Russian River Supplication

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

Been waiting on this one for a while, and tonight seemed like the night. Big (big) thanks to Bobby91w for this gem. Batch 3. Pours a reddish orange-copper, with a large, very dense head. The aroma is tantalizing. Dusty citrus, funk, lots of oak, not much of that pinot comes through. Hoo boy that’s delicious. The tartness lingers forever in your mouth, and what starts as a very acidic oaky citrus/cherry flavor ends up showing more of the pinot from those barrels, and more bitterness. If the sourness in here didn’t come across quite so harshly, this would be up with Deviation and Isabelle. As is, it exceeded expectations (which were high to begin with) - this is a damn tasty beer.

Tasting at TAR’s. Batch 001. Pours a clear amber. Smells lightly sour. Sweet and sour with some bitterness. Light grassy and leathery aromas. Hints of alcohol. Medium bodied. Soft carbonation.

Thanks to stlwill for sharing this beauty (and probably a couple other I forgot about). Pours hazy amber with a minor white head. The aroma has lots of sour funk, lactic acid, oak, vinegar, tart cherries, wild yeast and barnyard. Medium body with some graininess and some sharp, but soft carbonation. The flavor starts off with berries, lactic sourness, some spiciness, oak, dryness for the style, vinegar, funkiness from the yeast and dry sour cherries. The finish is very tart and dry. This is an excellent beer in every way.

Thank to MrBunn, I got some of this. Oh thats good....strong aromas of sour cherries, and some wood. pours orangey red with a nice little head. Taste is beautiful...Sour and tart cherries, some oakieness, just damn tasty.

Bottle. Pours a cloudy amber with a decent sized head and aromas of funk, tart cherries and so forth. Flavor is similar with the cherry presence coming through a little subdued, but very nice. Thanks, Kan!

Batch 003 Poured from 375ml bottle into Duvel tulip. A nice "pop" once the cork came off...a nice sound. ;-) A - Pours a burnt orange with a white fizzy head. Bubbles linger on top and around the edge of the glass. Carbonation continues to rise up from the bottle of the glass to the top. Some lacing, but the head isn’t all that sticky, which doesn’t bother me at all. S - A wonderful fruity tart smell immediately hits the nose. Lots of oranges, apples, mangos, pineapple mixed with some wonderful sour cherries, lemons, and limes. A fruit explosion, you could say. There isn’t an overpowering of either, a perfect match, which is something I look for in an American Wild Ale. Too much of one or the other takes away from the beer - this is a perfect balance. T - Nice and tart/sour right off the bat but not much sweetness at all, which is surprising because of the nose. I also get some oak/wood flavors. A dry finish, much like champagne. The aftertaste is where I get some fruity sweetness - very nice. Really enjoyable, just what I was looking for when I opened this bottle. M - Very nice and rich, although light in body. Nice fizzy carbonation which matches perfectly with the style. I’m enjoying this one much like a glass of fine champagne, probably even more. D - A really enjoyable AWA that I’m going to look for again. I know it’s getting hard to find, but hopefully I’ll be able to trade for another down the road. RR does it yet again!

She poured from her majestic shapely bottle into my chalice with grace and aplomb. Soft hazy brown with a demure head of scattered bubbles that seem far more comfortable lazing about the sides of my glass. She swirls with no lace, but in doing so I release a gorgeous beast of a nose that threatens to swallow me whole, not that I am complaining. She is beautiful. Sour cherries with pits included and bright, tart, freshly harvested cranberries dance in a forest of earth, wood, and bark while a wisp of lavender floats in the breeze. More earthen tones of leather and saddlebags ground her tart cherry and cranberry presence. Wow. Did I mention she was beautiful? I am wholly at her mercy, and as she invites me into her precious depths, I willfully oblige. Mouth-puckering, lip-curling, tastebud tingling tart and sour delights explode in a cacophony of flavors. Crisp, crunchy sour cherries with their skins adding some extra acidity while her pits add dry earthen notes. Light in body, she only leaves a thin film of sour esters while cranberries, bright and juicy and tart step up to the plate. Ever bitten into a perfectly picked cranberry fresh from a farmers market? Acting as back-up, soft moisture absorbing wood and leather help to mellow her palate so that the sourness isn’t overwhelming. A tingle lingers on the tip of my tongue while lavender and cherries tinge my breath. For all her rich, tart, woodsy, and leathery complexity, her palate is overall rather delicate, subtle, and intricately woven so that each taste experience melds perfectly into the next. I make sure to savor my last sip before I take more than a few minutes to revel in the moment.

If greatness could be bottled, the Russian River Supplication Brown ale aged in Oak Barrels for 15 months with cherries added would be it. Nuff said. No questions asked. Taste and you will know. I can’t speak for the other batches seeing as this is Batch 002, but should you be so lucky as to come across a bottle or know someone who can “gift” you with a few, it will be one of the most memorable moments of your life. Viva flavor. Viva variety. Viva life.

Bottle shared by alexsdad06. Poured a hazy reddish brown color with an average frothy off-white head that mostly lasted with fair lacing. Moderate to heavy tart cherry, yeasty and wood aroma. Medium body with a smooth texture and soft carbonation and small particles. Medium to heavy sour & sweet flavor with a medium to heavy sweet & sour finish of moderate to long duration. This is a standout beer for style. Thanks Brad.