Consecration - Russian River Brewing Company

tectactoe

Michigan

4.2/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to GetMeAnIPA for this one... my first RR sour! Consecration pours a pretty damp and dreary copper-brown color with some very slight ruby-red highlights when held in front of a bright light. The head is a murky beige color, borderline light-tan, and dissipates quickly into thin air leaving behind only a little bit of wet legging. I'll tell you this, it's not much to look at really. Kind of dark and musty looking - I guess it fits the style. I was just expecting something a bit more vibrant. The aroma is heavy fruit; currants, grapes, cherries, mixed berries. Very tart on the nose alone. The aroma makes up for the vibrance that was lost on its appearance. Slight wet, woody smell trailing in the back somewhere, but not much (if any) funk or brett. Just straight up tart and sour fruits and vinegar.

Aaaaand the taste is an explosion on the tongue. It is the aroma in "taste" form. You get hit right up front with a strong acidity and balsamic-like vinegar character. Starts off just a bit sour, then quickly the tartness overcomes every corner of your mouth and becomes nearly pucker-inducing. Grapes, berries, plums, currants, cherries, and even a touch of apricot in the finish. Juicy, juicy, JUICY ass fruits; authentic, quenching, tart, and satisfying. I'm sure there are plenty of fruits and flavors I'm missing, as there are plenty of things I can't quite identify - but the harmony between them is pretty amazing.

About halfway through and even earlier when the beer gets warmer, the wood flavors come out - wet, damp, deep oak. Slightly musty and corky, but still, not much on the funky or barnyard side of the spectrum, which might be a good thing - I don't know if I'd want anything else distracting me from this delicious onslaught of gushing, sour fruits. Vinegar becomes even more prominent at the end in the fruity and sweet aftertaste. Alcohol? What alcohol? This beer is 10% ABV? Are you fucking kidding me? No idea how the alcohol is masked this well, but it is. Watch out, this beer will put you on your ass if you're not careful. Medium bodied, crispy and slightly dry with a heavy load of carbonation.

My first RR wild ale, and hopefully not my last. This was some seriously good shit. So satisfyingly tart, sour, and sweet with a perfect flavor profile of authentic fruits. Insanely drinkable for such a high ABV. Ridiculous.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2013 04:59:23 | More by tectactoe

tun

New York

4.75/5  rDev +6.3%

06-20-2013 02:11:39 | More by tun

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3.74/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle from strang. Batch 008. From notes.

A - Deep red colour, cloudy with one finger of light brown head that fizzled away fast. Quite effervescent. No lace, no retention.

S - Grapes, plums, Brett, some wood, lemon candy, mustiness.

T - Tart with grapes and not much else. Musty, tart, lemons, not much 'dark' to speak of, it's mostly just a Brett assault. Maybe a tiny bit of dark fruit was there. No alcohol.

M - Strong carbonation, medium to full body, puckering tart finish.

O/D - Enjoyed it. Too bad there couldn't be more malt complexity with the Brett dialed back. Carbonation was also a bit much and made tasting a bit difficult. Not bad for a wild ale though and was pleasant to drink, but didn't seem to break new ground for the style .

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2013 17:33:52 | More by tbeckett

t_carterb

Georgia

3/5  rDev -32.9%

06-19-2013 15:47:55 | More by t_carterb

JasonFromLA

California

4.75/5  rDev +6.3%

06-19-2013 07:06:15 | More by JasonFromLA

Johnny58

California

4.5/5  rDev +0.7%

06-19-2013 06:42:52 | More by Johnny58

chaseabeer

Oklahoma

4.75/5  rDev +6.3%

06-19-2013 03:09:08 | More by chaseabeer

profbobo

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +0.7%

06-18-2013 23:58:11 | More by profbobo

bcm75

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +6.3%

06-18-2013 23:57:05 | More by bcm75

taylor714914

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +6.3%

06-18-2013 23:05:46 | More by taylor714914

TheGoof

Michigan

4/5  rDev -10.5%

06-18-2013 19:27:32 | More by TheGoof

Jpirkle2715

California

4.25/5  rDev -4.9%

06-18-2013 01:53:44 | More by Jpirkle2715

KyleMA

California

4.5/5  rDev +0.7%

06-17-2013 23:52:11 | More by KyleMA

SteeleWright

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +0.7%

06-17-2013 03:46:07 | More by SteeleWright

dbrauneis

New Jersey

4.45/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A: Pours a relatively clear crimson red in color with some heavy amounts of active visible carbonation and some ruby red highlights. The beer has a finger and a half tall fizzy yet creamy tan head that slowly reduces to a thin film covering the majority of the surface of the beer with a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Light amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate to heavy aromas of tartness/sourness with dark fruit (cherries and currants) and heavier smells of red wine and oak.

T: Moderately tart upfront with some vinous notes, hints of balsamic vinegar, and a moderate amount of sour cherries. Light to moderate flavors of oak and red wine along with some dark fruits (currant). Moderately tart which lingers in the finish.

M: Medium bodied with moderate to heavy amounts of carbonation. Relatively dry in the finish with a heavy amount of acidic prickliness.

O: Reminds me more of drinking a slightly tart red wine than a beer (so to speak) but it is definitely an enjoyable experience. Due to the tartness, it was one that I needed to enjoy by sipping rather slowly but it is definitely a phenomenal beer. Nice job of balancing the sourness with the red wine flavors.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2013 17:58:34 | More by dbrauneis

craft_shannie

Indiana

4.75/5  rDev +6.3%

06-16-2013 12:01:33 | More by craft_shannie

cjs61679

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +6.3%

06-16-2013 04:29:21 | More by cjs61679

stogirelli

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +0.7%

06-16-2013 01:10:00 | More by stogirelli

jaxon53

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev -4.9%

06-15-2013 19:08:45 | More by jaxon53

metter98

New York

4.49/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: The beer is very dark crimson red in color and has a moderate to high amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger and a half high dark beige head that gradually died down, leaving wispy lacing on the surface and a collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of Cabernet Sauvignon wine barrels are present in the nose along with a slight amount of sourness.
T: The taste is similar to the smell, except that the wine isn't as prominent and there are also notes of oak and hints of cherries.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a little acidic on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer has a good balance for an barrel aged beer and doesn't seem too winey.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 17:32:20 | More by metter98

jnolan

New Jersey

4.75/5  rDev +6.3%

06-15-2013 01:36:07 | More by jnolan

ACB

California

4.75/5  rDev +6.3%

06-14-2013 22:36:56 | More by ACB

striker2160

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +0.7%

06-14-2013 00:04:14 | More by striker2160

djre4orm

Virginia

1.5/5  rDev -66.4%

06-13-2013 18:40:21 | More by djre4orm

beerinNV

Nevada

4/5  rDev -10.5%

06-12-2013 14:18:35 | More by beerinNV