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Russian River Temptation

Percentile
100
overall

bottled
common

on tap
common

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RatingsAverageScoreSeasonalABVStyle PctlServe in
5684.09/5.04.08/5.0Special7.25%95.7Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler
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?  
 tupalev (2611), Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/59/104/516/20
Jan 15, 2007  
Bottle shared with the crew in late November. Cloudy yellow, foamy white head. Sour, funky, yeast aroma - strong and good. Taste is simply amazing - yeast, soft malt, funky organic characteristic, bread - wow, good stuff, complex. Soft mouthfeel. Wonderful stuff here, as advertised.


 kkearn (998), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/58/104/518/20
Jan 7, 2007  
375ml bottle, Batch 002. Hazy golden with lacy white head. Aroma of sour apple, oak, and brett. Sweet at first with some oaky notes; sourness is somewhat restrained compared to other brett beers. complex yet very drinkable. One of my new favorites.


 alexanderj (2227), Chino Hills, California, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/103/514/20
Jan 5, 2007  
Poured an orange-peach, little to no head. Aroma similar to a lambic; earthy qualities to it. Somewhat sweet, fruity, sour with hints of some oak, alcohol and yeast. Not overly sour compared to others, but still too sour for me. Don’t look for that in a beer. Nonetheless, this was still pretty good. Would have liked more of an oak taste, but flavor was still very complex. Alchohol was very mellow. Dry finish. Recommended for those who like sour beers.


 Zeswaft (1000), Seattle, Washington, USA
3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/56/103/512/20
Jan 5, 2007  
never again. $14 for a 14 oz bottle of this. I hate bret and sour beers. This accomplishes both. sour and vinous. reminds a lot of stille nacht reserve 2005. though that threw in a lot of alcohol too.


 JMFG (1514), Florida, USA
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/59/105/517/20
Jan 4, 2007  
Courtesy boboski. Deep orange in color, slightly hazy, sparse thin white head. Aroma is fantastic - reminiscent of a lambic, but has a sweet, less aggressive edge to it. Palate is medium to thin which makes this very drinkable. The sourness is present in the taste, but is not overpowering. The sourness combines with oak flavors and finishes dry. A unique, drinkable beer.


 drewbeerme (2272), Chicago, Illinois, USA
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/58/105/517/20
Jan 4, 2007    Updated: Jun 21, 2008
375ml bottle, batch 2, thanks to Ty5592 for this bottle. pours a hazy golden with big head. wonderful brett in the nose, very geuze like and barnyardy, i love it. the first sip is very complex, smooth, and easy to drink. notes of oak, brett, chardonnay, peach, lemon, vanilla, sour cherries. a perfect mild sourness balanced with some sweet and oaky notes. the extremely crisp and smooth mouthfeel make this beer really drinkable. finishes oaky and very dry. perhaps i’d prefer a little more brett and less oak in the finish.8/5/8/4/17................................. batch 1 (5/05) vs. batch 2 (11/06). B1 is darker, more orange and B2 is cloudy straw color. B1 nose is very white winey, oaky, and slight funk in the background. B2 nose brings the funk upfront with oak and white wine in the back ground. the nose on B2 is much better. flavor for B1 is oak, funk, very earthy, dry with white wine finish, acidity and sourness are present but not over whelming. B2 flavor is very funky, tart, and oaky, sorta earthy, very dry, with a white wine finish. B1 just isn’t as dry and it’s more sweet wine than B2. B2 has a much more lively carbonation. B2 notes are more concise, tart, tighter, drier, vibrant, and lively. IMO, B2 is a much better beer....B1: 8/5/8/4/16 equals 4.1 B2: 8/5/8/5/17 equals 4.3 brbr 6/21/08, batch 2 (11/06). dag yo wonderful aroma coming from this beauty. although it seemed to lack some life that it had when fresher. perhaps some more time or less would be prefered...? 4.1.


 Cobra (1061), In a van, down by the river, Maryland, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/103/515/20
Jan 4, 2007  
375 ml brown, longneck Belgian-style bottle. Corked & caged. Batch #002. Poured out a hazy yellow / orangish color, with a huge white head. Aromas are of slight lambic qualities, Brett is noticeable. Fruity, estery, but definitely a Belgian style beer. Decent body, slick mouthfeel. Wish I had bought a few of these to drink. Goes down too easily. Decent beer overall.


 DYCSoccer17 (2189), Davis, California, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/104/516/20
Jan 1, 2007  
Batch 002 bottle purchased from Ledger’s Liquors in Berkeley, CA. Opens as a moderate gusher. An ounce or two spilled over my counter. Woody, oaky, sour-ish aroma. Not nearly as sour or acidity in the aroma as the Jolly Pumpkin Oro that I just had. Some slight metallic aromas also come through. Barnyardy. Moderately hazy golden-orange body with a smallish white head and generous lacing. Mildly sour, acidic start which turns bready, biscuity, and malty later on. This beer has some light bitterness to finish. Some butter is present later on as well. Quite drinkable. Much moreso than the JP that I just rated. A very good beer. I’d like to try this side by side with beatification.



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