Supplication - Russian River Brewing Company

Foxman

New Jersey

4.88/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

It pours a hazy amber brown with a fat finger of creamy light tan head. Tongues of lacing lick the inside of the glass.

In the aroma, the yeast is a force, with a barnyard straw element that yields...well, funk. Lemony tart grain, Bretty sourness, and leather keeps things down to earth.

Upon sipping, a tangy grain flavor is sweet and bolstered by molasses. Sour lemon and pie cherries snug up through the center, along with wet oak and a hint of vanilla. A touch of vinous grapes join with a broader and more vague overall fruitiness as a light blush of alcohol warms the palate. The sourness is countermanded by an equal residual sweetness that leads to a puckering, peppery finish, complete with a gritty crispness and even a hint of coconut. This is simply a tremendous yeasty display of sweet and sour dueling with the best parts of earth and its grains.

Medium bodied, it has a lithe creaminess that intrigues as the glowing dryness puckers the mouth for some time indeed.

No, it is not the beer for every drinker, but if this is what you crave, then it will give up its bounty with glee and make you among the happiest imbibers out there. It's balanced on a knife's edge between the sweet and the sour, with the earthy goodness that damp, fertile soil of a barnyard will provide you. It has a manageable ABV, and it drinks as though it were devoid of anything that would caution you to have a care. Not only do I appreciate the style, I appreciate everything it entails. It's beers like this that make it oh so easy to do exactly that.

Serving type: on-tap

06-17-2010 18:05:49 | More by Foxman

spw109

New York

4.5/5  rDev -1.5%

06-20-2013 05:28:05 | More by spw109

JasonFromLA

California

4.75/5  rDev +3.9%

06-19-2013 06:46:49 | More by JasonFromLA

Johnny58

California

5/5  rDev +9.4%

06-19-2013 06:42:21 | More by Johnny58

SDStoneEnthusiast

California

4.5/5  rDev -1.5%

06-19-2013 05:13:29 | More by SDStoneEnthusiast

TravisR

New Jersey

4.75/5  rDev +3.9%

06-19-2013 04:34:50 | More by TravisR

chaseabeer

Oklahoma

4.5/5  rDev -1.5%

06-19-2013 03:08:50 | More by chaseabeer

taylor714914

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +3.9%

06-18-2013 23:03:34 | More by taylor714914

TheGoof

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev -1.5%

06-18-2013 19:27:04 | More by TheGoof

hnandez

California

5/5  rDev +9.4%

06-18-2013 16:11:30 | More by hnandez

Jpirkle2715

California

4.75/5  rDev +3.9%

06-18-2013 01:52:03 | More by Jpirkle2715

BColton1

Rhode Island

4.5/5  rDev -1.5%

06-18-2013 01:42:35 | More by BColton1

ThreeFishes

Florida

4.75/5  rDev +3.9%

06-18-2013 01:26:06 | More by ThreeFishes

dwoolley1

New York

4.5/5  rDev -1.5%

06-17-2013 17:02:37 | More by dwoolley1

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

4.53/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Bottle from Rutager

Brownish red colour, ring of off white head, not much in the way of lace. Smell is Full of cherry and oak, funky, tart acidity, fruity and some light balsamic with only a little bit of sweetness. Taste is funky, lots of tart cherry flavours, fairly big puckering sourness to it, oak and wine flavours, more cherry in the aftertaste. Medium high carbonation, medium body. Just fantastic, no trace of alcohol at all, just a straight up excellent sour, 375ml is too easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2013 14:00:42 | More by peensteen

EliotRosewater

California

4.79/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Bottled on 4/11/13. Drunk on 6/16/13.

A - gorgeous ruby, copper color. Different hues are picked up when looked at in different lights. Little head and lacing.

S - sweet mother of cherries. Straight up morello cherries all over the hizzy. The usual sour/lambic aromas are present (vinegar, barnyard funk, acidic wine), but it's the cherries that comes through and sets this apart.

T - boom. Cherries, mang. Tart, puckering vinegary, wine, Pinot, gruner veltliner (comes to mind), oak is there but a little hidden.

M - refreshing, crisp, light champagne-like effervescence. Great lingering finish. For me, not overly sour but perfectly tart.

O - my first time trying Supplication and I really wanted to try it "fresh". Not sure how it will age but the cherries just come blasting through. From my limited experience, this doesn't quite drink like a traditional kriek. It seemingly has its own identity that simply relies on cherries (as well as the funky bacteria, oak, Pinot). So distinct and special.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2013 03:34:17 | More by EliotRosewater

evbask1

California

5/5  rDev +9.4%

06-16-2013 23:59:58 | More by evbask1

OC_Beer_Fan

California

4.5/5  rDev -1.5%

06-16-2013 22:24:19 | More by OC_Beer_Fan

Rocklobsterbrew

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +3.9%

06-16-2013 18:21:59 | More by Rocklobsterbrew

zacharrry

California

5/5  rDev +9.4%

06-16-2013 15:58:22 | More by zacharrry

craft_shannie

Indiana

5/5  rDev +9.4%

06-16-2013 12:03:35 | More by craft_shannie

anson42

California

4/5  rDev -12.5%

06-16-2013 01:16:50 | More by anson42

stogirelli

Florida

4.5/5  rDev -1.5%

06-16-2013 01:07:24 | More by stogirelli

metter98

New York

4.55/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: The beer is hazy brownish red in color. It poured with a half finger high beige head that has excellent retention properties and hardly died down, consistently leaving a thin head covering the surface.
S: Moderate to strong aromas of Pinot Noir barrels are present in the nose along with notes of oak.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and also has notes of sourness and cherries, the latter of which particularly stand out in the finish.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a little acidic on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: I really enjoyed the balance and complexity of this beer as you could taste all of the flavors in equal proportions.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 19:21:43 | More by metter98

smithj4

New York

4.75/5  rDev +3.9%

06-15-2013 19:07:15 | More by smithj4