Russian River Consecration

Have tasted multiple times from bottle and draft; not sure where I saved this rating from. Darky cherry red color. Sour cherry comes out in the taste with nice sweetness and moderate sour funk. Moderate thickness and dark malts balance well and make this a nice sipper. Very nicely done...welcome in my glass any time.

I was really looking forward to trying this beer, so I popped the cock and prepared to drink this bottle (batch 001x4) a couple of hours before a big STL Blues playoff game. Pours light brown with a tan/creamy head into my Duvel tulip. Not much lacing along the glass and the head quickly goes away leaving a small tan rim along the sides of the tulip. The smell is amazing, green apples, very sour, but in a great way. Taste is great, lip-puckering sour, but it’s just as if I’m drinking a nice cabernet or pinot noir...wow. Lots of fruit up front and a great mix of sweetness and tart on the finish (makes me want MORE!). Mouthfeel is perfect...just the correct amount of carbonation with this wild..really helps the flavors. I would say this is right down the middle in terms of body, medium. Drinks like a wine with some carbonation, very nice. I still have a few bottles left and they won’t be around too long as much as I enjoyed this one! An awesome wild.

Sample #33 at 1st CST, batch 002x2. Pours a dark but clear red with a small white head 4.5. Strong brett aroma with a great malty backbone, sweet prunes. Flavor starts with brett, quite sweet, winey, juicy, red fruits, some iron/blood, super sour and lingering brett 8.5. Medium bodied, not sticky, great fizzy smooth fluffy carbonation 4.5. Thanks! Can’t wait for another taste!

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.