Russian River Temptation

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

The cork really flew out of this baby. Took me ten minutes to find it. Large foamy white head. Aroma smells of tart ness and is very clean. Tastes of lemon zest, oak and funk. Dry finish. Not as tart or funky as Beautification. Complex and delicious.

Rating #800! Four twists on the cage and the sucker whizzed by my head and hit the ceiling! What a thrilling beer! Still have not found the cage? Hazy gold pour with fizzy white head and a single ring of lace. Oak and granny smith apple aroma. Very fruity& sweet bread up front with a great tart finish underlined with pleasant oak goodness. Apricot type aftertaste.

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.

Pours a bright hazy orangish yellow with a big puffy white head that lingers for ages leaving massive clumps of lacing. This is a gorgeous looking beer. Smell is a good dose of sweet, sour and tart. There is the sweet citrus of lemon rinds and oranges along with some tart cherry and a bit of oak as well. This is all on top of the bready yeast smell in the background and some wine coming through in the nose as well. The taste is a slightly more tart version of the smell with big tart cherries and lemon rind up front with a trace of barnyard funk as well. There’s a little sweetness in there as well with a bready malt backbone but an oaky presence that lingers in the finish. Mouthfeel is creamy but also dry like wine in the finish. This is definitely a good starter wild ale for those of us still developing the palate for sours. I really enjoyed this and it’s quite a refreshing brew on a hot day.

Bottle from Monument Liqour in Concord, CA. Poured a murky yellow color with a good sized white head. On the first sip it reminded me of a dry champagne. Not quite as tart and some of the other sours I’ve had.

Bottle from Monument Liq. in Concord, CA. Being a blonde and aged in oak, this one was a bit weaker than it’s counterparts. Still, with an excellent palate, this one tasted more of champagne than anything. It’s amazing what RR does with these brews. I would buy any of the three sours again if I had the chance.

Batch 002. Bottle has tendency to foam over. Hazy yellow color with a white head, decent retention. Smell includes some lemon, soft sourness, oak, and there seemed to be a very light spice that I’m unable to name. Taste has sour oak, lemon, and some other citrus flavors, slightly acidic, with a fairly dry finish. Not as sour as others I have enjoyed, but still quite good. Mouthfeel had high carbonation with a light body. Light body and dry finish to this, paired with its excellent taste make this one highly drinkable. I wish I had plenty more; would be great for special occasions.

Bottle, batch 003. Gold / orange pour with nice white head. Aroma is woody, some white wine, mild funk / brett. Flavor is the same, tart overall, citrusy with some sweetness also. I like these sour beers when it’s hot out.