Russian River Supplication

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

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.

375ml Batch 002 bottle, with special thanks to adrian910ss! Pours a nice hazy copper color with a decent off-white fizzy head that dissipates to a whispy covering, minor lacing. Pleasant aroma of sour cherry, some candied apple, earthy funk and some slight oakiness. Flavor has a nice sour tart bite at the outset, with a lingering mild cherry sourness that gently drifts away. Palate is lively and slick, with medium body and mouthfeel. Another finely crafted beer from RR!

Murky reddish brown brew. Sour cherry nose. Really nice beer. Sour cherry, some over ripe plum. One of RR’s best imo.

375mL bottle. Batch #001. This was a bit of a gusher. A light-red pour with tons of VERY tiny floaties and a thin light-tan head. Aroma of cherries, yeast, vinegar, plain yogurt, a hint of alcohol and my feet after wearing my gym shoes without socks. Sour, tangy, yeasty flavor with some cherries and lemon juice. Somewhat tart. Nice light body. High level of acidity, but only a little dry in the finish. Tastes like a lambic.

Bottle batch 003. Pours a cloudy dark amber color with a thick white head. Smells musty and sour. Has a medium mouthfeel. Taste is very complex and has many flavors including: oak, sour, fruit, tartness, pepper spice, and some acidic spiciness. Overall this is not a punch you in the mouth sour like some of the other sours out there. Its more subtle. Its more drinkable. My drinking buddy commented its like eating a piece and candy and wanting more. That’s what its like between sips. Overall a great brew.

Batch 003. Pours lighter than I expected, for a supposed brown ale. A cloudy orangish color with a small but very well retained white head. The head never goes down. Looks fairly carbonated with a continuous stream of bubbles ascending. Impressive sheets of lace coat the entire glass. Aroma is mild peppery funk, soft and subtle, reminiscent of a lambic. Slight cherry aromas akin to a Kriek are also apparent, though they don’t pop out. Warmer temperatures do this beer good, bringing out some acetic qualities that add a pleasant dimension and increase overall complexity. This is the same quality I enjoyed in Compunction, the only other Russian River sour beer I’ve had to this point. Some light vinegar notes are buried deep down that remind me of a more traditional Flemish Sour though they are quite subtle. Warmer temperatures also increase the cherry aroma, thankfully. Can’t detect any wine characteristics in the aroma. Taste is immediately tart, wow, yeah, with some sourness mid-palate coupled with intense ripe fruit notes then finished with an even more acidic sourness. While the aroma is quite subtle and soft the taste is really full blown on this one. The huge cherry taste is really remarkable. It makes the tartness much more tasty and multi-dimensional than just straight-forward sourness, though this is plenty sour. Very dry finish, the beer seems to evaporate from your mouth though the lingering tartness and fruit notes can still be detected on the tongue. I’m certainly a fan.

Bottle. Poured cloudy red with a nice white head. A bit foamy because the damn thing exploded. Aroma was just terrific with cherry, banana, vinegar and red wine. Very tart taste with sour cherries, toffee, vanilla, butterscotch and banana bread. Citrus and tangerines work great on the palate. Fantastic.

375ml batch 003 thanks to DRINKNDRIVE thanks man. I took the cage off this sucker and admired the label, bad idea. The cork blasted out of the bottle with a fury and I was scrambling for my snifter as this precious beer began spraying my kitchen counter... The label says this is a brown ale but it sure looks orange to me. The smell leads me to believe this will be very sour. I can smell some oaky-woodiness and a wine like smell but not really any funk or must. The first sip I took was very meager and still exploded in my mouth hitting one side of my jaw with sourness and then leaving a cherry note. The smell keeps drawing me back with an interesting note they makes me think I have either had this beer before (GABF?) or it is very similar to another sour? This beer also coats the mouth very well, despite the tiny carbonation bubbles, which leaves a flavor that seems to evolve after you swallow. The flavor also reminds me of sour candies, lime pixie sticks (do those exist?). This is an excellent beer and perfect for those who enjoy sours because this is a serious mouth puckering beer. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 05-21-2008 02:46:26