RateBeer

Russian River Temptation

Percentile
100
overall

bottled
common

on tap
common

Regional Distribution
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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?  
 Gypsy19 (618), California, USA
3.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/57/103/512/20
Sep 5, 2009  
Pours a light orange with a medium white head. Aroma is of sour fumes, white wine fumes, and fumes. Flavor is a little more elegant: The fruitiness here actually differentiates it from the other 500 Russian River sours. Other than that it’s just another sour. Medium body/mouthfeel. Overall good.


 SuzyGreenberg (1324), Seattle, Washington, USA
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/59/105/517/20
Sep 4, 2009  
375 ml bottle - batch 2; glowing, hazy light gold; huge foamy white head settles quick leaving lace; apples, pears, oak, brett; sweet and mild sour; drinks dry and sweet with sour apples, mild funk, lemons and a bone dry finish; killer nose and lovely texture; perfectly sweet and never acidic; fruity sourness blending together

draft @ Brouwers Big Wood - cloudy light orange with thin white head; apples, oak and brett; absolutely crushed the deviation in a side by side, which seems to have temptation as part of the blend; not sure how fresh this keg was, but on this day it was without a doubt my fav sour; unbelievably good this day

750 ml bottle - batch 4; reasonably fresh as opened right after it hit the seattle market; big pop and thick eggy white head settles slowly; sour apples, grapes, oak and plenty of sweetness and brett; texture is soft, subtle and delicate; richness comes out as it warms; fruit goodness and bone dry finish from the brett; fresh is certainly where it’s at with this one IMO b/c you get that big burst of fruit before the brett takes over completely


 alagnak (327), Littleton, Colorado, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/104/516/20
Sep 3, 2009  
Hazy gold in the glasss, nose is green apples, a little lemon, and a nice barnyard-y sourness. Taste is really complex alll t through - sour apples and grapes up front, melding really nicely into an earthy brett-y funkiness and a crisp lemon-pepper finish. Bottle didn’t last through 4 rounds of my fantasy football draft. Well done, RR.


 thenick (744), North Bellmore, New York, USA
4.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/510/105/518/20
Sep 2, 2009  
Bottle @ Monk’s Cafe, Philadelphia. All I can say to this is WOW....Pours a hazy golden color (at least it looked that way in the low light) with noticeable lacing and a small white head. Aroma is lemon, earth/grass notes, and a definite brett characteristic toward the end. Taste is the same, with an incredible citrus/earth characteristic, a very tart finish (though not distracting), and a wonderful dryness throughout. I think I got a little sweetness and an ever-so-slight bitterness in there - it’s so sublimely balanced and complex. I love it, I absolutely love it, and I need to get more from these guys STAT.


 malrubius (977), Valley Stream, New York, USA
4.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/59/105/518/20
Aug 29, 2009  
Bottle shared by Chris at Ebenzer’s. Thanks! Pale hazy golden yellow with head and lace. Lemon pixie stix and hoseballs and hay aroma. Extremely dry sweaty horseballs hay mild leather throat-clinching tart dry finish. Soft warm efffervescence. Awesome.


 EricE (456), Fairfax, Virginia, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/59/104/517/20
Aug 29, 2009  
Draft at Pizza Port. Clear yellow pour with a thin white head. Woody sour aroma with citrus. Very sour flavor, but not overpoweing. Woody citrus notes with ahint of vanilla. Very nice


 Bov (5426), Bienne, Switzerland
4.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/59/105/518/20
Aug 27, 2009  
courtesy of Greg Gaughan - pours a hazy orange colour with a little persistent white foam; aroma of almonds, vanilla and apple, slightly woody; some acidity, creamy mouthfeel and with a good malt body; fair carbonation; some residual sugars with more notes of vanilla and almonds - a superb beer


 ditmier (1057), Boise, Idaho, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/518/20
Aug 24, 2009  
2009 Bottle, Batch 4 - Pours a translucent pale yellow with a large off white head...aroma is green apple, oak, lemon, tropical fruit...flavour is more subdued that other RR wilds, slightly vinous, massively oaky, tart lemon and the lightest spiciness that starts in the nose and has the most ephemeral presence in flavour...very tasty...



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