Supplication - Russian River Brewing Company

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

4.48/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I finished an in-depth review and the damn thing didn't save!

I had been saving this for my 2000th review, but then Rutager sent me something I'm sure I'll enjoy more.

A: Amber with a bubbly, cream-coloured head, some retention, shows some leg.

S: Pleasant funk, with a little tart/sour aroma.

T: The lacto & pedo sourness is a bit much for my palate, but I like the funk from the Brett. This is like a Flanders done in the Extreme American style. Leather, steelie mineral, hay, cherry, wheaty biscuit, balanced bitterness, alcohol is subtle.

M: Well-attenuated, moderate body, quite bubbly, some acidity, crisp, very dry finish.

D/O: I know this is a top 50 brew, but I'm still surprised I really like this (I'm not a sour guy). I'd say this is better than many Belgian brews... though personally, I'd still prefer a New Glarus Belgian Red.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2012 00:31:10 | More by Derek

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4.47/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy reddish orange with some sdiment and a nice white head that fades pretty quickly. The smell is wonderful- sour cherries and a bit of funkiness. The taste is even better, with an acetic quality to start followed by a long slightly bitter finish. There is some funkiness,but its restrained. There is also a noticeable hit of cherries at the end. I'm putting one of these bottles down for a yewar to see what happens. Very crisp mouthfeel. Eminently refreshing and drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2007 23:22:53 | More by Georgiabeer

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

4.6/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Review #500. Decided to go with a nice treat from RR.

Batch 3

Poured into tulip glass.

Opens with a nice big pop very easily. I should have been a little more careful opening this guy. I took one small wif from the bottle and my mouth is already watering.

Poured slowly but a nice big near 2 finger head that is colored very slight tan. Decent retention leaving some nice lace walls down the glass. Aroma is a clear peach hued copper.

Aroma: Vinegar/acidic aromas, tart cherries, oak/wood, tons of wild notes. Mmmm it is delicious.

Taste: These sour beers are quite awesome. Not as much vinegar/acidic flavors here as I was expecting from the aroma (not that it's a bad thing). Cherries are tart, but not overly tart. The oak is a lot more dominate here and takes over the cherry flavor a bit. The wild yeasts obviously make this one tart. The taste is very dry.

Mouthfeel: Very sour and tart, but not as tart as others I have had. Still makes the mouth pucker. Medium bodied with a decent amount of carbonation. Ends with a very clean sour cherry flavored aftertaste.

Overall, one of the best sours out there imo. Very drinkable and I wish I had more of this. I will probably have to get some of the next batch when it comes out. All around a good beer. I really enjoyed that it wasn't overly dominated by vinegar and acidic tastes.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2009 19:44:11 | More by mothman

Dogbrick

Ohio

4.43/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to cmaruschak for sharing. Batch 001: Ruddy amber color with a thin light beige head that disappears almost immediately. Barely any light penetrates. Tiny rising bubbles and lacing that races down the sides of the glass. Aroma of grapes, brown sugar and sweet candy. Medium body with a smooth mouthfeel, and a bold vinous character. Flavors of dark cherry and light spice and oak. The flavoring does not linger too long though. The finish is extremely dry and feels like it is sucking the moisture from your tongue as you drink it. The finish is moderately sour and peppery. Overall a very well-made and enjoyable beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2006 21:22:28 | More by Dogbrick

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.85/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

GRADING IS BASED ON THIS ONE!: Batch 04X2. Massive thanks goes out to dyan for this bottle in a long past trade! Served from bottle into a Duvel tulip. Poured a massively hazy red-orange with a three finger off-white head that subsided to one finger slowly. Maintained excellent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, sour, tart, and a hint of dark fruit upon warming up. The flavor was of sweet malt, excellent sour, nice tart, dark fruit, hint of funk, and a floral note on the followthrough. It had a medium feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this brew is excellent. I must have more of this one!!! Definitely has an excellent aroma, but the flavor is other-worldly. I was really surprised how the floral note on the followthrough seems to cleanse you palate to prepare it for your next sip. Just purely amazing. This is probably my favorite Wild Ale that I have consumed to date without a doubt. Hope I can find something better in the future, but this one is going to be hard to top!

Batch 003! Massive thanks goes out to gcurlow for hooking this one up for beeruser and I to tick! Served from bottle into a Sweetwater snifter. Poured bright orange with a half finger off-white head that subsided to a minimal amount slowly. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, sour, wood, fruit, and funk. The flavor was of sweet malt, sour, funk, wood, tart, and fruit. It had a light feel on the palate with medium-high carbonation. Overall this was a fairly great brew still. I have been lucky to try this one multiple times and have never been disappointed. While this one did carry a slightly different flavor and aroma there really wasn't a huge difference between the two batches I've reviewed. However, the carbonation seemed to have dropped off a little bit on this one as it was a little older. Still definitely one of my favorite AWAs out there today. 4.5 appearance/4.5 aroma/4.5 tate/4 mouthfeel/4.5 overall

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2010 14:08:57 | More by thagr81us

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.72/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Batch 004

A: Beautiful amber/orange hue with tiny cherry particles floating everywhere (I emptied every last drop of the beer), creating a speckled appearance similar to a robin's egg . Nice head retention and lacing.

S: Mouth watering. What an enticing pleasant sour aroma with prominent fresh cherries.

T: Even better than I hoped for. This is exactly the sweet/sour balance I have been looking for in a cherry beer. The cherry flavor is so delicious, it floored me. The beer is sour, but not overly so, and has hints of sweetness that meld brilliantly. It just tastes so clean and fresh - I don't know how else to describe it. I could go on and on singing Vinnie's praises...

M: No alcohol detectable whatsoever. The finish is fantastic, with a light wild yeast and cherry pie aftertaste.

D: This beer is chuggable and dangerous. I wish I had an entire cellar full of this. Easily one of the best and most enjoyable beers I have ever had.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2010 04:05:06 | More by Huhzubendah

ccrida

Oregon

4.13/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On draught at Belmont Station, served in a chimay goblet, Supplication is a gorgeous pale burgundy rose, with a small white head that leaves light lace.

Smell is pretty funky, a lactic sourness and touch of musty brett horseblanket, with touches of wine and tropical fruits, limes in particular, it sweetens as it warms.

Taste is tart but not overly sour (well at least compared to the last RR sour I had, Beatification), lots of acidity, which is my favorite sour component, citrusy but not particularly vinous, or woody for that matter. Maybe not the most complex wild ale, but it's very tasty and hitting the spot on this 100F day.

Mouthfeel is spritzy and dry, with a medium body and some lingering tannins, which seem to be the main contributions from the wine barrel aging.

Drinkability is very nice, flavorful and acidic without being overly sour or sweet, no vinegar notes either, it's really close to my taste in wild ales, well made, and gets bonus points for rarity, especially on draught!

Serving type: on-tap

08-15-2008 16:57:01 | More by ccrida

RoyalT

Ohio

4.85/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance – This one is a bright orange in color and very cloudy with a moderate head that went down rather quickly as is typical of the style. The liquid though just lit up the room.

Smell – The big malted notes and controlled sourness are in perfect balance at the nose. I am amazed at how exactly even the balance here is between the malts and sour fruits. The cherries are most dominant I think but there are lots of other sweets in here.

Taste – The brown malts here are just gorgeous. I just love the wonderful Belgian lightly-toasted malts and how they played with the sourness of this ale. The sour flavors are extremely refined. This is not a hurtful sourness or something meant to knock you off your barstool. This is a sour flavor, mated equally with the malt, to encourage a broader acceptance of this style.

The fruits are exciting and, again, could be appreciated by those unfamiliar with this style not commonly found here in the US. The cherries are the most prominent, but I can pick up a diverse sugary complexity that consists mostly of citrus and darkish fruits like dark berries.

The lambic nature of this ale is unmistakable. This is like a great raw lambic with incredible smoothness mated to big Belgian malts and some nice fruits.

Mouthfeel – This one is medium-bodied with some comfortable sourness in the mouth and a light bitterness at the very end. Even the finish is balanced.

Drinkability – This is the first sour Belgian Ale that I wanted to drink all night. I really had a hard time finding fault with this Russian River offering.

Comments – This was an “early preview” of Vinnie’s next batch that will condition in the bottle for another nine months or so prior to release. I’m not sure how much better this one can get, but I want to thank the brewmaster for sharing this wonderful sour ale with me, my wife, and rapopoda who was also in town for barrel-tasting weekend.

One more note. I’m hesitant to send in a change of style request since I am certainly no expert on Belgian sour ales, but the big malt here makes me think that this is more of a brown (Oud Bruin) than a red. However, this is aged in oak (old pinot noir barrels), so who knows.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2005 03:02:43 | More by RoyalT

largadeer

California

4.83/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This bottle is from batch 002.

Appearance: Deep, dark transparent red with a small blanket of foam that fades into a ring pretty quickly.

Aroma: Lactic sourness with a hint of sweetness. Unripened cherries and slight funk. The wine barrel becomes more noticeable as it warms. Outstanding.

Taste: Cherries and raspberries, oaky tannins, just a touch of sweetness. The dry finish really brings out the wine barrel flavors.

Mouthfeel: Moderate acidity. Medium-to-light bodied, but the tart quality of the ale gives it a refreshing quality. Gentle carbonation.

Drinkability: Normally such an acidic beer would keep the drinkability fairly low for me, but this is so good that I honestly don't mind it.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2007 02:35:31 | More by largadeer

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4.93/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a hazy orange-ish/ light amber color, with a light tan head. In the aroma, big tart cherries, with some oakiness. In the taste, SOUR!! cherry, oak hints and a touch of vanilla. A sour bite, and a medium to light mouthfeel, with a dry, tart cherry and white grape aftertaste. Big sour, big cherry, FANTASTIC!!

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2008 14:00:32 | More by OWSLEY069

gford217

Georgia

4.4/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Batch 003 bottle poured into a tulip.

Pours a slightly hazy brownish amber with a bubbly off-white head that remains a cap throughout and leaves very good lacing.

The aroma is wonderfully complex with sour red cherries on a big bready malt base with hints of citrus, lemons especially. The wood character is evident as well and hints of funk as well, but not overpowering.

The taste is just as nice with a lip-puckering sour kick up front with cherries and bits of lemony funk. The background malts really support the sourness well and the finish is nice and dry with lots of wood and vanilla. The brett kicks it up a notch in the taste and makes the taste very nice all the way around.

The mouthfeel has clearly been influenced by the barrels as it is dry and wine-like in the finish. It's still nice and creamy with strong carbonation though.

This is a fantastic example of a style that I'm really not into. It says a lot that I really enjoyed this one despite my palate not quite being ready for sours yet. Get some now.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2008 01:46:05 | More by gford217

scruffwhor

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Thanks go out to nn8dietz for picking this beer up for me.

I like the faitnly hazey ochre color to this brew. Two finger, bone colored head that recedes to a nice thick film of foam. Bubbling is unimpressive.

The aroma is a tart, cherry hint added to a sherry wine through and through. Add some young, Granny Smith apple skins to that as well. The malt bill has only a little whole grain white bread crust to the aforementioned aroma. I do seem to get a soft woddy not here and there as well. There seems to be a smokey note slinking around as well.

I taste super ripe cherry pie, crust and filling. Then tart, viney toasted Wonder bread crust and slightly fermented wine grapes.

The palate has no indication of aging in my opinion. Except for maybe this beer would more tart if it wasn't aged.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2011 22:26:15 | More by scruffwhor

TheLongBeachBum

California

4.85/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Batch 001
(Brewed on 11-Apr-04 and Bottled on 28-May-05)
Primary: Bastogne Ale Yeast (White Labs)
Conditioning: R.R. Wine 1

Listed as:
7.0%ABV / 1.064 O.G / 27 BUs


Presentation: 12.70 fluid ounce (375ml) greeny-brown glass bottle which has a rather unique look to it, flask like the dimpled underside and wide base with the tall proboscis like neck lend it a wine bottle feel. Single blue label is literally saturated with information about this brew. Principle data is that this is a brown ale aged for over 12 months in pinot noir wine barrels, during that period sour cherries, Brettanomyces, lactobacillus, saccharomyces and pediococcus are added. Refermented in the bottle, it is listed at 7.00% Alc. By Vol.

Listed as Batch 001. Cork and Caged with a white steel cap which has the words Russian River Brewing Company on it.

Appearance: Turbid ruddy sunset red-orange body that lays a rust bloom rainbow on my keyboard as the light from my desk lamp refracts through my Gueuze glass. Shame on me, I disobeyed the advice on the label, it recommends a Duvelian Goblet and not a straight sided glass, but I like to go against the grain (grape?) once in a while. The head forms into a manageable off-white beige covering that leaves a disappearing sliding lacing on the straight sided glass walls. Gentle swirls reveal a fizzing dissolved carbonation that regresses slowly. Final pour forms a lovely looking light brown uniform cap that stays around for some time.

Nose: Mild brown ale feel with some leathery sourness that prevails throughout. Hints of sour cherries and a gentle acidic distilled acerbic cherry essence in the back end. Light but sharp, cutting woody tones, soaked wooden wine barrels with a cold damp barn odor that hangs heavy. Wild yeasty finish cuts the resilient vinegary cherries and leaves you with a tingling nasal passage.

Taste: Starts with some sweetness, it flies quickly into a malty sour Brune which has a distinctive Belgian parentage that has benefited from a sunny education in the Wine laden region of Santa Rosa. The sour cherry rises in the middle but finishes with a red grape feel which imparts a warming glow on the tongue and cheeks. Immense talent shines in the relative youngster, it has a long way to go, and it is going to be one to keep an eye on. Established Lambic like character meets a Vino Youngster.

Mouthfeel: Acidic, dry, sharp, tingly, flashingly lambic-like, fleetingly sweet, prevalently sour, shockingly big. Take a mouthful of this, swirl it in the aural cavity, the feel of the dissolution of the dissolved carbonation is fucking huge, enough to produce a nasal backwash burp and cherry flavored bogies. The swallow is dessicacringent (I think that is a new word I just invented) followed by a cherry laden lambic twang with a low lying cheek pulling Kriek feel.

Drinkability: I hear that this one is gonna be available in 1.5 liter Magnums soon……wonder if they will sell those by Mail Order? I’m seriously tempted if they do. Needless to say, 12.7 fl.oz. is just *NOT* enough!! Dump the little bottles and start sticking this one in 750’s as at least as a minimum Vinnie.

Overall: Nice to try this one fresh, so to speak, but it is going to be a real pleasure to watch this one grow up.

Wine meets Beer.
Belgium meets the USA.
Flanders meets Northern California.
Art meets Brewer.

Russian River. Once Tasted – Always Loved - Never Forgotten.

Thanks to my good M8, East Coast Worker cum wannabe Northern-West Coast Resident; Gentleman BA Rapopoda. I’m not sure I am worthy of such a gift.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2005 04:12:09 | More by TheLongBeachBum

jrallen34

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I drank this batch 003 from a 375ml bottle into a Rochefort glass.

The beer pours a brownish ornange more of an orange tinge with a about 2 fingers of head that has a dark orange tint to it. The retention is great, the head lasts about 5 minuts but even after that is a heavy head that lasts forever. The lacing is great as well.

The aroma is slightly disappointing because its relatively light and not overtly complex. Mostly you just get some tartness overall with a little oak at the.

The taste is good not great. Just like the aroma its not complex just a very nice sour note from start to finish. I love sour but I want to be rewarded as well. At the end I get a little wood.

The feel is nice and coats well, drinkability is down a tad.

Overall, this is a pretty good wild ale but nothing spectactular. I prefer the RR Temptation.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2009 02:55:21 | More by jrallen34

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.72/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I had this on tap at TJ's Restaurant and Drinkery's 7th Anniversary event.

Lightly hazed cherry juice color w/ tiny bead ring for head - not expected to have much really, though. The lace clings in spots and the color is rosy w/ clarity that is transclucent as expected for the style. The smell has plenty of sweet scents yet a good dose of tart cherry in there too, the aroma gives a mild compliment of lemony sour with mild sweet cherry-like tinges from the wild yeast. The feel is vibrant, light dry and tangy with moderate acidity. the tartness is slight, not overly sour with moderately high carbonation and gentle berry juiciness.

The flavor is so concentrated with fresh juiced tart cherry and light sweet flavors w/ dry tannic fruit skin notes. The mild pie-like cherry flavor is sweet and acidic at the same time giving a mildly astringent effect on the palate w/ a bit of bitterness from the hops but only slight and the oak gives a mild olive like bitter oily element to the fruity sour in the flavor. There is mild hop spice to accent all the oak and berry complexity. This is a fantastic wild ale, so surpremely drinkable which as Chris Lively said, Vinnie attempted a flavor akin to aged Orval, and he definitely achieved that. The flavor and drinkabililty go above and beyond. I was sad when I noticed it kicked in only a couple hours - so much cherry goodness.

Serving type: on-tap

12-06-2010 17:14:30 | More by Slatetank

dirtylou

Washington

4.47/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

375ml bottle, bottleworks. obscenely priced but obscenely good.

from notes.

appearance: split and served in my hopleaf tulip, deep crimson-orange body, active carbonation and a light bubbly beige head

smell: quite tart - sour cherry, oak barrel, wet straw. very funky

taste: a definite tongue-buckler, the tartness is very high and the abundance of cherry plays well off the sharp oak notes, sprizzy carbonation, straw, hay and other barnyard funk on display. I only wish it were more affordable.

mouthfeel: blasting carbonation, high tartness

overall: great

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2011 18:46:28 | More by dirtylou

Bitterbill

Wyoming

4.9/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I got this bottle of batch 00s thanks to a trade with Tayner. Thanks Dana!

It pours a hazy peach colour with a 1" head of foam.There's some good lacing and foam is shrinking but looks like some of it will be around at the end of the session. Ok, the foam did leave the scene entirely but, what the hell..

The smell is just what I like to find in American Wild Ales...huge sour notes from cherries and lemons. Also a big yeasty profile with some vanilla and oak. Super nice nose.

The taste is as good if not better than the nose. Wow. Big oaky and yeasty notes with some yeasty tones and big fruity tartness from lemons, apricots, and cherries. There's also an underlying sweetness coming from vanilla. And did I mention the funk? No? My bad. The Brett is definitely present here working its magic, intertwining with all the other luscious flavours. and bringing real justice to the style.

Marvelous, simply marvelous. The mouthfeel is medium, the carbonation is brisk but fits this ale so well, and it finishes with that sour cherry tartness that just demands that I take another sip tout suite. Eminantly drinkable for me, to say the least.

This is a world class brew in my book and thanks go out again to Dana for sending this my way!

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2008 17:58:41 | More by Bitterbill

beertunes

Washington

3.9/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review #600 for me. Bottle numbered 04x2. Poured into crystal tulip. Poured a coppery orange amber color with just a trace of tan head that didn't have much retention or lacing.

Some fruit hides behind the upfront vinegary scent, with a bit of yeast adding some funkiness. The flavors were similar, just magnified. The dry bitterness was dominate and the flavors lurk in the background.

Body is good for the style, although I found it a bit thin. Drinkability was good, depending your tolerance for sourness. Overall, a good beer, worth a shot for anyone and a must try for sourheads.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2010 22:57:56 | More by beertunes

TurdFurgison

Ohio

3.58/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 375ml bottle stamped as "batch 001".

I bought this in CA a few weeks ago, and was really looking forward to trying it. The bottle says "Brown ale aged in oak barrels with cherries added." The bottle goes on to say it's aged for 1 year.

I had hoped for a different flavor out of this beer. I expected a wild ale, maybe a little sour due to the Brett. But this tasted mostly along the lines of a Rodenbach or La Folie. Extremely sour, with some cherry flavor in the background.

If you like Flanders Reds, then you should love this beer. If you expect something else (like I did), you'll be disappointed.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2005 12:34:31 | More by TurdFurgison

DefenCorps

Oregon

4.7/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Largadeer earned himself a spot in the Book of Heroic Successes by procuring a growler of this batch of Supplication (which I gather is different from batch 004 that will be released in February). Thank you, Chris.

The growler doesn't really pop (it's over 2 weeks old at this point), but the pour is quite gorgeous. Mildly hazy reddish brown with a dense, beige head with excellent retention and some lacing, this beer also has a gentle but steady stream of carbonation. The head lasts until I drink my entire -TION tulips worth

The nose makes my toes curl. An absolutely fantastic aroma that's a blend of funk, acids, fruits and wine, the balance is quite breathtaking. Opening with a blend of fruity cherries, a little acetic character and a little lactic sourness, the red wine (pinot noir, but I doubt I could nail it at that) character is excellent too. In addition to the cherries, I also get a little raspberry-like character, a little leather, a little brown sugar-like sweetness. The funk is a blend of barnyard, lemon and earthy hay. Mildly oaky with a little vanilla too. Fabulous.

The palate opens with a sharp sourness, a blend of vinegar-like acidity, cherry sourness followed quickly by a rather big vinous character, more than I remember in the previous batches. The leathery, berry-like, mild cocoa notes of the wine pair beautifully with sourness that opens the palate. Funk character is moderate, dominated just a little bit by the sourness and fruit character. Mildly lactic on the finish, the clean sourness enhances the vinous character. Tannic character is moderate, appearing on the finish that's mildly drying. Medium-light in body with a moderate level of carbonation, this beer is quite stunning.

A growlerful? Well, I can't remember the last one I did that with, but the only one I came close to was with Younger. This beer just goes to show Vinnie's genius, I am looking forward to the next 3 hours with this beer.

Fresh, this batch is a bit more vinous than I remember previous batches being. Fantastic stuff

*Edit*
I'm currently on my 5th glass, and have to admit that I am completely loving the big, fruity, sour and vinous character of this beer.

Serving type: growler

01-07-2010 02:05:46 | More by DefenCorps

francisweizen

Australia

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

750ml bottle, test batch #1.

Dark orangeish/red with a nice head of light beige/tan foam that dies kind of quickly, but is easily revitalized by swirling my oversized wine glass. Some lace is present as well and it is quite sticky and leaves some interesting patterns. The aromas are all brett, lacto, and sour cherry/oaky funk. Beautiful. The taste is a beautiful blend of funk, oak, cherries, acidic notes, and more. The mouthfeel is super creamy, smooth, and this beautiful brew just slides down ones throat. Drinkability is perfect as well. This is similar yet different than Alexander Rodenbach, but man this stuff is probably better! Just a brilliant Flemish red sort of hybrid oaky cherry brew.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2005 19:15:22 | More by francisweizen

twiggamortis420

Texas

4.4/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

375 mL bottle from batch 04x2, thought it would be fitting for my 1000th review. Pours a crystal clear amber hue with a fluffed, cream colored head. Pretty good retention for a sour and leaves a nice ring or two of lace.

Balanced aroma of cedary wood, funky brettomyces and some light-ish sour notes. Vinous a bit and the pinot barrels are evident as is some cherry notes. Smells better as it warms, and I like the fact that it is not just all sour all the time, there are many subtle nuances on display.

Taste has just about everything one could want in a sour ale; wood, brett, lacto and cherries. It is nice that the sourness stays with you all the way through the bottle rather than the palate adjusting after a few sips like some other sours I have had. Brett presence is deep and rich and actually fights the lacto to a draw, both are heavy hitters. Tart cherries play an integral role as well. Yeast addition softens the flavors some at the end of the bottle and it is a sad moment indeed when the last few drops of a Supplication drain from the lip of the bottle. Fantastic brew! I am not sure I could ever pass up a bottle of this at a beer store.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2010 15:52:03 | More by twiggamortis420

nickfl

Florida

4.22/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours with one finger of light tan head that rests on top of a perfectly clear, amber-brown body with delicate streams of carbonation rising to the surface. The foam settles down to thin layer after a minute or so and leaves moderately thick rings of lace on the walls of the glass.

S - An acidic aroma that is reminiscent of a Flemish red beer. Notes of dry caramel malt and black cherries blend with balsamic vinegar and earthy licorice.

T - Tart pie cherries up front with some lightly sweet caramel. More sour cherry notes in the middle with a deep, earthy funk note beginning to come out. Things finish up with more tart fruit and caramel along with notes of plum, white wine, green olives, and earthy hop flavors but only light bitterness. Lingering wild yeast character along with stone fruit and oak in the aftertaste.

M - Medium body, moderately high carbonation, and a very dry finish.

D - An excellent beer that really show off the potential for non traditional sour beer matured in barrels. Nothing is wasted or excessive here; the cherry contributes a great deal of complexity while the wine barrel aging is a background note that briefly pops out as a distinctive, vinous character in the finish. The sourness and bone dry finish both work to enhance the drinkability of an already very quaffable beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2011 04:27:30 | More by nickfl

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

4.7/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

375 ml bottle split and poured into a Bruery tulip. 7.00% ABV, serve in a tulip, Batch 04X3.

Huge thanks to Todd for bringing the Supplication to our Russian River tasting!

A - The distribution of such a small bottle is though between 4 guys but we made it work and it still looks good. Hazy, muddy brown beer is coated by a thin but lingering off-white cream head. Lots of lace covers the glass.

S - The wild funky nose is nearly orgasmic with a bold sour punch that floods the nostrils with a fruity, ester background and a damp wood funk. Not a whole lot of what I would expect as far as wild, barnyard smells, but the aroma is simply amazing. I can't stop taking huge breaths from the glass!

T - Strong sour funk blasts the palate instantly. Damp wood and horse blanket appear more in the flavor than the nose. The tartness of the cherries comes through but not the fruitiness that appears in the nose. This is one perfect wild!

M - The super-sour blast is almost palate-demolishing with a nice tart, medium-light-bodied finish. The mouthfeel is pretty dang nice going down.

D - The 375 ml bottle is more than enough for any one person I would imagine but the beer still causes mouthwatering just thinking about it between each sip. So delicious despite the heavy flavor and feel on the tongue.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2010 12:23:55 | More by BeerFMAndy

tpd975

Florida

4.68/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to myself for this one wow did I like it.

A: Pours a nice murky amber hue with a huge rocky head in the proper barrel aged Russian River tulip. Nice tiny bubbles rise to the top to maintain the head. Overall excellent head retention.

S: Wonderful aromas with tons of tart Bing Cherries. You can tell this one is barrel aged as the oak vanilla and sour wine really come thru.

T: Even better than the aroma. This one is worth every dollar I spent to get it shipped to Florida. Tons of tart ripe cherries right from the start. The barrel ageing really comes thru with tons of oak and vanilla. Wow very vineous this is one well crafted brew. Beneath all this there is just a touch of sweetness. I bought a second to trade but I am sorry I will be enoying it myself.

M: Light in body very spritzy. Very guezue like wonderful overall.

D: I love this, glad I shared it but could have enjoyed it myself no problem.

Overall: Great Brewer, Great Beer... If you have not tried it do all you can to get it. Wonderful!!

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2008 18:44:37 | More by tpd975