Russian River Consecration

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

750 ml. from Pike Place Beer and Wine. Batch 2 x 3 (I am guessing this number is to be multiplied?). Ah...I have tried this numerous times, but this is the first time I actually have rated this thing. Nice dark brown body with a thin head sitting on top that eventually fades away, but a rather dark sour ale indeed. Sharp sour apple with a slight vinegar edge. Ah very aromatic beer. I can easily smell this masterpiece. I have had on tap, and to me it is better, but hell I am not even close to complaining. Nice subtle tart fruit flavor coming through as well. Damn this beer is a gift from God himself. Nice subtle tartness throughout. Makes a bold sour apple flavor. Slight vinegar to get it a very distinct tart/sour backing. Damn this thing is delicious. Wood gives it a nice beautiful flavor at first. Man you can really taste that amalgamation of wood and sour fruit (apple). Damn one of my favorite beers of all time. Nice smooth distinct palate. Damn what a beautiful beer.

I am not worthy oh RR to rate this beer! Had this at the RB Pgh gathering 12/09. I love sours, but come on, 10% wew! Big thanks to Mr Chopin, he always brings the beers that rock! Funky cool aroma! Dark iced tea color. Sour tart and funky. Mouth coating wet wool blanket with slight alky burn but not like a 10 percenter. Decent fizzy biting cutting rubber carbonation. A quite complex brew to say the least. Leaves me wondering about the percentile it occupies, again I am not worthy but I was really glad to have had the chance to taste this since sour is my favorite flavor.

DecemBeer. Sample from a bottle shared by me thanks to Cletus. Batch 001x2. Quick beige head over a ruddy red-brown body. Oaky, light currant aroma, woody, bright tartness. Taste is oaky, tart, cherries, currant, fruity, not overly sour.

Deep copper with tan head and lace. Sour berriness, bread, and brown sugar. Sour/sweet cherry, with good dry finish. Medium bodied with aggressive carbonation. A very smooth drinking beer.

Ok, not my normal "go-to", but a darn fine nightcap. This one has been aging for over a year. It pours spot-on for a cola, with an initial fizzy brown head that quickly reduces to nothing. The color is of deep ruby, differentiating it ONLY from the pour of a Coca-Cola product to the eye. The nose is of deep warehouse-stored Bazooka bubble gum, aerated sugars, currants and sour dark cherries. The sour cherries shine forth in the flavor, accompanied by a traditional Flemish accent of white wine vinegar. Sours truly dominate this, but are integrated very well into the overall pull. The finish is a curt Chardonnay fruity close, with a breathy aftereffect of a tannin-laden Cabernet. The mouthfeel is lively and perky, with subtle soda-grade carbonation. The body is full of fruity complexities, and will leave any Sour Ale fan (especially Flemish) in wanting. As the initial 6-month aging begins at the brewery, in Cab-Sav oak containers, I can definitely see the hues of aged Cabernet Sauvignon storage containers, and think that as the brew warms, it only stands to enhance the complex palate.

Dark reddish brown; light beige head. Funky aroma. Medium carbonation, quite lively. Medium bitterness. Oak. Sour, buggy, a lot of things going on and working together. Very delicious, red fruit, wine barrel, sour. A very sophisticated beer.

Bottle at an impromptu tasting at lithy’s. 001x2. Pours cloudy rusty red with big beige head. The aroma is chocolate, currant, cherries, cedar, leather, and mellow general sourness. The flavor is currant, oak, leathery brett, and a very even sourness. Red wine notes linger in the background. I’m really digging all the dry berry notes in this beer. Not enough to make it overly fruity, but enough to give it tremendous depth. The finish has a musty funk to it and leaves a cheese and currant aftertaste. This is a delicious brew.

Sampled at Darkness Day. Pours an opaque red brown with minimal head that comes back with swirling. Aroma is wonderfully complex: citrus hops, red currants, black cherries, oak and caramel malts. Some funk in there as well. Flavor is tart/sour. Palate is a little thin, but smooth and nice. Overall, its good but not what I was hoping for.