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Russian River Temptation

Russian River Temptation - Sour Ale

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

Santa Rosa, California USA

bottled
common

on tap
common

Regional Distribution
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 Ratings  Average  Score  Seasonal  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in 
5644.09/5.04.08/5.0Special7.25%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?  
 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.


 pivo (2535), Germany
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/517/20
Jul 1, 2007  
Yeasty nose, deep yellow color, creamy clingy head. Green apple sourness, tart. Almost like a gueze. Medium body. Really Belgian-like beer. Excellent beer overall.


 boboski (1095), Alabama, USA
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/59/104/517/20
Jun 30, 2007    Updated: Aug 24, 2007
Batch 1, fresh and aged 18 months and batch 2, also fresh. Body is slightly hazy, vibrant light golden with soft tangerine hues. Thick lacing results from a sticky, tall head of fizzy but compacted bubbles that recedes rather quickly. The aroma is very tart, earthy and speaks volumes about its inspirational precedents. Funk, barnyard, oak, citrus fruits, grapes, noble hops, buttery and acidic white wine, brettanomyces and a yeast profile so vibrant it seems like the entire lab is in the glass. Alcohol is totally hidden. The flavor is much the same, with approachable but distinct characteristics, focused but reserved. Sourness is mild, tartness is mild to moderate. Lightly sweet and mildly acidic, the taste is soft and utterly brilliant. Flavors run the gamut from tart and fruity at first to oaky and vinous nearing the finale, all the while showcasing a dynamic brett component that makes each sip lively and refreshing. Lemony acidity and flavor is an exciting addition. This is an exacting, coalescent moment of funk that doesn’t overwhelm. Delicious. The finish is soft, luxurious and as long as I feel like enjoying it. I’d ultimately have to take a sip of something else to pass beyond the everlasting finish. The mouthfeel is adequately and softly carbonated, with intermittent fizzy bursts. Body is light-medium and semi-sweet. Another superb offering from Russian River.


 badlizard (2325), Berkeley, California, USA
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/59/104/518/20
Jun 23, 2007  
375 mL bottle. Clear golden yellow with fizzy white head. Aroma of sour fruit and some white wine vinegar characterisitcs. Silky bright palate. Tastes of sour fruit with an oaky dryness to the finish. Very good.


 bitbucket (2026), Kirkland, Washington, USA
3.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/57/103/515/20
Jun 21, 2007  
375ml courtesy aspidites. Pours a hazy apricot. Lightly sour aroma of oxidized apples and funk. Tangy-sour taste with oak, lemon and apples.


 holdenn (1432), Chicago, Illinois, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/59/103/517/20
Jun 19, 2007    Updated: Apr 21, 2008
Andrew and I verticalled batch 1 and batch 2 6/16/07. thanks to drewbeerme for batch 1. .... Batch 02 pours a clear orange yellow white head. Nose is malt sour grapes, wine, already seeming smoother in comparison to 01. Flavors of sour tart grapes, funky, earthy, and cleaner than its older brother. 8/4/8/4/17= 4.1

Batch 01 pours a clear orange with a white head. Aroma of sour grapes, white wine, citrus, yeast, a little bit of funk. The nose on this is much more winey and a little more all over the place. Sour grape flavors, more funky, yeasty, smooth darker flavors, oaky, dirty, a little more complex. 9/4/9/3/17 = 4.3
.......Batch 02 is cleaner easier to drink and more compact than the wilder oaky/earthier Batch 01. But I think I prefer that wilder 01 to the 02.


 bdigital (585), Ft Wayne, Indiana, USA
3.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/56/103/512/20
Jun 18, 2007  
The first line of the commercial description says it all. I guess I should have read about it before trying it. Really threw me off guard. Murky yellow with a strong lemon aroma with a hint of malt and oak. Very astringent, vinegar taste. I really had a difficult time with this one. It’s not bad just not my idea of a belgian ale.


 after4ever (2711), Brier, Washington, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/515/20
Jun 17, 2007  
375ml. Thanks, Aspidites! Cloudy golden straw color. Big sour apple notes and chardonnary dry/tang on the nose. Medium horse blanket too. Fizzy but soft light carb for the main body. All kinds of tang, oak, vanilla, and chardonnay all over the mid-palate and the finish. Really a delightful glass of beer.



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