Russian River Supplication

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

It’s been a long time awaiting. Absolutely the best sour red I’ve ever had. I’m savoring every drop. Californians have it lucky if they can get this when it’s on the shelf, or even on tap. A wonderful cherry sour taste. Lovely. Pretty close to perfect.

Bottle, Batch 002: Courtesy of cmr1517...big thanks Chris. A bit of a gusher yielded a murky amber-brown with a medium tan head. Wow...this could be the most intense sour brew I’ve had thus far, massive sour cherry aroma with some oak, spiced malts, and granny smith apple notes showing themselves. First taste just annihilated my palate with its brett-infused goodness. Sour as hell with the cherries in the forefront, oak and some underlying malt notes come through as well...dry, lingering finish.

Bottle Batch #3 courtesy tpd975. Pours a hazy amber with a large white head that leaves great lacing. Aroma of Pinot Noir, oak, cherries, citrus, and spicy yeast. Taste is the same as aroma. Medium thin tart mouthfeel with a mild amount of bitterness. This beer is freaking amazing. If you like sours do everything you can to get a taste of this delicious brew.

Hazy orange-yellow pour with a white head. Sour aroma with lots of fruit - grape, cherry citrus as well as the usual sour funk. Sour funky flavor with a touch of sweetness. Lots of cherries and other fruit. Perfect amount of sourness. Slight creamy oakiness to finish. Very winelike and a nice full bodied flavor. Amazing!

Aromas of tart and acidic citrus, tart cherries, light oak, and some nice funk. Pours light brown with a thin head. This one had notes of tart cherries with a super light sweet note too followed by a moderate tart acidic characteristic. Some oak Dry and tart this was rather insanely good. It was not over the top tart, but was pretty damn tart. I enjoyed the ability to detect the tart cherries and the light sweetness that was there too. I also enjoyed the dry wine-like oak finish and the funk. This might have been my favorite of the three that I ordered. We will have to wait and see until next time. Fan-fucking-tastic!

Bottle via Lothore. Cloudy amber color. Smell of candy, lemons, tart cherries, oak, spice and minor sharp cheddar cheese. Just smelling this makes my mouth salivate. Taste of sour cherries, wood, oak, nutty, lemons and cedar wood. Excellent! Must have more!

A bubbly amber body. Aroma is a sour bretty funk, and tart fruit. Flavor is sour, funky, bretty, and sweet tart fruit. The tingly, tangy mouthfeel is delicious.

A Mes rate: Bottle opened to celebrate Manchester United winning the Premiership, City getting battered 8-1 and Bolton sticking the knife in with an injury time equalizer. What a day!
Apologies in advance to anyone who has to scroll past the ensuing gushing drivel but this was insanely good. This is going to be a long one.
Looks: Stunning amber colour with a thin beige rim and superb condition.
Sniff and sniff and sniff and sniff: Oh my GOD what a smell. An incredible combination of bretty sourness, lovely lovely hoppage, utterly amazing cherry and strawberry fruity notes, barnyardy and barrelly (such gorgeous Russian River wooden notes), red wine vinegar, candi sugar and slightly balsamic. Damn I could go on for days. Such complexity but all in 100% perfect balance. An utterly outstanding smell.
Well spank my arse and call me Gertrude if this isn’t one of the best tasting beers of all time: F**KING HELL this is special. All that is glorious about the aroma is present in equal abundance but the cherry comes right to the front. The bretty notes are huge. The sandalwood / sourness mix is beyond description. There are sherbert sweets being catapulted at you at high velocity giving it a show stopping blend of dry and juicy. My whole palate is covered initially with audacious sourness which is washed away with wave upon wave of cherry, wood and citrus. This is one of those beers that sends you on a journey with each sip and you just don’t want it to end. i really don’t think I have had a better balanced beer. There is such an astonishing amount happening but it’s all in perfect harmony. The finish is nothing short of sublime. The immediate tart sourness almost stings and as it departs it leaves gobsmacking cherry, strawberry and just a hint of vanilla in its wake. It lingers for a considerable time and I’m very thankful of that. I just don’t want it to be over.
Dancing all over my palate: This is up there with the very best. Dry, juicy and such width to the flavour with a glorious sting at the sides. Two minutes after writing I can lick around at my gums and still more magnificently tart cherries appear. Absobloodylutely fanfunkingtastic.
Final gushings: One of the best beers I have ever or will ever have. Each sip leaves me shaking my head in amazement. As high as it’s average score is, I still think it is under-rated. You know those moments where you are in a stonkingly good mood and the beer you choose just hits the spot in a magnificent way? It was like that but better. The ridiculousness of all this is, while drinking it we had a look at the RR website. Apparently at the very moment I was supping this goddess of a beer it was possible to get a pint of it during happy hour for $2.75. That’s beyond crazy. I’d be doing cartwheels! Mike you SERIOUSLY rock, once again, I can’t thank you enough. A very worthy celebration beer for Man U winning the title. WOO HOOOO!!!