Russian River Supplication

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

WOW! What an unbelievable brew. Tart, sour, cherries, vanilla....just an INCREDIBLE brew. Quite possibly one of the best I’ve had. The sours just make this one unbelievable. When I will get my hands on this again, who knows but I know that this has changed my thoughts on how beers can taste.

This is VERY good stuff. Pours a cloudy orange brown. In the aroma there’s a bit of horse blanket, hay and sour cherries. The flavor is a bit sweet and is a bit cherry vanilla. Very good.

Far far better than the chardonnay barrel "temptation", this pinot noir barrel approach has left you with a beer, not a question mark. The PN imparts a spiciness that goes well with the sour cherries. Still, I’m not won over by the wine barrel approach.

Ruby-brown turbid pour with off-white head. Aroma of big oaky cherries, hopcit, some funk, brown sugar. The flavor is krieky, with a funky, oaky element, fruit, and malt. You just gotta love the funky krieky oaky thing that this beer has going on.

Sampled at the monthly meeting of the Champaign-Urbana Beer Club courtesy of Noah (htsprint). My sample size wasn’t too large, but thankfully, I can rerate down the road thanks to Noah procuring a second bottle. Notes of ginger, peach, sour cherry, and nutmeg on the nose lead into more of the same on the palate. The sour cherry quickly takes the lead, but there’s a nice presence of tannins and oak from the barrel ageing. Hard to drink this without thinking of La Folie, and it would be fun to sample the two side by side. All in all, a fun (but short-lived) experience.

Bottle thanks to kramer17801. It opened to a snap of carbonation and then a rush of foam coming out of the bottle. The brew is a nice hazy orange with a tint of brown and white head, while pleantiful, went away quick enough. Aroma smells of the cherries and oak, similar to DFH’s Festina Lente. Flavor, thankfully, is much nicer than the previosuly mentioned beer. There is very little souring bitterness for the conditions this beer went through. Malty, rich, smooth, complex, this beer is confusing my senses. There is a slight spicyness at first, like cinnamon and ginger, then a yeast flavor, all while being backed by a subtle oak and cherry flavor. Once the usual alcohol and strong ale sweetness subside in my mouth, then the cherry flavor comes out in a fine fashion. This beer is tremendous. Many more thanks to kramer17801 for this amazing beer.

Bottle: Poured a hazy deep red color ale with a medium foamy slightly off-white head with average retention. Aroma of sour cherries and oak are clearly detectable. Taste has a clear sour cherries feel to it with some distinctive note of acidity and oak. Tartness was delectable but could have been more present. Even though this is an excellent Flemish sour, I though it could have had more tart and more complexity in general (i.e. De Dolle Oerbier Reserva). I’d definitely take more RR Temptation over this any day.

Light brown/amber color with smallish light tan head. Aroma defintely has some funk, lots of bretty character, with wet leather, horse hair, sharp lactic acid tangyness, hints of vanilla, cherry, apricot, oak, light caramel. Flavor is tart, sharp, acidic, hint of vanilla, caramel, cherries, and a faint note of alcohol. Finish is slightly sour, smooth, with the slightest hint of bitterness, and very dry. I felt the flavor could have had a bit more depth, but that is truly being a nitpick. A fantastic brew overall. A true accomplishment.