Russian River Temptation

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

Nice hazy bright orange yellow pour. A great big head with some clumps of light brown yeast. Big tart brett aroma with a good amount of oak too. The flavor is pretty damn tart with acidic citrus notes, some chardonay similarities, a little oak. Long lingering tartness switches up into lots of lasting funky notes. This is a great beer.

The aroma is a intriguing with a real sourness to it and some brett. Not a huge fan of the color of this beer, its hazy yellow almost neon but the thick well retained white head is very nice. The flavor has a hint of citrus, not sure i really taste the oak but the sourness is very tastey and not too strong. The palate is impressive and has some real wine like characteristicss. Very good

Bottle, batch 003. Aroma is slightly sour, definite chardonnay aromas unlike the Supplication, which I thought lacked any pinot noir qualities. Also has a nice "vanilla cake"-like smell to it. Complex and pretty unique. Taste is sour but not overwhelmingly so, surprisingly citrusy - grapefruit and tangerine are the dominant flavors. Subtle compared to Supplication, but still stands out among other similar beers.

Batch 003. Pours a brilliantly bright yellow/golden color with a medium sized white head that has great retention and solid lacing, just like Supplication. Steady stream of bubbles zip to the top. While I didn’t detect any Pinot Noir in the Supplication, Chardonnay immediately jumps out of this one. Also noted are some mild esters, banana, slight pepper and all around fruitiness. Brettanomyces present but kept in check, mostly providing a pepper earthiness. White grapes, some lemon, and perhaps a touch of alcohol are also noted. The combination of Brett and Chardonnay is a very nice pairing, they mix well together. The warmer the beer gets the more the aroma becomes more intensely fruity and citrusy, perhaps pineapple. Taste is lemony, acidic and tart. The level of sourness is pretty much perfect, it is light but keeps with the beer’s subtle nature. This is just super drinkable. This has more finesse and elegance than Supplication though that one is bolder and more flavorful. They both rock in different ways. I could drink this very often.

Batch 001 thanks to moejuck. This is a very sexy beer. Pours an alluring and effulgent tangerine. Sweet/tart aroma of citrus fruits and a musky oak funkiness. Initially sweet, followed by a refreshing - not biting - sourness, then fades gracefully off the palate.

bottle thanks to tom again for allowing me in on such a fine brew!- pours cloudy golden, white head, immense nose. hay, honey, some manouer, earth, great complexity on the nose it is difficult to get into words. taste is like a pear tart, vanilla with a hint of butteryness, i also taste some pineapples and suspected it was from chardonnay casks but wasn’t quite sure. not as big as the supplication on the palate but is one of the most complex beers i’ve tasted, mouthfeel is not as nice as the supplication, some bell pepper in the finish.

Bottle, thanks to Oakes. Brett fills the air after the cork pops. Loud fizzle, pop, a flurry of joy. Lemony, dry, not sour, impeccably clean finish. Love in a bottle.

Cloudy, bright yellow-orange with frothy off-white head. Total orange rind candy. Light, air-filled mouthfeel. Total tartness with lingering finish and lots of nuance. Citrus sorbet in a glass, pithy and good.

I love sours and this one is at the top of my list with a nice flowing taste of sour fruits and a sweet yet tart finish vey well done,i am cleaning out me cellar when i ran across this and enjoyed every last drop.CHEERS!