Russian River Temptation

Brewed by Russian River Brewing
Style: Sour Ale
Santa Rosa, California USA

Bottle from DarkElf. Hazy yellow-orange body, medium spritzy off-white head. Aroma rife with tropical or semi-tropical fruits (pineapple, lemon) in addition to white grape, esters, brie cheese rind, and musty oak. Sharp pineappley body, slightly puckering, with a strong acidic, lemony bite followed by a long tannic finish. White wine characteristics are prevalent. Nice balance of sweet and dry flavors. A solid sour beer but doesn’t rise to the status of Supplication.

The chardonnay dominates the aroma, but there is some mild sourness and of course alcohol. Pale gold to yellow with a small head. STRONG white wine flavors. Grapes, pear, oak and some acidic tartness. Very interesting brew that I would love to get more of.

Bottle. Pours a hazy yellow body with a white frothy head. Smells awesome! Green piney hops, brett-ridden, soft wheat, bread, and sweaty notes. Nice mixture of sugar and bread flavours along with dry yeastiness. Flavourful and wild!

Batch 001: Gold with some haze. Generous rocky blanket of white foam yields patchy lace. Lavish mesh of baked pears, putty, vanillin oak, buttered malt husks, and toasted hay in the aroma. Seductive whispers of brett. Impeccably conditioned. Creamy but fluffily full, along with enough chalky dryness to match. Early brett-laced surge of vanilla-tinged white grapes and vibrant melon. Immense malt spine quickly blossoms, casting a rich medley of crushed husks and newly harvested hay on the palate. Buttery oak and husky 2-row absorb the brief white grape skin acidity that ensues, but plenty of acidity remains. Brilliantly stated oakiness yields more dryness, which amplifies the firm texture of minerals and tongue-numbing brett. Simultaneously tart and sweet with a candied lemon zest twist. Brett deposits complementary notes of gritty minerals which are elegantly softened by ripe melon notes. Finishes less acidic, but intricately flavored with a continuation of white pepper dusted melon and sour apples amid prolonged echoes of grainy oak and husky malts. This is something to be proud of to say the least. Truly a spellbinding creation.

Murky golden yellow in colour with a thin white coloured head, light lacing. The aroma is a bit oaky, light notes of alcohol, fruity with a bt of sourness. The flavour is again a bit oaky, some citrus, yeast, white grape skins, acidic with some light alcohol. Sweet and dry mouthfeel, medium body, medium carbonation. Finishes lingering and lightly sour.

Quite smooth and the sourness is very well balanced. I can see this aging quite well. I feel that I need more of this and I have both batch 1 and 3 so more samples are in order.

375ml bottle shared by rudolf, thanks Rudy.
Opened on March 28, 2008.
Batch #2.

Huge thanks to Beerdrenched for sharing this great beer, my first Russian River. Pours moderate yellow with a small white head. The aroma is fruity and tart (very brett) with pepper, white grapes and sharp citric lemon - very sweet / tart flavors. Medium / light body with minor sharp carbonation. The taste starts with sharp citric lemon, lots of sour / tart traits, bits of wood and grainy spice. The finish is wonderfully sour and refreshing. Lots of tart goodness. Thumbs up for this fantastic beer.

Thanks to droopy49 for this one. Pours fairly clear, light golden in color, with a large, lasting, tight white head. Fruity aroma. Slightly sour like an apple cider cellar. Some leather. Very complex and agreeable aroma. The flavor starts with some sweetness which is quickly overcome by a slightly acidic tartness that finishes dry and then turning spicy. I really liked the playfullness of this beer. The flavors and aromas are complex, yet this is light and very drinkable. Well done.

750ml bottle. Astounding aroma, with funky, farmy yeast, floral notes, wood, honeyish sweetness, faint winey tones, grassiness and straw. Light yellow color, cloudy, with a lasting, fine head. Flavor profile is impressive as well, dry, very lightly winey, tart, woody, leafy and gently bitter, in turns. Nicely refreshing palate, very light feel and moderate effervescence, body is medium. Really nice!