Russian River Supplication

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

Bottle from franksnbeans -- thanks! Batch 002, tasted 12/29/07.

The cork pops with a satisfying vigor, vapors streaming skyward. The beer pours smooth, a small head, sediment staying down at the bottom of the bottle. The beer itself is absolutely beautiful. The color varies strikingly according to the viewing direction: now a warm red-orange, now rose emerging from a dark body, but from every direction, it simply glows.

The aroma: aaah. Rich, sweet sour ale. Hints of chocolate truffle and pie cherry juice. Wood infused throughout, lactic aromas throughout, brett laid out across it all. Wonderful.

In the flavor, a powerful sourness, but not over-the-top in any way. Plenty of brett meeting the lactic flavors. Beneath it, oh, yes, those cherries - almost subtle but essential. Lively carbonation on the tongue, gently accenting the sour refreshing nature, acidic enough to contort the lip, never so acidic as to burn into the throat or nasal passages.

I’m lucky to have had the chance to try this one. The sourness is uncompromising but it’s not what defines the beer. What defines this one is the balance of wood and cherries, brett and inner glow. Superb.

Thanks SHIG for the share. Very enjoyable sour. Pours hazy brown-yellow with an off-white head. Nose is tart sour cherries, brett, vinegar, yeast, booze, and some malt. Flavor is lots of funk, sour cherries, wood, some carbonation, and yeast. Finish linger with sour cherries.

Batch 003 bottle poured into a tulip. Pours a slightly hazy brownish amber with a bubbly off-white head that remains a cap throughout and leaves very good lacing. The aroma is wonderfully complex with sour red cherries on a big bready malt base with hints of citrus, lemons especially. The wood character is evident as well and hints of funk as well, but not overpowering. The taste is just as nice with a lip-puckering sour kick up front with cherries and bits of lemony funk. The background malts really support the sourness well and the finish is nice and dry with lots of wood and vanilla. The brett kicks it up a notch in the taste and makes the taste very nice all the way around. The mouthfeel has clearly been influenced by the barrels as it is dry and wine-like in the finish. It’s still nice and creamy with strong carbonation though. This is a fantastic example of a style that I’m really not into. It says a lot that I really enjoyed this one despite my palate not quite being ready for sours yet. Get some now.

I so love flemish sours...Aroma is of sour mixed berries and comes wafting from a glass that contains an extremely murky copper colored brew. The palate is full and carbonated perfectly for the style. Taste=Wow. Woody, sour cherries (not overpoweringly sour), and vinuous flavors combine to create a really wonderful brew. This is my favorite from Russian River. Cheers to Vinnie!

2005 RBSG Montreal Friday Night Tasting. Cloudy pale golden colour with a frothy and fizzy white head. Leather, sour fruit, yeasty, lightly candyish aroma. Lightly tart, oaky, fruity, and yeasty flavours. Very light bodied and almost watery, but still refreshing.

Sampled at Bockyhorsey’s Bocky Bash Tasting on 7-5-08. Clear amber pour with a small foamy head. Aroma of vinegar, tart fruit, lemons and wood. Flavor is lemon, sour cherries and apples, wood and malt. Nicely carbonated. Refreshing, dry finish. The addition of cherries put this over the top for me. Fantastic!

375 ml bottle acquired via Beerlando. Thanks! Another really exciting grab. Pours a a very nicely well hazed ruddy red soaked amber. Layers of offwhite yellowish foam that dissipate to a moderate amount and lace well. Aromas are amazing: impressive sour winey oak, some light barnyard, funk, and fruity grape essence. Very nice, balanced, strong, without extremes. Initial is a nice sourness, oak and light vanilla mix with good dryness, grape, sour cherries, light citrusy notes, some barnyard and funkiness. Good sourness, but not overbearing. The red wine notes are subtle, but there. Finishes with nice dryness, sourness, and good funk. Very fruity and flavorful. This was very good, flavorful and light. Top notch. Cheers!

On tap at Brouwer’s for sour fest. Looks a super clear auburn color with a just coating of head. The aroma is unabashed sour with little else. Cherry elements in the taste.