Russian River Temptation

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

On tap at Russian River Beer Revival & Barbecue Cook-Off, August 20, 2005. Blonde ale with a thin white head. Nice light cloves, coriander and orange peels in aroma, a bit lactic, pleasant. In mouth, light, spices, acidity coming well and very smooth hops. A good light belgian ale from a fine brewer! This was not aged.
Bottled one yr at same festival. Wonderful lactic horsblanket aroma , like a fine lambic. Crisp and tart in mouth, with nice alcohol smoothness, light sour apples, sharp and pleasing.

Bottle, Batch 002. Head is initially small, frothy/fizzy, white, mostly diminishing. Body is hazy dark yellow, bottle conditioned. Aroma is lightly to moderately malty (toasted grain), moderately yeasty (barnyard, cobwebs, horseblanket), with notes of sour apple, lemon/lime/orange peel, wet stones, SweetTarts candy, gooseberries, cask wood, band-aid (only the finest), etc. Flavor is moderately sweet, moderately acidic. Finish is lightly sweet, moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Medium body, watery/velvety texture, lively carbonation, lightly astringent. So elegant, so beautiful, so complex! Batch 2 is just as good as Batch 1, if a touch more rustic/horsey in the nose. Everything is so well integrated, it’s amazing...great punch of Brett, awesome fruity characters, nice toasty malt, oaky, vinous, just brilliant. Vinnie is the #1 Belgian-style brewer in the US right now, it’s not even close.

The bottle overflowed. Slightly sour, fruity aroma. Hazy golden color with a little white head (and a few yeast chunks). Starts with apple, immediately hits strong sour notes. The wood is present, and seems to be the predominate element in the finish. Tart, dry ending. Like life.

Plenty of oak, honey and pear-like fruitiness spiked with a tartness and plenty of brett in the aroma. The barnyard funk is reserved and yet definitive. Hazy blonde body is topped by a low, fine bubbled, white head that recedes rapidly to ring. Funky barnyard flavour has plenty of fruitiness - apples, pears, pineapples, grapes are accentuated by woody, leafy, herbal, haylike hops with a light but lasting acidity in the long dry finish. Medium body is very dry with soft texture and fairly light carbonation. Sampled on the PA trip 2005.

Recieved a bottle in a trade with Ernie. I shared this with hey_kevin. Number 2000! The color is dark gold with a white head. The aroma is definitely noticeable white wine along with oak and pineapple fruit. There is also some coconut with that definite tropical note. The taste is tart and subtle at the same time. There is some cranberry with some light pineaple. There are some oranges and vanilla. This is an amazingly well refined and light bodied beer. A big winner.

GABF 2005: Clean golden hue with a big frothy head and vg lace. The aroma has some brett and yeast character along with light apple and grape, woody and buttery. Wow, a nice use of brett and barrel aging to set a soft flowery and fruity beer. As good as the flavors are, I could use a bit more bitters in the background. The feel is cider like, fruity crisp and lively, refreshing. Yet another winner from Russian River. I could use a few more of many of their beers.

Poured slightly hazed golden color with a small white head. Complex aroma...Bretty funk, sweet, citrusy, vinous, and fruity. Sweet start becomes tart, acidic, and white wine on the light bitter finish. So tasty and drinkable why does the bottle have to be so small.

Batch Number 003 bottle and sampled at Skyview Sourfest II and shared by Deliriumfest. Pours a hazy golden brew with a fizzy off-white head that slowly dissipates to a thin white top. Aroma of tart pear and brut champagne character with some yeast and tart apples. Taste is fizzy and medium bodied, with flavors of white grapes, apples, some yeast and a hint of Bret. Finish is slightly tart and dry, a little smooth texture with a aftertaste flavor of pear, yeast and dry apples.