Russian River Supplication

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

Bottled. Brownish amber coloured. Youghurt and berries in the aroma. Fruity and rather sweet flavour with a woody touch. Slightly acidic. Quite smooth.

(Bottle from Batch 001, bought by my friend Olivier MTL at a Russian River booth);

The Lure:
Fat cherries plow through the rampant diacetyl. Brettanomyces inspires the woodiness the sparkle under the buttery fruitiness and wild spiciness. Dreadfully flat-looking, and overwhelmingly buttery. Something’s amiss.

The Festivities:
Sorry to bring hard-hitting gravity to the soaring ratings accumulated so far, but the bottle we had was abominably buttery. Sour cherries and caramel appear to get along admirably well underneath, the brettanomyces offers spicy wilderness and bitterness, but everything is drowning in that vile diacetyl, it’s really hard to perceive all the possible complexities. Very attenuated again, apparently a RR signature, but damn I feel extremely unlucky. Hope to be able to rerate this soon, this was the first batch after all.

Transcendence:
If fat clogs the arteries, this spoiled opportunity went straight to my heart. 2.5/5

Well, finally, a few years later, thanks to my friend Dany, I got to taste a good bottle of Supplication. Batch #3. Very sour, no trace of diacetyl, abundant strawberries and cherries, lean body and high drinkability. Now THIS is a proper Sour Ale. 3.8/5

Bottle from bu11zeye or odeed? Pours red with traces of off white bubbles. Smells of strong cherries, oak, sugar, some perfumy hints. Tastes vinegary and very tarte with a strong oaky quality. Somewhat bitter on the finish. Mouthfeel is on the thin side with some dry tanginess.

batch 002. Deep red beer with a sweet fresh cherry aroma, lovely fruit skin tannins and a bit of brettanomyces funkinss. Lots of tart acetic/lactic character as well. Soft sourness with a very well-integrated oakiness. Vanilla character behind the fruit and sweetness. Warming brings up a soft oaky earthiness with a light musky scent. Flavour is also amazing, sweet cherry, oak, vanilla and a soft lacto/pedio chewy acidity. Dank and dark with a heavy earthy vineousness throughout. Funk and barnyard wrapped in a blanket of cherries and woody tannins. Words don’t really do this one justice... this is wild ale at its best.

Batch 2, rated March 2008
Hugely sour after so much time in the bottle, hugely dry and parched, as sour as a lot of lambic can get, the wood and cherry note is milder now, subdued, but still rich and delicious. Less vibrant fruit than at a younger age, more sour, more puckery, more dry, more tannins. Very, very good, and I drank it alongside Selins Grove Phoenix Kriek, and actually found a mixture of both of them the best.

Batch 1, originally rated in October 2005
Very tart and sweaty, perfumy wood scented. To me seems very close to a classic lambic. Light texture, sour fruit and wheat flavors, good creamy body and an almost oily finish. Very well made. I’m craving more.

Bottled @ RBESG2005: Orange/amber coloured. Unclear. Beige headed. Aroma is somewhat dry and acidic. Has notes of cherryfruits and is light sour. Flavour is very grapish and light fruity. Some woody notes is there. Is acidic and really cleanses the palate. Quite refreshing and sour in the end. Good one.

Lightly hazed dark amber color with a a few small yeast chunks. Taller ecru head that settles to a smaller creamy looking lid. Sweet sour sauce aromas with mild pale malt , light floral hops and sweet cherries and vanilla. Lots of malt and mild cherry sourness in the flavors. Soft champagne feel. Turns a hazy brown color with the final pour of the bottom of the bottle. Also seems to hold some more sourness in the later portion of the bottle. Latent lingers of buttered toast. Just misses in a few areas. Like the malt. But some late acid also kicks in and distracts.

Bottle from O’Briens: Ruby amber color, lots of white head and lacing. Nose of sweet tart malts, cherry and thick figs. Wow, the flavor is tart and sweet. Rich complexity with a smooth mouthfeel and a creamy texture. The finish is rich and good, f-ing awesome beer, that’s all I can say.