white head.... welcoming nose of tart and sour fruitiness but the fruits were difficult to pinpoint. perhaps some citrus and some very subtle apricot comes to mind..... flavors continued on a similar path which was fine by me. tart, sour fruit, apricot or peaches which remained completely refreshing and easily drinkable. mouthfeel was fairly spritzy and alive.... a pricey growler to say the least but well worth it. i hope to have this again one day.

On tap at DLD, the real stuff. Slight hazy light amber with fizzy, small white head. Aroma is sour apricot, other tart fruit and orange. Flavor is big sour tart, earthiness, grapefruit, lemon and apricot. Medium body with big pucker. This is about the best American example of a geuze tasting beer that I have ever had. This is close to a 4.5 for me.

VERY lactic nose with slight touch of diacetyl. Grape and white fruit notes have a hard time competing with the extreme acidity. Dry and lactic finish.