Russian River Supplication

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

Brooding of a hazy brick hue, its head bubbles to a buttery hat. Supplication is well named, its aroma wafts a wreathing amalgam of soothing scents drawing you in by its prophetic grandeur yet emanating of an earthy presence. Vinous and sweet, laced in a keen oaken complexion and the smooth sourness of apple and cherry. Condensed milk, vanilla and brown sugar add to the blend a luscious finish. The palate is surprisingly light-bodied, sour in the gentlest way, but complex and different with every sip. Pinot noir is obvious, as are the oak and vanilla tones conferred by the beer’s aging. Wild strawberry and melon liqueur perform prestidigitatory tricks upon the tongue only to evaporate in a poof leaving behind nothing more than a raw lactic acidity and the aftertaste of Champagne. Russian River has brewed a Flemish Sour for sure, entertaining as the best examples, but perhaps lacking the proper balance.

Samples provided by knweaver and Beerdrenched at The Brickskeller. Slightly hazy, amber body with a tiny, off-white head. The aroma is cheese, horseblanket, cobwebs, some cherry and caramel. The flavor is sour cherry pie and caramel, with bright acidity and fairly dry. Medium body with soft carbonation and crisp tartness on the finish. Amazingly good.

Bottle, Batch 001. Light reddish-brown appearance; off-white head with decent lacing; nothing remarkable in the appearance. Aroma shows tart cherries, horse blanket, perhaps a bit of lemony citrus. Nice, vanilla-tinged tartness upfront, tart cherries, a pleasant toasty oakiness around the edges. Long finish, showing cherries, lemons, and oak.

Well, I’m not a flemish sour kind of guy but this one was reasonably good. Extremely sour though with a heavy cherry finish.

sweet and sour, heavy on the cherry flavors. The sour is very noticible, as is the very yeast flavors. Sweet

GABF 2006. Clear brown. Aroma is rich with sour cherries. Taste is nice and acidic, mild cherries. Very bready, yeasty, and delicate. Nice long sour finish. Medium body is appropriate here. Great stuff!

Where do I start, with the wonderful sour notes that waft to you nose or the dark fruits that come with it. The wood and Pinot come thru nicely but just enough to inform you of there presence. Sour and well balanced beer that is better with each bottle.

GABF 2006. Light copper color, slight haziness, good head retention. Aroma is oak, cherries, sourness--awesome. Flavor - sour dominates, cherry in the background, followed by some oak and tannins. Very dry. Finishes smooth.. Overall, very nice beer, but a little more body would improve it.