Russian River Supplication

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

Very nice hazy amber pour with a creamy off-white head. Aroma of must, lemon, sour funk and a hint of cherry. Crazy flavor - extremely sour, tart. Wood, lemon, cherries, green apple, lactic notes, slight white wine quality. Nice full body. Great beer.

Wow. An amazing beer with a ton of different flavors. This is an elite brew. Smell is musty, funky, sour, tart, fruity and everything else. Taste is all of the above, and then some. Take a bite out of a lemon, then suck on a handful of pink colored Sour Patch Kids and you will get a feeling of what this is like. So sour it will leave a funny feeling in your mouth. Fantastic brew.

003. Bottle. Red bronze pour. Very hazy, and carbonated with a small tan head. Nose is tart, sour, citrusy, a bit of cherries, and some chocolate. Taste is sharp, puckery, sour, tart, cherry flavor is evident but not overwhelming. Tangy all the way down Alcohol is not evident. Great fluffy full body. Great beer.

Sampled more than one time at GABF 08 hazy reddish brown hue, with an off-white head, yeasty, funky, tart cherry nose with some barnyard, musty, wet tannic oaky winey accents, with some sourness in the aroma follows through on a medium-bodied palate with a nice yeasty, bretty, funky character, of wet woody oakiness, with some tart, sour cherry, rhubarb, green apple flavors, within a juicy acidic citrusy accent, leading towards fruity tart finish.

Batch 003 bottle poured into a tulip. Pours a slightly hazy brownish amber with a bubbly off-white head that remains a cap throughout and leaves very good lacing. The aroma is wonderfully complex with sour red cherries on a big bready malt base with hints of citrus, lemons especially. The wood character is evident as well and hints of funk as well, but not overpowering. The taste is just as nice with a lip-puckering sour kick up front with cherries and bits of lemony funk. The background malts really support the sourness well and the finish is nice and dry with lots of wood and vanilla. The brett kicks it up a notch in the taste and makes the taste very nice all the way around. The mouthfeel has clearly been influenced by the barrels as it is dry and wine-like in the finish. It’s still nice and creamy with strong carbonation though. This is a fantastic example of a style that I’m really not into. It says a lot that I really enjoyed this one despite my palate not quite being ready for sours yet. Get some now.

Re-rate 6/09: Bottle sample. Thanks Yafit! Batch 003. Deep reddish-amber with a beige head. Aroma of cherries, oak, a bit of manure, some barnyard. Sour flavor with sour cherries, some lactic acid, lemon and some sweetish tones. Medium-bodied with a silky palate. 8/4/9/4/17=4.2

(10/20/08) Bottle at Monk’s Cafe in Philadelphia. Batch 002. Pretty deep hazy red color with a small pinkish beige head. Nice bretty aroma with lots of sour cherries, some vinegar hints, oak and light lactic touches. Sour flavor with some barnyard, citric lemony notes, quite a bit of cherries and some sweeter notes underneath. Finishes dry. Great silky mouthfeel. A wonderful beer. 8/4/9/5/17=4.3

strong scent of wine. taste is strong with fermented fruit. finish is smooth with fruit tones. would purchase again.

Bottle: Pour is medium ruby with a beautiful hugh. Aroma of tart cherries and a hint of sour. Flavor is tart cherries, sour, light lemon, light malt, strong oak, and citrus. Long lasting taste and a beautiful beer. Big fan.