Compunction - Russian River Brewing Company

rfgetz

New Jersey

4.4/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a every so lightly hazed and lightly darkened gold color, nice cap of white froth, leaving decent lacing. Scent is mild and at first lightly tart and sour, supported by a nice amount of fruit and freshly malted grain. Taste brings more sour and tart then nose lead me to believe was in here, strong notes of fruit (mango, light berry) and a solid amount of fresh malted grain. Medium bodied, carbonation not over the top, lightly dry. A very nice wild ale from RR, ranks up there with the bottled varities and has a bigger malt profile and a touch more fruit.

Serving type: on-tap

06-08-2011 17:31:50 | More by rfgetz

nickd717

California

4.4/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Huge thanks to alfrantzell for hooking up a "special growler" of this new tick.

Mostly clear deep amber in color with a lasting bubbly white head. Really looks excellent for the style.

Nice plum aroma along with a very Russian River like yeast aroma. Funky and musty with Brett and lacto evident.

The flavor is excellent, like most other Russian River sours. Big plum and pluot flavors, slight sweet malt notes (although the sweetness is minimal). Excellent tart and funky finish.

Really nice acidic tingling on the palate with a good level of carbonation. Medium bodied and very dry.

Overall, another really awesome sour from Russian River. Never surprising but always enjoyable.

Serving type: growler

12-02-2010 18:50:41 | More by nickd717

flexabull

California

4.55/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I feel lucky that I got to try this last night.

Beer pours a crisp gold color with a faint head.

Aromas are dusty, tart, and with a fair sour fruitiness.

Reminds me of a lighter Supplication. It has a more dry flavor then Supplication. But it still has a very sour fruity character. It's certainly dry, as mentioned before. .. and it finishes with a tart, dusty, and with a puckering quality. Another complex and well put together Russian River Wild Ale.

Mouthfeel is top notch. Every time I try a Russian River beer, I am always reminded at how full and thick they feel in your mouth. Excellent!

Drinkability is WAY up there. This one easily competes with Temptation and Supplication. Great stuff!

Serving type: on-tap

05-07-2007 04:21:04 | More by flexabull

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Russian River for the T25 party. Pour is a ruby grapefruit red, very hazy and a thin white head. The nose is a bit subtle, the plums are most prominent with some red wine notes, light acetic and lactic behind. The flavor is much more bright, strong plums, red wine and dry oak, assertive dusty brett funk, assertive sourness and light lactic note. Great body, light and airy with great carbonation and a dry finish. Very well balanced, nice sourness to balance the sweetness with a good barrel characteristic.

Serving type: on-tap

10-09-2012 17:08:07 | More by cpetrone84

mcallister

Ohio

4.72/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Reviewed from notes taken at DLD '08. Didn't know much about this beer when I bought it but must say it was the best beer I had on the four day beer excursion leading up to DLD.

Pours a clean golden color with a brillian white head holding hefty retention.

Aromas are fantastic and fruity with very sour almost vinegar like appeal. Apricot, hints of peach, pear and muscat grapes.

This beer just totally dominates the palate. Fresh sour tart flavors could almost be used as paint thinner (in a good way). Nice carbonation and a great 360 from all the stouts, barley wines and DIPA's I've had this weekend. A vinegar flavor in the middle full of ripe juicy fruits taste like it smells. A fabulous beer that I'm very happy I bought.

Serving type: on-tap

11-26-2008 12:16:54 | More by mcallister

Arbitrator

California

3.7/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the brewpub. From notes.

A: Pours an apricot body with some haziness to it. It's lighter than the Temptation I was double-fisting. The head is off-white, with good retention and some register marks down the glass.

S: Plum and apricot, yup yup yup. I've never had a pluot but I think I've figured out where the name comes from. It's oaky in the nose, with a contribution of (surprisingly) grapefruit. Lactic sourness, mineral notes, and a small barnyard note.

T: If you're looking for a fruit bomb, look elsewhere. It's fruity, but nicely integrated with other flavors to let everything have a say in the final product. Plums, apricots, grapefruit. It's quite bretty, moreso than the Temptation I ordered at the end of the glass. I pick up leather, hay, barnyard. The also brett seems to contribute a strong mineral note to the beer; I had this same complaint about Sanctification and I'm raising it again here. This is a good beer, but I just don't like the mineral finish. There is also a light, buttery oak presence in the finish. If this was wine-barrel aged, I'm not picking it up.

M: Carbonation is light-medium, but with the dry body it still seems pretty spritzy. As I mentioned above, the aftertaste is a bit of a turnoff. It wasn't harsh enough that I didn't want to drink it, but I was conscious of it during every sip.

D: It's good, and I'd certainly have it again, but I'm lukewarm about it in general. I enjoyed Temptation, Consecration, and Supplication more.

Serving type: on-tap

12-13-2010 05:24:10 | More by Arbitrator

Sean9689

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks goes to Relative Brewing for getting this for us from Russian River. Glad you guys have a great relationship and was able to score this.

A - Pours a yellow/orange color with some very large bubbles around the edge of the glass. No real lacing or retention to speak of, just the beer.

S - Oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, sour/tart, lacto funkyness. I like the fruity notes and funk. Very nice.

T - Same fruity funk as the nose, Chard-esk grape notes, oak/barrel.

M - Light, semi-dry finish, no carbonation.

D - Another great wild from RR, what else do you expect? I would really like to try this at the source. I'm going to adjust the A and M because this is coming out of a growler.

Serving type: growler

12-04-2010 21:59:07 | More by Sean9689

scottfrie

California

4.6/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Consumed at the brewery. Reviewed from notes.

A: Served a slightly hazy citrus-amber with a thin white collar of a head.
S: Sweet tart fruits, cranberries, currents and prunes. This has a fruit juice sweetness to it along with some vinous white grapes and a touch of citrus. Very delicious smelling.
T: Follows the nose with flavors of cranberries, plums, citrus and other fruits. The finish is full of sweet apricots and sweaty sock funk. The aftertaste has some citrus sourness to it and just a touch of lemon. As it warms more of the cheesey sock funk comes through.
M: Exceptionally clean mouthfeel, very refreshing with a manageable amount of sourness.
D: This one probably falls just after Temptation in the RRiver sourness scale. I really really hope they bottle it because I think this would do wonders with a little bit of age on it. One of the more uniquely flavored sours I've had. Well done!

Serving type: on-tap

02-06-2011 22:14:21 | More by scottfrie

AgentMunky

Alabama

4.28/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served in a footed glass at the brewery.

A: No head, hazy-dark body, slightly orange.

S: Sour fruit. Tart and nice. Obvious wine influence. Less obvious fruit. Lots of funky yeast.

T: Interesting. Light-bodied and full of lightly sour alcoholic wine-like fruit. Pretty much what I expected. Fruity tart-sweet. Excellent balance.

M: Smooth and tart. Smack worthy.

O: A good beer but perhaps not differentiable from other RR sour ales. Recommended. Would have

Serving type: on-tap

08-05-2012 02:56:43 | More by AgentMunky

nrbw23

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This was the first sour I ever had and it took some getting used to but I did enjoy this one. I had no idea what I was getting into on this one. Had this on Dark Lord Day and waited on the review until I had a few more of the style under my belt.

A- Pours a golden orangeish color. Reminded me of grapefruit juice in appearance.

S- Super sour and tart. Some fruits in there as well.

T- Quite a bit of fruity flavours and very sour. Probably the most sour thing I've ever drank or ate.

M- Lighter to medium in body and higher on carbonation.

D- Very interesting. I drank the whole glass and still getting used to the style but its growing on me for sure.

Serving type: on-tap

02-09-2009 22:38:32 | More by nrbw23

Westsidethreat

California

4.7/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Just now getting my reviews for Stone Sour Fest into the old CPU.

A: Hazed hay colored brew with a medium off white head on top. Pretty straight forward.

S: Grapefruit, coins, limestone and pineapple.

T: Starts tangy like vine ripened green fruit. More tangy flavors, this time pineapple, starfruit and mango puree comes next. A beautiful brett wave crashes in, bringing with it apricot, peach, banana and yogurt flavors. Vitamin C crystals pop in the mouth, bursting with flavor. Finishes spicy with aspects of dried hay and floral yeast.

M: Medium body, hard water mouthfeel yet soft carbonation.

D: Superb. Simply tremendous.

Serving type: on-tap

12-06-2007 01:46:54 | More by Westsidethreat

DovaliHops

California

4.7/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at T-25 weekend at RR. Pours a somewhat hazy dark orange color with a very small white head. Scent is absolutely fantastic. Very sour aromas with a good amount of funk. Some nice oaky aromas with tart apricot. I just learned what a pluot was, so I guess the apricot makes sense. Nice stone fruit aromas with some lovely barrel characteristics. Taste is just as fantastic! Great stone fruit flavors with intense sourness. If they had Temptation on draft, I would be able to do a side by side, but I'm almost positive this one is more sour. Funky yeasty flavors with nice oak and fruit. Mouthfeel is dry, light, and puckering. Drinkability is very high. Overall, one of RR's best beers. Wish they would bottle this one. Had it side by side with T-25, and although I really enjoyed both, Compunction is the better beer IMO.

Serving type: on-tap

08-15-2012 07:23:42 | More by DovaliHops

elNopalero

Texas

4.78/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is brewed with pluots.

This pours a clear golden straw with tight white bubbles and tight lacing.

Overwhelmingly sour and tart aroma hits you upfront, almost immediately—as I approached the glass to nose it the aroma caught me off guard. Strong and to the point, I like it!
Like a pluot? Maybe if said pluot was squeezed and some of the spray caught you in your eyes?

The flavor is sharp, intensely tart, it has a mouthpuckering sourness upfront and just rolls off the tongue.

Shippable, fantastic, dry finish.

So good I I made my sour drinking friend jealous. Best part—at the end, as it warmed, I caught some toasted coconut. Yet another amazing brew from Russian River.

Serving type: on-tap

08-06-2012 07:36:49 | More by elNopalero

younger35

Minnesota

4.63/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Tried this on tap at Dark Lord Day compliments of emerge077. I love Russian River and these wild sour ales are pretty much kick ass. Drank from a nice classy plastic cup (the way Vinnie intended).

Appearance- Pours a hazy golden yellow with a small bright white head that sticks around for quite a while. Leaves a decent cap and collar and some good lacing although it's hard to tell in on these stupid plastic cups.
Smell- Like you'd expect plenty of vinegary goodness stings the nostrils. Tart and fruity just the sharpness of the nose makes my mouth water. Light melon fruits such as watermelon and cantaloupe are the first thing that come to mind (it's hiding under all that twang but it's there!). Lightly funky and coarse (not as much as some) but not the focus like some other Russian River brews.
Taste- Wow, the smell prepared me for what was about to come but damn! Super sour and tart with a vinegar splash that puckers the lips. I thought it would be a bit fruitier but the amount of Brett in this badboy covers most of it up. It gets better as my mouth adjusts to the tart and the picks up a bit more. Something reminiscent of pomegranate and apricot are noticeable but all in all the acid dominates.
Mouthfeel- Medium to light body with sharp aggressive carbonation.
Drinkability- At first the beer is a little tart and is definitely a sipper. Once you adjust and the nuances begin to appear though it's a fantastic brew. Probably the most sour/tart brew that I've ever tasted and I loved it. Really tasty and a great beer that I'm glad I got to enjoy while waiting for my Dark Lord.

Serving type: on-tap

04-28-2008 03:40:28 | More by younger35

pwoods

Ohio

2.53/5  rDev -43.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

On tap at DLD. 8oz. sample

A: Cloudy apricot. Short white head, frothy. Not much retention but a bit of lacing.

S: Very sour. Vinegar. Oh, man, what am I getting myself into? Sweet but with overpowering sourness.

T/M: Loads of sour cherries in the front. Sourness is massive. Very tart cherries, cranberries, raspberries. Vinegar is nearly overpowering. Body is light and feels very watery. Mild bitterness in the back. Gherkins pickles keeps popping into mind. It actually makes my mouth pucker a bit and then water to try and dilute it.

D: I haven't had too many soured beers but this is by leaps and bounds the most sour. I made it about half way through the sample and had to call it quits. The vinegar and sourness just intensified far too much. I appreciate what RR and all these breweries are doing with sours but I just don't think I'll even develop a taste for them. There have been styles that I've 'not liked so much' in the past but none that I have not at least come around to and none that I continually can't finish.

Note: Please don't flame me :)

Serving type: on-tap

04-30-2008 01:17:47 | More by pwoods

notchucknorris

California

4.08/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap at O'Briens

A: Slightly hazy light brown and orange in color. Some small patches of white foam on the surface, but not much of a head.

S: Definitely smells like a sour. I picked up some cherry, lemon, brett and apricot along with a little bit of honey.

T: Sharp sour bite right away and then a nice apricot sweetness, with a little malt and carbonation that numbs the sourness a bit. A little lemon on the finish. This beer is definitely a sour, but not overwhelmingly so. Well balanced and definitely lighter than most of the other "tion" beers.

Serving type: on-tap

02-04-2011 01:06:42 | More by notchucknorris

SpdKilz

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Drove up seven hours to Sacramento to stay at Abel's (abecall98) in Sacramento this past Friday, then drove another two hours Saturday morning to go to Santa Rosa. I have heard about this beer for quite some time and am extremely pumped I was able to try it on tap.

Appearance - Poured into a standard tulip at the RR brew pub. Pours a wonderful golden hay color with less than a finger of head that dissipates relatively fast leaving slight lacing.

Smell - Woah! Tart! The smell of this immediately makes me realize this sour is different from the others Vinnie has made. Great barnyard funk, must, wet hay, and great tart fruits. This beer is making my mouth water way more than other RR sours!

Taste - "Drool"...wow. My mouth puckers up immediately with the initial sip. A very complex sour/wild ale. The barnyard funk hits the palate first which is followed almost immediately by the citrus fruits such as peaches, berries, and green apple. A bit more acidic than other RR sours out there but I really enjoy it. Finishes a hint dry. Wow.

Mouthfeel - lighter bodied, prickly carbonation, refreshing.

Drinkability - This one actually took me a while to drink, but that does not downplay it's drinkability. An amazing beer. Very glad I was able to try it.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2011 04:00:54 | More by SpdKilz

callmemickey

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Dark, golden-copper body. Clear. Moderate sized frothy white head with solid lacing.

S: Nice funky-earthy-woody notes play on top of peach-apricot fruit notes.

T: Similar to the nose. A healthy interplay between funky notes and softer peach-apricot notes. Interesting but not my favorite flavor profile.

M: Medium bodied. Dry with a bit more carbonation than probably necessary.

O: Nice, but not the best Russian River offering

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2011 05:44:49 | More by callmemickey

mithrascruor

California

3.95/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at O'Brien's, San Diego.

Pours a hazy light straw/gold color with a light white head. Mild sour aroma with a hint of vanilla and wheat. Light bodied with medium carbonation and easy to drink (low ABV too). Tastes of cherry, wheat, and some light yeast. Good, but not particularly compelling to me.

Serving type: on-tap

01-30-2011 23:06:59 | More by mithrascruor

OStrungT

California

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

This beer pours a cloudy orange color, with pretty much no head. What little head that was present was slightly off white. It left some off white leace on the glass.

This beer has a sour aroma. It smells of tart fruit. It has a slight viniger aroma as well, but the viniger aroma certainly did not detract from this beer. I could also smells a slightly spicy aroma when I looked hard.

This beer tastes just like it smells. Sour, with tart fruit and viniger. The slight spicy aroma I detected was present in the flavor as well.

This beer was highly carbonated, suiting the style. It left a sour aftertaste.

I am not sure this beer would make the best session beer. It is not high in alcohol, but it is sour, and aggressive.

Overall: I loved this beer, and could probably drink it all night. I wish this beer would be made more available.

Serving type: on-tap

02-18-2008 20:08:48 | More by OStrungT

Dreadnaught33

District of Columbia

4.33/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Growler thanks to Huhzubendah, thanks a lot for this Matt. This is my 500th review, and a fittingly rare beer to have for this review. We all bow to the Russian river sours.

The beer pours a color similar almost to an ipa with an orange semi hazy hue, but the head is very bubbly not fluffy white at all. Sme lacing left on the sides, and some bubbles in the body of the beer clinging to the glass.

The smell is very nice, a great blend of berries, stone fruits like apricot or peach and funkiness, a very nice aroma that I expect from Russian river sours. clean and not overpowering.

The beer is quite sour, but has nice flavor to back it up. High acidity in the front, almost citrus like and then a biscuit type malt center and an abrupt finish. Great fruit notes in the flavor, peach and apricot, some berries.

The feel is tart and nice, almost like a very lemony tea with a little carbonation in the feel.

Overall a nice beer, glad to have tried it.

Serving type: growler

08-25-2012 23:55:15 | More by Dreadnaught33

seaoflament

California

4.93/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Big thanks to AgentSteve for trading me a growler of this expensive beer!

Opened this one inside the Lost Abbey during the Port 2nd Anniversary Party. From my notes.

Wow, oh wow!

Poured a golden color, very similar to an ipa. Very good retention.

The aroma was amazing. Malty, tart, fruity, well balanced. There was some sea salt, pear, citrus fruits, vinegar and funk. There were fruits like pears, apricots, and grapes.

The taste was very similar and also included some dry white grapes or white grape skins, vinegar and a mix of berries. Very tart but not overly sour. It had a nice dry finish that kept you asking for more. This was too easy to drink.

One of the best sour beers I have ever had.

Serving type: growler

05-04-2008 03:29:58 | More by seaoflament

JAXSON

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2009 rate.

On tap at Monk's Cafe. Let me preface this by stating that I've eaten a pluot, and I didn't care for it. I didn't get a ton of pluot influence in this beer. It poured a really clear light amber, which makes me think perhaps this would be better from closer to the bottom of the keg. Compared with the Supplication, this was was lighter in body, more sour, a little less bretty, and kind of chewier. Of course tight, refined, non-acidic, all huge positives which always make Russian River a winner in this style. It might be asking too much of the beer for it to carry a stronger pluot influence, but from what I remember that was a dull, boring fruit. Nevertheless, a nicely made, refreshing brew, kind of interesting, but I'd like to see more residual sweetness from the fruit.

Serving type: on-tap

01-27-2011 01:54:19 | More by JAXSON

ggaughan

Pennsylvania

4.72/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Sampled with my cousin krkearney. Thanks keith. What a treat this is.

The beer poured a clear golden color with a thin but bubbly white head that stuck around for a bit. There was nice fruity (based on the pluots that are aged in this) aroma and some funky earthy tones as well. the taste is fruity up front, apricot maybe and tart throughout. This is another fine example of a wild ale from RR and I can't see anything wrong with this one. There is a lingering fruit taste that runs around the mouth and sticks on the tongue and some peppery notes that are mixed in as well. I think the plummy taste at the end is a nice finish to this fine beer. I really wish this made it to bottles but this sampling will do me for now.

Serving type: on-tap

05-10-2007 03:51:45 | More by ggaughan

oglmcdgl

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at monks in philly after the rr dinner.

A- a small cap of off white head that settles rather quickly and leaves no lace. Deep pink red brown in color with some haze to it.

S- nice sharp sour hit and a good funky woody punch. Fruity and tart with some berries and grape notes.

T- opens up with a solid fruity sour and wet funky oak. surprisingly fruity with some berries and grape must. The oak keeps developing as it warms and really shows its depth.

M- a bit less then medium in body. Not heavy but brightly carbed with small bubbles. Awesome tannic semi dry quality.

O- another great sour from the man that can't brew a bad beer. For a non fruited wild ale the fruity character of the beer is impressive. I'm so glad I was able to enjoy this with by good bud onix1agr, rip little black.

Serving type: on-tap

06-08-2011 18:47:31 | More by oglmcdgl