Russian River Consecration

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

On tap at Trinity Brewing, Colorado Springs. Color is a deep ruby with good carbonation and a thick tight head. Aroma is a big sour cheery scent. Taste is tart and sour. Starting with a lighter medium body it goes down easy with a sour twang coming on. Finish is big with a bright sour taste of cheery then oak and a hint of vanilla. This is a great Sour Ale, one of the best I’ve ever had.

Tap at Capone’s a week ago. Aroma of raspberries, sour grapes, sweet, almost soda-like cherry, pineapple funk, some vaguely fecal funk, and behind everything a good deal of oak with some leather. Flavor quite tart with tons of tart grape and a tannic character with a pruney, leathery finish. Quite tasty.

Bottle. Poured a reddish brown with very little head.... other than the champagne like overflow after opening. Aroma of sour wine, oak and cherry. The flavor was spectacular... wine like. Oak, cherry,and leather. Finished with a nice sour bite. A fantastic ale. Can’t wait to crack open my other bottle in a couple of years. UPDATE: 5/5/2009 - Second bottle opened... Fantastic!! I think I’ve gained more appreciation for the style. I can’t believe I could taste a more perfect beer.

Pours a beautiful deep brown color with a medium off-white head. Aroma is of sour cherries, wood and sweet berries. Flavor is wood up front with a nice dose of sour fruit in the middle. Finish is full of oak, berry and deep earth tones. Very full body with alcohol well hidden. never would have believed 10%. Very tasty.

Pours brown with a generous tan head. Smells of earth, residual sugar, currants, syruppy, yeasty. Tastes sour and dry with some metallic hints and sweet currants. Finish yields some funky pit like hints. Decent, but not mind blowing.

700th Rating: Poured from a 750ml caged and corked bottle (Batch 001x4) and served in a snifter. Generously provided by doubleo. Thanks Kyle! This beer poured a mahognay brown with some ruby highlights and a fizzy, highly carbonated two-finger thick head of tan foam that quickly settled into a lasting cap. Some slippery lacing. The aroma included strong oak, vinous dark fruits, and lightly sweetened tart currants. Some lightly sour notes. Definately a strong wine character. Nice mix of sweet and sour. The flavor displayed a fairly intense oaky, wine barrel character. Tart currants followed by a mellow acidity. A lingering woody, cherry pit note was left on the tongue. The 10% ABV was undetected. Finished mostly dry, but there was still some unexpected sweetness lingering. Medium-bodied with crisp, aggressive carbonation. Very well done. Quite a bit more tart, and not nearly as sour as expected, but it works. A wonderful beer!

20090329 Tap at Capones. Deep caramel amber, no head. Oaky, vinous, acidic. Cider and must. Acidity is lighter than expected, seemingly tempered by the wood, but still quite powerful and refreshing.

March Houston Tasting. Thanks to Kaggie. Pours a dark brown color with a thin tan head. Small bubbles. Nose of brown sugar, plum, wine and cherries. Flavor is currents, funk, wood, and sour. Fizzy mouthfeel.