Russian River Temptation

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

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.

Courtesy of Philippe (Bov); corked bottle
Cloudy deep blond color; medium head. Aroma of vanilla, sweet wood, American yeast, light sourness. Smooth mouthfeel, good combination of astringency and sourness, with delicate vanilla/oak notes, The final is woody and lightly sour. Everything is very well combined. Excellent.

Pours a very frothy snow white soapy head. Stays for a bit, but does start to fall eventually leaving some lace on the glass. Pretty straw color, but since its non-filtered, and bottle conditioned, it has a bit of a cloudy nature to it. Aroma is interesting. Actually reminds me of a gewurtzraminer wine as it is going into the primary fermenter up in Napa Valley. Since its oak aged that seems natural to me. Nice level of carbonation. Sourness in flavor. Clean palate and aftertaste, reminiscent of drinking a cold white wine. Would definitely buy again, and regularly, if it weren’t so blasted expensive. Will have to make it up to the brewery to try it sometime as this bottle has been "aging" in my fridge for a year, or so, so the Bret has been tamed a bit.

Bottled. Hazy golden, firm head. Vinous, oaky nose. Dry and lightly acidic with medium body and soft mouthfeel. It has a light almondy yeast character with freshening citric acid on top of it. Oak is obvious throughout it all, but not overwhelming. This is art!!

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.

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.

Bottle - corked and caged. Batch 001. Hazed orange-amber. White microbubbles foam up and then gather around the edge of the glass. Huge Brett notes of this one as well. Very funky! Light wafts of dried fruits, earth notes, sour grapes, moderate woody notes and and floral aromas. Absolute class! Taste is also Bretty with sour grapes, light balsamic notes, mild nuttiness, sweet malts, light toasty flavors, thinned wood and wine. I expected a larger flavor of the wine coming through. Still not picking up any diacetyl that some have mentioned with this and Supplication. Light floral notes come through as I drink this. Body is bubbly and almost champagney at times. Light bodied overall. Finishes with more wood than before, a larger inflection of the wine, light toasted nuttiness, fresh flowers, Brett notes, dried fruits, lighter sour grapes and some earthiness. Another class beer from Russian River. I’m really enjoying their stuff!

Great sour taste, nice spices, should age well.