Russian River Temptation

Thanks to my bro Petrucci914 for sharing this one with me. Pours a cloudy yellow star color with thin white head. Aroma is huge and funky with large amounts of brett, horse blanket and tart fruit. Taste is sour fruit, brett, and horse blanket. The thing that really amazed me in this brew, is how well hidden the alcohol is hidden AND how the intense sourness is so easily subdued in the finish. This is a remarkable beer!

Thanks to AnnapolisBeer for this one! She’s a gusher as soon as you pop the cork. Pours a creamy yellow color with a thin white head and some spotty lacing. This seems like a Tripel Sour Beer. Aroma is spicy like a Tripel but also acidic and sweet. Taste is sour up front but finishes smooth. An easy drinking sour but I was hoping for some mouth-puckering finish on this.

Pours a pale apricot/straw shade with a billowy off-white head of tiny white bubbles, indicating yet another RR wild ale with impeccable carbonation. Several columns of bubbles stream upwards. The head leaves huge chunks of lacing on the glass. Nose is full of a nice brett funkiness. In the background there are notes of fruity sweetness, champagne tartness, lemon, and a hint of the sour cherry found in Supplication. Taste is very tart, almost sour. Unripe apple, lemon, lime, and white wine all make an appearance. Mouth puckering and exquisite. Just as I thought, the carbonation is beautiful. Russian River is easily king of the Belgian style mouthfeel. Smooth, drying, tart finish. If you can handle sour, this beer is very drinkable. I’m glad I have another in the fridge.

Light coloured blonde body with a frothy white head and literally trillions of bubbles rising from the bottom of the glass - really neat looking. Aroma of really strong spices - sage, thyme, cumin and marjoram are all noticeable, along with a little malt and some light toffee. Light to Medium-bodied; Strong tartness up front, masked with a malty flavour along with that meaty characteristic attached to a sweetness which finishes the beer - probably the most complex beer i’ve ever had. When you take that first sip - be cogniscent of all the aforementioned, and you’ll be in for a a real treat. Aftertaste is mellow - some of that tartness and acidity is left...with some sweetness and good oaky flavour. Overall, a damn good beer - definitely worth trying...just be ready for it! I sampled this split (37.5 cL) bottle purchased from Norm’s in Vienna, Virginia on the Eastern Shore of Virginia on 29-October-2005.

This was another great brew I had the chance to try because of Ross. Thanks man. Pours out a dirty yellow with a small white head but goes away fairly quickly. A small swirl of the glass brought the bubbles back to life if I desired. Aroma was funky and a bit harsh. Harsh in a musty kind of way. The taste although filled with brett was also quite oaky and full of wooden flavors. Light lemony flavor and basement mustiness. I will say that I think Ross told me this was Batch 002 and that would put it about 2 years old when we opened it. Although this beer was tart it wasn’t nearly as sour as I thought it would be going in. Perhaps the age mellowed it? Either way great beer, thanks Ross.

Bottled sample shared with oakbluff. Sunny yellow in colour with some spritzy carbonation. Aromas of lemon curd, a bit of funk and a bit of old oak. Very tart in the mouth with more of the lemon, wood, and funk thing going on (the funk being more pronounced), along with the faint suggestion of Chardonnay grapes. Heavier in the mouth than any traditional Belgian lambic that I’ve had, but no less refreshing. An excellent beer.

A beautiful hazy orange color, light yeast, Oak, sweet & sour green apple, a tangy acidity and bubble gum. An interesting northern France farmhouse ale tartness to it. A malty sweetness but the “tang” tips the scale to the dry side. I’m not a big sour beer fan but this was crisp & enjoyable!

375 ml bottle

I have been sitting on this for a while now waiting for the right occasion to crack it open. The Christmas holidays seemed as good as any. If the bretty aspects got to me at least I would have plenty of time to recover. It turns out that this did not have the same punch as other sour beers. Instead the sourness was more subtle and calm. I wish I had another bottle as two glasses was not quite enough.

Aroma / Appearance - The rose colored body was moderately carbonated with a thin head that lasts for a second. The nose was dirty gym socks, lemon pine sol and that general funkiness that comes from bretty beers. Almonds and honey glazing complete the sherrylike nose.

Flavor / Palate - Sherry and almonds infuse the mouth with a sweet almost sugary taste. White wine mixed with apple, pear and almonds comes next. The finish is dry and yeasty. It was so easy to drink that before too long my glass and bottle were both empty. This must be one of the tamer Russian River releases or two years has calmed it down.