Russian River Supplication

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

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

Review 600! 375 ml bottle into tulip, batch 006X2. Pours hazy red orange color with a nice 1 finger light khaki head with great retention that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Some spotty lacing on the glass, with a good amount of carbonation streaming up. Aromas of huge tart cherries, green apple, grapes, pear, light vinegar, oak, red wine, hay, light spices, and a lot of funk. Fantastic aromas with great balance and complexity, Taste of big tart cherries, apple, grape, pear, red wine, citrus, oak, vinegar, spiciness, earthiness, hay, and funk. Lingering notes of tart fruit, oak, wine, and spices on the finish for a bit. Fantastic balance of sourness and sweetness makes this very smooth on the palate. Medium-high carbonation and medium bodied; with a slightly creamy and acidic mouthfeel. Slightly prickly carbonation, but still very smooth drinking. Alcohol is well hidden with only a slight warming after the finish present. Overall this is an outstanding wild ale; with great balance, complexity, and smoothness.

Batch 007 poured from a 375ml to a snifter: Pours a BRIGHT ruby orange. An off white thin cap of high carb head that sits off to one side. Brilliant, consistent beading. Lacing is lovely. Nose is complex to say the least. Lots of fruity red wine funkiness backed by the bright clove/sweet bread of a good Belgian golden. On the tongue there’s a surprisingly pungent earthy sour wallop that gives away to a beautiful floral array of sweet complexities. There’s a lingering tart presence on the back of the palate. Sour cherries, of course. The feel is smooth and a bit dry I think. Wonderful. Overall, this is a sour that might even appeal to the non-sour beer drinker. Yum.

Batch 3, bottled 3/4/200, and the last Supplication to use the R.R. wine yeast. A - A deep amber with 2 fingers of khaki head, excellent retention, some legs. S - slightly acetic, brett, and malt. cherries aren’t really apparent in the nose anymore. T - starts with nice sour cherry, but the belgian brown base is more noticeable at this age. Has a nice sweet finish with a bit of oak. M/D - Medium carbonation with a medium body. Highly drinkable after your palate adjust a few sips in. Reminiscent of a Flanders Red, especially at this age with the cherries sitting further back. A great beer at this age, but I’m not sure if aging it longer will do it any good.

Bottle. The pour was a medium murky chestnut brown with an average sized (1-2 finger) creamy light beige head, that reduced slowly to a thin layer of foam with a collar producing some mighty fine sheeting of sticky lacing. The aroma was bold and fruity with a dark bread malt and some Brett yeast along with some notes of cherry, oak and a bit of red wine. The taste was incredibly sweetly tart and very malty with a slight hint of wine in the beginning, then becoming boldly sour with a nice strong malty cherry presence and a hint of oak at the end. The flavor lasted a very long time allowing for the sour cherry wine flavor to be fully enjoyed as it relaxed on the taste buds. Mouthfeel was a solid medium in body with a creamy dry texture and a carbonation reminiscent of champagne. Overall, all that has to be said is WOW what an incredible brew. This brew was most likely one of the best things I have ever put to my lips. Just sayin’...

Bottle. Very clear brown. Sour, vinegary, typical gueze flavour. Redcurrants, lemon. I did not get too excited.

Love this beer, sour, straight from the tap in Santa Ana boom baby! Yeah...

I love the mild sour and cherry notes. This is in my top 3 beers. Great for sipping. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

375ml bottle. This is a fantastic beer. There are woody notes, fruity, vinous, malts are still noticeable. A very well made sour. I really enjoy the wine character in this beer. I will have to get more of this.