Russian River Temptation

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

[Bottle] The second I loosened the cork, the pressure forced it out, and the bottle gushed just a little, but no beer lost. Pours a hazy gold with a large, effervescent white head. Aroma is lots of lactic tartness, earthy brett, maybe a touch of white wine character, horsey, lemony, and funky. Flavor is lactic tartness, lemon and other citrus, funky brett, and nice dry chardonnay. Very light, crisp mouthfeel and a very dry finish with lingering tartness.

golden pour is hazy and a gusher. healthy pillowy head. Aroma is fruity floral and some tartness, Very tempting. Nectarine is very prolific. Light mouthfeel, very crisp. Flavor is tart with some light fruitiness, some earthy floral notes as well. Delicious

Huge thanks to boboski for sharing this one with all of us at the Orlando gathering.

Batch 1. Been looking forward to trying a Russian River brew for a very long time. Pours a cloudy golden body with an off white head. Medium retention and nice lacing. Aromas of yeast, sour cherries and raisins, oak, acidic notes, and some funkiness. Flavor is all of the above, blended together nicely. Palate is dry, with medium carbonation. Finish is sour and dry, but not overpowering. Great brew.

been looking forward to this one for a while. Batch 003, been sitting in my cellar (thanks to lb4LB! - thanks dude!) for about 2 months. 12.7 oz bottle -- I must say Russian River has the coolest bottles ever, pretty sweet labels too. Lively pop of the cork, which was moist on the bottom. Pours a great golden color with a bit of a tangerine hue and a nice big fluffy head that hangs around for a while. Aroma is soft and beautiful with notes of chardone, tart white grape skins, oaky vanilla, and the sour and slightly funky brett that I have come to love so much. Complex and refreshing aroma. The flavor is equally as impressive. It starts off pretty dry and fruity -- white wine rapes -- which morphs beautifully into a tangy dry tartness that is followed through with a long funky (but not overpoweringly so) finish, whcih includes some great horseblanket and barnyard character to it. It is a bit to carbonated for my general taste, but the carbonation seems to go with the wine/champagne-like style. Medium to light bodied. no trace of alcohol anywhere. Overall: great style, great example of it, very refreshing, very drinkable, beautifully done. My first RR! w00t! P.s. this stuff with only a few months on it would be a great brew to get some noobs into the sour style.

375ml bottle via trade with MrBendo. Batch 002. Aroma: Smells alot like a lambic. Bready malt, brett, oak, light vinousness, lemon, and a touch of dusty funkiness. Appearance: Medium yellow in color and cloudy. White head was huge and mousse-like with great retention. Good lacing. Flavor: Slight vinousness and oak. Medium sourness throughout. Some bready yeast. Brett. and again with the dusty funkiness. Palate: Medium-light bodied. Medium-high carbonation. Overall: Great beer. Lots of Brett character tied in with the oak and wine flavors. Interesting and unique.

Pours a pale yellow color with a tall effervescent white head with strong retention. The aroma is close to a fruity white wine, a bit acidic, with tropical fruit notes and a touch of dusty, funky brett. The flavor is lightly sour, a bit vinous, and touch of cheese rind. After a few minutes it really opens up and the tartness as well as the fruit come through. Light on the palate, and warming with alcohol.

On tap at Monks. Somewhat hazy golden with a puffy white head. Smells like lambic, sharp citrus, pepper, funk and oak. Tastes like a mild geueze with more malts, refreshing, close to a saison but with more funk. Interesting, challenging, yet stylish.

Reminded me a bit of a sour ale. Huge almost wine-like nose that is not overwhelmed by the oak aging. I had been looking forward to tasting some Russian River products, and this one was a little underwhelming, sour and a bit one-sided.