Russian River Supplication

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

Holy crap. A near perfect score for me. Amazing sour and on such a different level than what I was expecting. Strong funky, sour cherry aroma. Pour was a nice medium brown with a one finger off white head. The taste was so full and strong I literally said "holy shit" out loud and I am here by myself. Strong almost lambic like sourness with a lot of funk in the front. Then the sour cherry and acidity kick in and bite the sides of the tongue. Aftertaste is mouth puckering sour and very full. Must get more!

375 ml bottle, from Whole Foods in Berkeley. Okay, maybe I just need to stop rating beer, or maybe I just need to admit that my tastes have changed, or maybe I’ve somehow now become a beer troglodyte... I have to say it, I don’t like the taste of this beer very much. Can I appreciate the slightly hazy topaz color and the smallish white head that leaves a trace of lacing? Yes, I can. Can I acknowledge the craftsmanship that obviously went into producing this beer with the curious aroma of sour fruits, wet wool, tannic oak, with vinuous notes and wet moss? Yes, I can. Can I recognize the amount of time and effort that it took to create an ale with this character of sour, puckering berries, dry funky fruitiness, wet wood, pie cherries and funk? Yes I can, it’s a well crafted, beautifully handled and uniquely flavored beer. I don’t like it very well at all - too sour, too funky, and overly tart. This beer is a chore to drink, not a joy. So let me not rank any longer among the elite of the beer world, ’cause I don’t want to have to wince, blanch and work so hard at drinking my favorite beverage. These extreme brett and sour ales are just gettin’ too much for my simplifiying tastes. Am I impressed by what wild things a brewer can do? Yes I am impressed. Woulld I buy it again to drink for the sheer joy of it? No, no, no, no.

Batch #002. Copper color with an off white head. Strong oak, caramel and earthy funk aroma. Medium body and smooth. Taste is oak and caramel quickly snuffed out by a strong tart acidic sour cherry flavor. Love that oak barnyard smell here. 367

Rerate: Batch 002. This is one of the most balanced, finest examples of an American wild ale there can be. Masterful in the bod, the balanced sourness and sweetness, the amount of brett is just right (makes you sweat a little bit on the brow). Unbelievable beer. Let it settle before drinking and get a clear pour first! Then mix in the dregs of the bottle later. Wow. A masterpiece. Rerate - Batch 001: Had a bottle all to myself, with a very clear initial pour. The fruitiness here, earthy and wet and fresh, is undeniable. The leathery tannin quality is superb, and balanced by just the right acidity. This beer is a masterpiece, as is Temptation. Total score rises from 4.3 to this, mostly on the strength of the aroma. Original - Batch 001: The sourness was subdued and wonderful soft wood (not harshly oak) flavors compete here for your attention. Very smooth, and it is absolutely true that there is no easily distinguishable sweet/sour border. Lush in the mouth. Peppery flavors too. Aroma more subtle than expected. Great, great beer. Thanks to JSturm for opening this up a b-day beer (my own are on the way!).

Sampled more than one time at GABF 08 hazy reddish brown hue, with an off-white head, yeasty, funky, tart cherry nose with some barnyard, musty, wet tannic oaky winey accents, with some sourness in the aroma follows through on a medium-bodied palate with a nice yeasty, bretty, funky character, of wet woody oakiness, with some tart, sour cherry, rhubarb, green apple flavors, within a juicy acidic citrusy accent, leading towards fruity tart finish.

Hazy dark yellow with a lasting thin foamy head. Nose-tart and sour with tart fruits. Some good medium malts. Good use of m,alt vs. sour.

While this was well done for the style and I will give it its props, it’s not a sttyle I readily enjoy. This cloudy amber brew with an effervescent champagne-like head gave off aromas of fruit and spices, notably very tart cherries and nutmeg, with some gingersnaps and a woody, vinous essence from the wine barrels. The tart, almost sour, cherries took front stage in the flavor and, much as I love cherries, they didn’t make it for me here. Still, as I said earlier, this gets its props and being a nicely crafted Belgian.

Bottle from Ross. I had a very shitty day, and I no longer enjoy my job. Kids and wife are asleep, SERENITY NOW! Pours deep reddish amber with pourous off white head. For an unfiltered beer, this has a lot of clarity. Aroma is very pleasant, with notes of cherries, brett, oak, and red wine. Soft mouthfeel with fine carbonation. Initial flavor of sour cherries that transitions to an oaky middle. Finish is tart and dry. Some acidity and yeast flavors linger slightly on the palate. Man, this hit the spot. Vinnie is a great artisan brewer that creates complex beers that are not "monster" beers. I really enjoy the softness or subtleness of them. Ross, I ’ll take another..........bitch.