RateBeer
   Home Sign Up or Login Advanced Search
   People Ratings Events Places Forums Shop Magazine
      Top By Category  RateBeer Best  Latest Ratings  Top 50    

Russian River Temptation

Russian River Temptation - Sour Ale

* picture credits
copyright may apply

 Percentile 
100
overall
Brewed by Russian River Brewing
Style: Sour Ale

Santa Rosa, California USA

bottled
common

on tap
common

Regional Distribution
Find this beer

Add Distribution Data
send corrections | shelftag |

 Ratings  Average  Score  Seasonal  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in 
5634.09/5.04.08/5.0Special7.25%96Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler
View Statistics  P 

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?  
 asteele8 (270), Mukilteo, Washington, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/104/517/20
Jul 27, 2007  
Bottle thanks to WeeHeavySD, Batch #2. Pours a light yellow color with a white head on top. Aroma is citrus, oak, and sourness. Flavor is lemons, oak, and wine notes. The palate has a nice carbonation to it but definitely not overwhelming or overdone. Very refreshing and enjoyable!


 hellomynameis (794), Mayer, Minnesota, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/59/103/516/20
Jul 22, 2007  
Light yellow and cloudy with a huge white head. I lost over half the bottle to the violent eruption that occurred moments after the cork was out. Nice dusty nose with some acidic qualities. The flavour is really great and has some light woody notes with a white wine like quality more so than beer. the brett is subtle and leaves a nice mark on this beer. Very nice drinking.


 chriso (4667), London, Greater London, England
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/103/515/20
Jul 20, 2007  
Bottle, courtesy a generous Dane (sorry I forget who), May 2006 at Kobehavnske Oldage. Hazy yellow colour. More lambic-like than blonde, with lots of sour acidity but less farmyard funk than might be experienced in a lambic. Lots of citrus but also oaky vanilla - an unusual combination but one that works surprisingly well. There’s also a tannic edge reminiscent of a cider. An intriguing and enjoyable beer but not as challenging as I expected.


muddyfeet (72), Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/516/20
Jul 19, 2007  
Batch 002. Pours a clear gold color with a light and fluffy head reasting on top. Second pour was a tad murkier from some yeast sediment. Nose is light and sweet. Slight citrus tang to it. Solid flavor. Great beer to enoy all night long. Light citrus tartness hangs over this beer and comes out more prominently as it warms. Littls bits of pepper. Also, I can pick out some oakiness but honestly I am not sure what it brings to this beer. Maybe a bot more smoothness and body. Light mouthfeel and quite vinuous.


 Floback (333), Naples, Florida, USA
4.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
10/104/510/105/519/20
Jul 16, 2007    Updated: Sep 2, 2007
Multitudes of gratitude to Robo at Knightly Spirits for hooking me up with a bottle of this awesome brew. Floridians can’t even get this stuff since RR doesn’t ship anymore. Pours murky gold with huge fluffy head and sticky lacing. Aroma is succulent with some citrus, sour yeast, earth, and distinct oak. Tastes absorb into tart dark fruits, funky hay sourness from the Brett, subtle wheat, wood, and walnut with a lemony finish. High carbonation and medium/full body. Fantastic brew. Gonna hold onto the Supplication for a special occasion.


 bfeldmann (1042), Wilmington, Delaware, USA
4.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/59/104/519/20
Jul 13, 2007  
hanks eagle thanks Poured a cloudy golden color big head solid lacing. Aroma was sour lemons some other citrus to it. Flavor was sour lemons some woodyness grapes and a nice balance acidic finish. Great great beer.


 wheninhell (485), louisville, Kentucky, USA
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/59/104/518/20
Jul 10, 2007  
My first Russian River. Thanks to dirty martini. hazy gold with a long lasting white head that leaves good lacing. aroma green apple light lemon white grapes funky toasted oak and very funky barnyard notes that just get more and more funky as it warms. flavor sweet tart lemon apple sweet white grapes with underlying funky toasted oak and barnyard notes. nice tart balance. not overpowering. medium dry tart apple lemon finish. light bitterness. funky toasted oak and barnyard. medium almost full body and lively carbonation. very good very interesting beer. almost geuze like....but a bit sweeter. more balanced but it has that same funk. very nice. very well done.


 eaglefan538 (2355), Wilmington, Delaware, USA
4.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/510/104/520/20
Jul 6, 2007    Updated: Nov 29, 2008
Bottle courtesy Odeed. Pour was golden with haziness, lots of head from the bottle even after pouring a few ml’s for a rinse, just oozing from the bottle top, quick rinse and pour. The lacing was stellar, head retention great. The aroma was very nice, tart lemons and cherries (or some other fruity character, not a pure sour lemon drop), bret, yeast, some spicing. The flavor was excellent, tart/sour lemons, other tart fruits, approaching a flemish sour of the quality of Panil and La Folie, yet with much more of a malt support than either, sweetish fruits, bread, and yeast underneath, yet far from sweet, of course oak and other wood notes making a firm appearance, touches of mint too. The funk is gentle, somewhat leathery, and this thing just blows away Jolly Pumpkin’s sour/bret action. If this is what RR is all about, gimme more!!!! An outstanding beer, one of my fav’s perhaps of all my ratings? Thanks again, Jacob! Re-rate from a Monks Cafe Batch 003 bottle in 11/08, a wonderful retasting, white grapes, chardonnay, and oak all more prominent than my previous experience, quite complex, a nice concoction.



CONSIDER FREE RATEBEER MEMBERSHIP



Join us! RateBeer is made by beer enthusiasts for the craft beer community. Your basic membership is free and allows you to read all beer ratings. Click here to create your account... and give your opinion!

SIGN UP NOW »

View Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57

What's Your Opinion?
Tell us what you think of this beer. Start your free RateBeer account now.
» Click here.

More Sour Ales

Lost Abbey Yellow Bus (4.23)

Russian River Consecration (4.16)

Lost Abbey Veritas 004 (4.15)

Russian River Supplication (4.11)

Lost Abbey Cable Car (4.08)

Russian River Temptation (4.08)

Captain Lawrence Cuvee de Castleton (4.07)

Lost Abbey Duck Duck Gooze (4.04)

Captain Lawrence Rosso e Marrone (4.03)

Russian River Beatification (Batch 002 +) (4.02)

New Belgium La Folie (4.02)

Ommegang Rouge Grand Cru (4.01)

Lost Abbey Red Poppy Ale (3.96)

Panil Barriquée (Sour) (3.95)

Jolly Pumpkin Perseguidor (Batch 4) (3.92)


About RateBeer | Add A Beer | Add A Brewer | Edit Personal Info | 100 Beer Club | FAQ | Log out | Feedback? | Copyright 2000-2009, RateBeer LLC