Russian River Consecration

Brewed by Russian River Brewing
Style: Sour Ale
Santa Rosa, California USA

Bottle shared by sliffy, thanks Dan! Pours a dirty copper with a light fiizt tan head. Aroma of brown sugar, fruits, malt, little funk and sourness. Flavors of musty tart fruits, light sweet malt...a bit of breadyness to it but not enough to call it "bready". Light body, though heavier than most of their sours...bit of dry bitterness throughout. Sweet dry and lightly with a slight musty quality. Pretty tasty, though I think it’s not their best sour.

Bottle from La Bodega in Riverside...I told myself I wasn’t gonna rate sours but I had a craving for one. I think I might be pregnant....Pours deep amber with a light brown head.. Smell is slightly fruity, tart, funky with a hint alcohol.. Flavor is very tangy, tart and finishes dry. Has some woody notes to it as well... Lots of carbonation... Damn now I am going to have to start trading for sours...

Wow. I loved Russian River and all of its hops. But this guy was perhaps thier most impressive beer. The aroma was interesting, an almost soy sauce like aroma to go along with a rasinish aroma and sour notes. The flavor was a more tastey than the smell was. Strong bitterly sour taste that i just couldn’t get enough of. One flavor that my notes highlighted a couple of times was a sour-cola.

On tap @ Toronado. Pours a dark ruby red with a ring of off white head. Sweet, tart aroma, slightly funky. Great body; biting carbonation gives way to extreme sourness, almost a vinegar feel to it. Sweet and tart finish, no way is the 10% abv noticable. Awesome.

First of all let me say I am totally novice when it comes to Sours. So much so I could not tell what is good and what is not. I will rate this like I would any other beer..I will base it on the other sours I have had and if I like it better than them. I was amazed by this beer and I fell in love with it.. I don’t need to buy La folie again.. Consecration I would.. I ranked La folie higher than I should of based on that is was my first sour that I had had. The aroma was robust and ..well... sour. It was full of oak and fruit. The beer was just stunning to look at. It looked aged and the color was opaque brown, a see through brown with a lively white head. Mouth feel was full and it did make you pucker a bit but not too much and the beer palatability mellowed the longer it was opened. The flavor was one to savor and respect. I love currants and cook with them often. And you could taste the presence of these lovely little morsels. A well balanced wood backbone and a strong but mellow sour taste. there was balsamic vinegar essence with this beer and it made it quite lovely. I honestly thought of a pristine setting when sipping this beer.. I am totally beer geek’d to try my next sour!!! I am fast becoming a fan of Russian River..

Bottle shared amongst friends. Pours a dark reddish-brown with a lasting off-white head. Aroma is beautifully sour with lot’s of Cabernet tannins and oaky notes with hints of red wine vinegar. Flavor is classic RR affair but is much more malty than their other sour offerings. Flavors of tart berries, leather, and oak combine into a wonderful montage. This really is a great brew and the alcohol is completely undetectable. This really blurs the line between wine and beer.

Bottle, batch 001X3. Rating # 300. Pours a hazy, dark amber, very slight off-white head. Sour berries dominate the aroma. Flavor is dominated by sour vinuous notes of slightly overripe fruit, mostly cherry, berries, plum and also some very slight wood notes that really blend nicely, not overdone. Finish is dry and sour.

Bottle. Tried my best on this one. I just don’t understand sours yet. Poured a dark orange-ish brown with a tall beige head. Aroma is of sour fruit and wood. Medium bodied. Flavor is immensely sour with some mild fruit under tones. Nice carbonation, finish is highly acidic and tart. I will try this again when I have some more experience with sours.

Re-rate: Well persistence paid off and after trying many sour beers I have finally started to develop a taste for them. Not only have I developed the palate for them but they are quickly becoming one of my favorite styles. To date I have had 4 bottles of Consecration and it’s time I gave it the rating it deserves. This beer really is great, very sour and extremely tasty. I love this beer!