Russian River Temptation

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

This was going to be my 400th rating, but I got thirsty and impatient so it was 399 instead. Lovely bright cloudy golden pour with pillowy white head. Nose gave more more oak than funk... and overall, that was the relative disappointment for me. Sour, but overall more woody than anything else. Oak was huge, with notes of citrus and chardonnay; quite lovely, but damn if it was really worth the rarity and cost. Amazing mouthfeel.

bottle. thanks bwkrieger. hazy golden/orange pour with thin white head. nice aroma fruit and oak. tart, brett, funk and wood. nicely done.

If we ever have kids, we’re totally naming one Vinnie; this is brilliant work! Bottled Batch 1. Beer is a hazy, medium coppery gold color with a small, off-white, fizzy, lasting head. Oh my... this smells AMAZING! Subtle and sublime—a ballerina on pointe. The aroma is malty with just a trace of toasted almond and grain; Hoppy with a moderate amount of herb and lemon; Chock full of yeasty funky moderate horseblanket, band-aid and attic; Heavenly heavy, tart vinousity (think FSA), moderate notes of white grape juice, light notes of oak, alcohol, pear and traces of vanilla and green apple peel. The flavor is moderately sweet, moderately-to-heavily acidic, lightly bitter with a long, tart/dry, lightly bittersweet, moderately acidic finish. A nice touch of warmth, too. The body is medium, the texture is velvety and the carbonation is lively. Bravo!

375ml. bottle. Hazy golden color with a medium off white head. Great tart, fruity aroma with hints of wood and Brett characteristics. Flavor was tart, but not as much as expected. Grapes, lemon and the oak really stood out with a touch of butter. Very good, but I liked the Supplication a little more.

Very,very nice brew. Man the nose was that soured fruit .No oak but sour yeasty loveliness. the wine and oak do not seem to defined but it doesn’t matter this is a great brew. Sip on this and enjoy.

375ml Batch 1 bottle: Bottle conditioned. Served in a large tulip glass from IKEA (great beer glasses). Mostly clear, but ever so slightly cloudy rich amber body with a medium white head that simply lasts until I’ve finished all the beer in my glass. I can honestly say I’ve never tried a beer that smells or tastes quite like this one. The aroma is strawberries, sour cherries, and sweet oak barrel if inhaled forcefully with the nose as far in the glass as possible. If the glass is tilted until the beer almost touches the nose then scents of chardonnay, acidic barnyard, and sour grapes come out. If the nose is barely held over the edge of the glass then aromas exactly resembling yellow cake with butter icing, honeysuckle immediately following a rain and a very subtle hint of cocoa beans come through. Ok, I spent a bit of time with this one. Now onto the flavors. Initially this beer doesn’t really blow me away. I get flavors of lightly acidic wine, grapes, cherries, cider, and vanilla. Then, as it’s held in the mouth, light flavors of barnyard, white grape juice, crabapple, and oak show themselves. What really blew me away from the first sip was the aftertaste. Almost immediately after swallowing a strong oak comes through - but it’s not overly harsh or acidic - rather it reminds me very much of the fleeting qualities of a good port, the almost sweet pure wood notes. From there it then turns to a bit of chardonnay, and then surprisingly a sweet nutty/caramel/almond flavor that perfectly counterbalances the oak notes. Medium bodied, medium-lively carbonation, can get slightly watery towards the end ( my fault for taking my time enjoying this one). The aftertaste is like no other, and much, much longer than I’ve previously experienced with other beers. I am not normally very taken with the barrel-aging fad, but this one absolutely works. Vinnie, if you read these, a superb job innovating with this one. Hopefully we’ll see more of these from Russian River.

this did have quite the win-o feel to it. like it was soaked with white grape seeds and oak. flavor is largely consistant of the oak, the grapes/wine flavor, rye or sourdough bread yeast, with twinges of sour cherry and wine-soaked pears and apricots. a slight astringent character to this, but love the funky flavors.

Pours a pretty hazy yellow with frothy white head. Nose of oak, crisp chardonnay, lemons, pear and bready yeasts. Flavor is the really good part of a honey-lemon cough drop.mixed with barnyard funk, a non-malo chard and nice oak layers. Mouthfeel was much like a chard mixed wtih champagne...very nice. This was one great beer.