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Russian River Temptation

Percentile
100
overall

bottled
common

on tap
common

Regional Distribution
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RatingsAverageScoreSeasonalABVStyle PctlServe in
5684.09/5.04.08/5.0Special7.25%95.7Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler
Commercial Description:
Is it beer, or is it wine? "Aged in French oak wine barrels for twelve months with distinct characteristics of fruit and subtle oak" sounds more like a description of wine than beer. But, of course, Temptation is indeed beer. Actually, Temptation is a Blonde Ale Fermented with a special strain of yeast, then aged in French oak chardonnay barrels. Flavors of wine and oak absorb into the brew throughout twelve months of aging. During this aging process, a secondary fermentation occurs using a yeast strain disliked by most brewers and winemakers called Brettanomyces. The "Bret" gives Temptation intriguing characteristics and a pleasant sourness. Temptation is re-fermented in the bottle to create its carbonation--a process commonly used to make fine champagne and sparkling wine. Spent yeast forms a thin layer of sediment to remain in the bottle.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 Bockyhorsey (2511), Mesa, Arizona, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/103/516/20
Jun 29, 2008  
Sampled at Hellbilly’s Hellraiser II. Good sour and tart aroma. Yellow body with white head. Dry sour just as the style says.


 BitchesBrew (710), Berkeley, California, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/518/20
Jun 29, 2008  
[bottle, batch 3, shared with DarkMagus] Pours a hazy yellow with a very dense white head. Loads of visible carbonation. Aroma is quite tart and funky. Flavors are full of microbiology.. tart and funky brett character provides some interesting pineapple and fruit esters. Really complex and bone-dry finish. Thirst quenching and delicious. An outstanding beer, overall.


 BuckeyeSammy (455), Cleveland, Ohio, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/59/104/516/20
Jun 28, 2008  
Opened side by side with supplication. Orange haze with a light thin head. Delicate beer. Oak barrels very present on the nose, white wine, and a touch of funk. Palate is slighly buttery, full, tart finish. Balanced sour.. Wine, tart carbonation, funk. Sour/ tartness not overpowering in the least. Great sour ale.


 sleepylopes (313), New York, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/103/58/104/517/20
Jun 28, 2008  
big aroma of ceder and oak with a musty basement or wine barrel room flair. hazy apercot color with high lacing. interesting and developed flavor with blue mold and ripe cheese, lactic and long. subtle and complex the supplication burned my pallet a bit unfortunately. the beer is dry and has a clean finish than lingers just a bit in the back.


 OldMrCrow (1185), Seattle, Washington, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/58/104/516/20
Jun 24, 2008    Updated: Sep 13, 2009
Bottle.

Pours a hazy straw-yellow with a nice and incredibly persistent white head. Beautiful. Nice sour lactic nose, some oak barrel. The flavor is really smooth and really nice. Lots of chardonnay-oak, slightly buttery, tart but not aggressively so, pleasingly dry, beautifully balanced, more wood than funk. This comes together like a gem and makes for a very easy-going but uncompromising dry sour.

Addendum: after enjoying a second bottle, I may be slightly under-rating this one a 4.1. Could well be 4.2.

Addendum: Just drank my last bottle. Sad.


DrDogbeer (6), weymouth, Massachusetts, USA
does not count click to see why this rating of Russian River Temptation does not count
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/59/104/518/20
Jun 21, 2008  
Poured Batch 003 into a tulip glass after a huge fizzy head erupted from the bottle. Smells of sour fruit, funk and some wine. Taste is champagne like and estremely sharp. Great flavor, great mouthfeel. My fave RR, yet.


 hellbilly (1515), scottsdale über alles, Arizona, USA
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/59/104/518/20
Jun 19, 2008  
sampled batch 3 with the phoenix crew... pours a cloudy pale orange with a vigorous white head. smells tart from across the room!... champagne, champagne vinegar, woody dryness, yeast, sour cream, lemon zest, mineral/flint/stone, blood and rust. medium body with an airy mouth feel from the soft carbonation. the flavor is the same and doesn’t disappoint. the oak and funk really shine. this walks a fine line between too much malt and not enough... really well done...


 ghawener (953), San Salvador, El Salvador
1.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
4/103/54/102/55/20
Jun 13, 2008  
thanks to ramenen. bottlle: like swallowing foam with alcohol. or alkal setzer straight. a new experience



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