Russian River Temptation

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.

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.

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.

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.

375ml courtesy aspidites. Pours a hazy apricot. Lightly sour aroma of oxidized apples and funk. Tangy-sour taste with oak, lemon and apples.

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.

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.

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.