Russian River Supplication

Color of ripe spots on peaches or the meat of mamey sapote. Hazy. Aroma yields layers of complexity. Lemon peel, cherry pit, footy funk, barnyard, leather, and tree bark. Great palate. Not sticky, not too carbonated, simply perfect. Lots of bitter and sour cherry flavors, rounding to bone marrow-like sweetness and astringent joy. Smile-inducing wonderbier.

Tasted @ beer school Tria, hosted by Tom Peters. Poured a hazy golden color with a good amount of head. Nice tart flavor with a lingering finish.

Thanks to Ryan for the hook-up. Bright orangish red pour; a bit hazy. Lovely fizzy off-white head. Yummy tart aroma and taste; sour cherries, lemon zest, dusty wood. Not as intensely oaky as the redemption. A little brett funk, but nothing challenging or harsh. Very crisp, dry finish. This beer is just straight up refreshing.

Thanks to Monk’s cafe for having a bunch of special Russian River beers on tap for the event today. Pours a clear brown with a reddish golden glow. The aroma was very reminiscent of Oerbier Reserva, though a little less complex. Flavor was initially a burst of bretty tartness, with lemons and of course sour cherries. Nice lively yeast, really satisfying. Kind of thin on the mouth. Ultimately I left myself comparing this to the Oerbier, and the Oerbier really comes out on top on all counts. This is good and very well-made, but it felt a bit too simplistic, thin, and uninteresting to warrant the hype.

Pours a light brown, dark gold in color. Smell is tart cherries and funk. There are also some wine qualities from the barrels as well. Taste is more of the tart cherries and a good amount of the Brett showing as well. Tart and sour on the mouthfeel and non-cloying. A real joy to drink. Everything melds itself together well and no one characteristic dominates. Very good sour.

Sampler, last bit of the barrel, kindly provided by the bartender at Russian River Brewing. Hazy dark golden color, thick head. Delicious tart aroma, some cherry, bit barnyard. Sour taste, sweet, fruity of cherries, slight oaky. Very strong but still subtle. Superb balance, while still complex. True craftsmanship.

Bottle, at BA Throwdown #2. Pours a reddish color, hazy body, clean white head and filmy lacing. Very funky cherry nose, some hard malt influence. Big tart funk in the flavor, cherries, some cranberries, nice sweet and dry hay feel. Very tasty, so drinkable for the style, held up very well.

Bottle at a beer tasting; didn’t realize this was that highly rated. Lucky get. Color was orange with a white head. Good aroma; some funk and cherry with a bit of woodiness. Flavor didn’t have as much cherry as I would have liked; good funky and yeasty notes. Starting to like these more, but have had some that I found better.