Russian River Supplication

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

Bottled, Batch 001 and 002 compilation. Brilliantly transparent, fire orangish-red coloring with a thin, wispy white head. As the beer flows out of my bottle and into the glass my nostrils are greeted by a waft of sour cherries. Burying my nose deep into my glass, I smell some sweeter notes of green apple peel as well. This beer is overflowing with tart red fruits: raspberry, thimbleberry, and chokecherries abound. Very sour initial impact on the tongue is quickly followed up by a flavor sensation similar to that of a finely mulled gluehwein. The mouthfeel is actually surprisingly creamy textured, far less carbonated than I expected. As the beer rolls across the back of my tongue I am reminded of fresh yogurt topped with seedy boisenberries. Very vinous finish is definitely where the Pinot Noir aging shines through. Smack of walnuts and cherry rinds. Finishes exceptionally dry with a fantastic tannic cherry skin tartness and funky oak. Simply wonderful.

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.

Sample at Indy tasting Hotshotz - Aroma is funky brett, cherry and oak. Pours murky brown with a small head and good lacing. Flavor is sweet and sour with the brett hitting first followed closely by the sour cherries and a touch of vanilla. Palate is smooth and tart. This is a fantastic brew.

This is my prize for running a 26 mile training run in preparation for the ING marathon this month. Needless to say it went well so I’m celebrating a little. Oh yeah, word to snojerk for sending this one. Pours a semi clear copper color with some serious bubbly carbonation coming up from the bottom. Aroma is wild brett and yeast and a slight pungent fruit aroma. Not getting much of the brown ale aspect but there is a bit of the candi sugar sweetness from a caramel malt? It is mostly tart and a little sour. The cherry tartness is on the finish. This one is pretty enjoyable.

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. dark copper pour with thin white head. sour apple, oak, pear aroma. sour. rounding mouth. dark fruit, apple. a delicious sour. it would be hard for me to pass on this in the future.

375ml. corked bottle, Batch 001. Hazy amber/orange color with a medium size white head. Beautiful sweet/tart aroma of cherries, wood and band aids. Wine-like flavor of tart cherries, grapes, wood and yeast. Funky! Nice combination of sweet and sour with a silky mouthfeel. Excellent!

From a 375. Beer is a hazy, medium-bright copper with a little ring of white sandy seamonkeys hanging out in the bottom of the snifer. Head is average, white, frothy, mostly diminishing. The aroma is much like a FSA, but with a lot more earthiness: Malty with light notes of toasted grain, caramel; Hoppy with a moderate-to-heavy note of herb, lemon zest; Yeasty with light notes of horseblanket, trace of band-aid/plastic beach ball ; Miscellany contains a heavy note of vinosity, moderate-to-heavy notes of cherries, sherry, raisin/date and oak, trace balsamic and allspice. The flavor is moderately sweet, moderately-to-heavily tart/acidic with a long, moderately acidic/tart/dry, lightly sweet finish. The body is medium, the texture is velvety and the carbonation is lively. Another winner!