Consecration - Russian River Brewing Company

Sechavar

California

4.93/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Got a bottle of Batch 1 (involuntary response) from Hi Times in Costa Mesa, CA. Smelled like currant jam and a little bit of balsamic vinegar had been smeared right on my upper lip, and I eagerly awaited licking it off. Poured like juice, slightly viscous, thin syrup, like from canned fruit. Little to no head. Tastes like (involuntary response) currants picked at the peak of perfection, crushed by the feet of nubile virgins. And I was licking their feet, gratefully, smacking my lips, licking my lips, leaving it in my mouth just to tease to see how long I could go without swallowing it. When it was finished, I was a little tipsy and begging for more.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2009 03:38:07 | More by Sechavar

IrieJackalope

California

4.93/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Picked up a bottle of this on a recent trip out to the RR brewpub in Santa Rosa. $22/bottle, but after trying a few glasses of the stuff at the pub I knew it was well worth the price.
I poured it into my Russian River goblet and was greeted by the tangy smell of Brett and the other wild yeast that Russian river uses to make their sours pack the punch they do. The color is deep, deep red, almost purple. Aromas of sour fruit, currents mainly, waft from the glass. The taste is just as lively and tangy as the smell, perhaps even more so. There's also a good deal of wine flavors here, in addition to the yeast and fruit elements. Surprisingly drinkable for a ten percent beer. This was the beer that made me fall in love with sours, and every time I drink it the moth puckering sensation reminds me of why I will never look at beer the same way again. This is an absolute must for sour fans, and highly, highly recommended for adventurous souls looking to break away from the usual.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2010 04:49:40 | More by IrieJackalope

Ambiorix

Kentucky

4.93/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

375 ml bottle.

A: Brown pour, ruby highlights, thin, off-white to tan head faded pretty quick but left decent lace.

S: Funky, sour, lactic tang, dark fruit, black currant, cask wood. A huge nose with the promise of great things to taste.

T: Incredibly sour, tangy, oaky. Black currant, dark, bready malt, barnyard, brett bitterness, lacto tanginess, vinous, tobacco leaves.

M: Highly carbonated, satisfying. The carbonation balances the intense sourness well.

D: Incredible. Amazing. Easily rivals anything brewed in Belgium. Brewing brilliance at its finest. I wish it were more widely available.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2010 16:58:09 | More by Ambiorix

tony223366

California

4.93/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

From my beer journal. Reviewed on October 18, 2011.

A: Really dark brown amber body. Nice head at first, but it quickly went away. Gorgeous looking beer.

S: Really rich aroma. Cherries and dark fruits followed by the distinct tartness. Oak characters interplay throughout.

T: Rich malts turn quickly over to cherries then right to lactic sourness. Finishes earthy and tannic. Really long finish that just works.

M: Medium body with lots of carbonation.

O: Infinitely drinkable. I have absolutely no idea where these ABVs are hiding. Looked down and it was already half gone. Wish it wasn't so expensive because this is one of my favorite beers of all time.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2011 07:04:43 | More by tony223366

phishsihq

Colorado

4.93/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Batch 007...

Consecration is classified as an American Wild Ale, and the label gives hints of what awaits the lucky drinker. Words like Saccharomyces, Pediococcus, Brettanomyces, and Lactobacillus hover around the words Sour Ale, and the excitement begins to build. Add all that to the fact the beer is aged in Cabernet Sauvignon barrels and you realize you have something pretty special in your glass. Consecration pours a reddish-brown, yet near the edges appears very plum like, with a quickly disappearing head that fizzes almost like soda. Hugely vinous aromas greet the drinker, including notes of vanilla, oak, Cabernet Sauvignon, and earthy hop tones/funk. The pallet erupts in an orgy of flavors, with the initial sourness giving way to darker fruit, citrus, Cabernet notes as well as earthiness (horse blanket) from the Brettanomyces. The fizziness noticed in the pour sticks around for the entire brew, a sign of a huge amount of carbonation that is met with a medium body.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2012 03:20:58 | More by phishsihq

gonzowestwood

Connecticut

4.93/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

375 ml bottle, batch number 007

A- Dark cherry, deep amber with a small head that leaves quickly

S- Plum, raisin, oak, sour cherry and a touch of booze. Smells like an corked wine in a good way

T- The taste is jaw dropping. Dark fruits, Cherries, Plums, Currants, pipe tobacco, an nice oaky pinot noir with a touch of sour

M- Medium to full with lively carbonation

O- More of a wine then a beer. Must say i like this more then 'Supplication' the taste and smell will blow your hair back.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2012 15:30:39 | More by gonzowestwood

Gameover170

Indiana

4.93/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

My second sour, this is fantastic!

Smell of cherries, raspberries, currants and spice.

Taste is delicious, fruity, sour but yet can taste the cab in the back of throat.

Mouthful is medium, lightly carbonated.

Overall, really digging sours, and this is at the top of the list of must haves

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 00:19:50 | More by Gameover170

gyllstromk

Belgium

4.95/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured from the bottle into a snifter. Nice but brief head with a dark, mahogany body. Smell is (unsurprisingly) currants and dark fruit. The taste is really where this beer shines. Wonderful currant with an extremely tart, dry bite and a pleasant champagne carbonation. One of my favorite beers after the first sip. I'm glad I don't live in the bay area because I'd go broke drinking this.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2009 16:01:22 | More by gyllstromk

mwa423

Ohio

4.95/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A - Pours the color of peach tea with a thin white head that quickly disappeared. Even in the first pour out of the bottle there is some sediment.

S - The aroma is that of the ultimate wild ale, a complex mixture of sourness, dried fruits, some wine like notes and certainly some oak as well. Not too sour in the smell but certainly inviting.

T - Wow. This beer is a flavor party in my mouth. There is some sourness, some sour grape notes that have mellowed, a strong sweetness and the currants in the aftertaste. An absolutely fantastic beer that every BA should try.

M/D - Mouthfeel is sharp from the sourness and has a bit of the feel of pop rocks. The flavor is so good that it's hard to keep it in the glass. This is exceedingly drinkable and overall an amazing beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2010 23:25:38 | More by mwa423

ehammond1

California

4.95/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottle (2009/Batch 2)

Churchill's Pub & Grille
San Marcos, CA

(Aged 2 years)

Dark cherry red and auburn, bordering on brown, with a thin khaki head. Spotted lacing down the glass.

An incredible array of aromas that come together magnificently: sweet cherries and currants provide the primary sweetness, tart, biting, stinging sour notes leap from the glass, all smoothed out by an inviting, welcoming aroma of rich wood, earth, and vanilla.

The taste is just as spectacular as the nose. I've had this beer a number of times, and this 2-year-old version has been by far the standout. The sourness is still there, biting and stinging, balanced with the rich, earthy, and sweet flavors from the fruit, all alongside the rich yet subtle notes from the barrel. There's an underlying sticky toffee sweetness coming through I don't remember in previous versions, and, as always, there isn't the slightest hint of a 10% ABV.

Smooth, light yet full, crisp, and refreshing.

An absolutely perfect, infinitely complex, sour ale. I'm happy Josh ordered this 2-year-old bottle, as I can never keep myself from opening the ones I buy for myself.

An all-time favorite of mine.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2011 20:46:32 | More by ehammond1

calir1

Oregon

4.97/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This beer is awsome. It has a base beer of its Salvation and aged in Silver Oak Cab barrels. It is not over the top sour, but just perfect. It does have a cab after taste and a wine like feel. The Salvation does not seem to come through too much or at all and is about a percent higher than it.

Wonderful beer and wish it was bottled

Serving type: on-tap

11-11-2008 19:40:10 | More by calir1

jamesm7485

Colorado

4.97/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Was lucky enough to score a bottle

The cork was the loudest cork ive ever heard and damn near flew out of my hand when i opened it. The instant sour fruit smell was heavenley, It pours a dark amber color, The taste is absurdly complex so much so im sure you could find almost any flavor you looked for. This and the brabant have mad me officaly change my favorite style from ris to american wild, an absolute must have for an ba

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2009 01:23:15 | More by jamesm7485

DIM

Pennsylvania

4.97/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

a: This was a dark, ruby or mahogany color, almost opaque. Pours with a long lived, fizzy, light tan colored head.

s: Beautiful, prickly fruit aromas. This manages to smell fresh and green, while at the same time smelling musty and dank. I don't have the vocabulary to be more specific than that. The 10% is nowhere to be found.

t: This is difficult to describe, so I'm not going to force it by using words that don't quite fit. This is more wine like than any gueuze and more tart than any wine. Fresh, musty, and tart all at once. Just absolutely perfect.

m: Fizzy, refreshing carbonation and lip smacking tartness.

d: Huge thanks to rallison for the chance to try this one. I think RR achieved exactly what they set out to do with this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2009 13:44:31 | More by DIM

SurlyDuff

Oregon

4.97/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is one of the best beers I've had. Pours a dark reddish brown with some cloudiness. My gentle pour left a substantial head that fell away to a tan lacing in my Westy chalice.

Rich boozy alcohol with some great sour brett yeasties. Slight vinegar and a good amount of oak in the aroma.

Huge mouthwatering explosion of flavor here. This brew is holding nothing back. Wave of sweet vinous and dark fruit hit first, then the wave of sour goodness. Great barnyard phenolic funk, all sorts of great yeast esters. Wonderfully tart and crisp, like biting into a granny smith apple. Finish arrives with some rich oakiness and the alcohol lingers with its warmth. This is an A+ beer in every respect. It reminds me of a sour quad. The alcohol isn't overkill, it really adds to the experience at its current level. The level and balance of sour to sweet to spice is so perfect that I want to drink this...not just sip it. It's incredibly drinkable and the aftertaste keeps pulling me back in. Mouthfeel is completely full and satisfying.

Hell yes!

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2009 03:06:52 | More by SurlyDuff

LaPeste

California

4.97/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

750ml corked and caged bottle, $21.99 from Vendome in North Hollywood. Batch#002X1.

I have been looking for this beer for a while and it has been on the top of my list of beers wanted. I found it finally, secret stash at Vendome, not even on the shelves. Very sought after, hard to find beer.

Removing the cork comes a loud pop and the bubbles gradual pour over the bottle.

A: Poured into a tulip glass, pours a warm opaque cherry red/brown with a two finger head that rapidly dissipates. Minimal lacing.

S: Cherries, vinegar, red wine, oak

T: Oak, sour vinegar, cherries, ripe red fruit and vanilla- true to the style of the beer, but very well rounded and better than any of the oak barrel aged sours I've ever had.

M: Fills the whole tongue and the entire mouth and holds there. Pleasant sour lingers for a long, long time. What a great texture; very layered, very complex.

D: Easy to drink, slight alcohol burn (in a good way), pleasant pucker.

This is far and beyond my favorite beer to date. Too bad it's so hard to find. Would love to get my hands on a case of this and age it. This one is made to be shared. Just awesome. This is the reason I drink beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2009 02:11:07 | More by LaPeste

BeerGodz

New Jersey

4.97/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

On Tap @ Monk's Cafe

Look: Deep crimson, slight haze, thin head with little lacing

Smell: Brett funk, dark fruit, caramel, oak, and malt

Taste: Up Front: Lemon zest, white grape, malt. Finish: brett funk, oak at the end

Mouthfeel: Medium body with a light/medium carbonation. It got even creamier as it warmed up!

Drinkability: Tart, incredibly smooth, and refreshing! Does not get more drinakble than this?

Overall Impression: This was the first Wild Ale I've had since Victory's Wid Devil - a beer I disliked so much I almost dumped it. Almost. Having said that, I was unsure how this would beer would go over with me. Upon the first sip, my skepticism was gone! This is without a doubt the most complex beer/ale I've ever tasted!!! First the aging in Cabernet Sauvignon Barrels was obvious. The brett was a perfect compliment to the complexity of this amazing ale. It's kinda like a cross between a wine and a beer, and not a cheap version of either. If this is not Nectar of the Godz, I don't know what is.

Serving type: on-tap

03-02-2010 15:09:00 | More by BeerGodz

ChanChan

California

4.97/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Dark burgundy color the head is bubbly and quickly dissipates, lacing is minimal.

Aroma: Smells of oak, red wine, barnyard, lots of funk, and berries or in this case currants.

Mouthfeel: Highly carbonated medium body. Feels very similar to a sparkling wine or champagne.

Taste: Very complex, this beer tastes great it gives off lots of tannins. The taste of Cabernet Sauvignon is very prevalent in this beer.

Drinkability: Highly drinkable. This beer is sour but not extremely sour, the 10% ABV had me apprehensive on how this beer would taste but this is as drinkable, and perhaps even more so than the Supplication.

Overall: The best wild ale/sour I have ever tasted.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2011 15:57:09 | More by ChanChan

notyourdadsbeer

Colorado

4.97/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured froma 375ml bottle into a tulip at Euclid Hall.

A: Pours a rich dark brown similar to a dark scotch or whisky with no head whatsoever. Lacing is lean if at all. Reminds me of a glass filled with a spirit.

S: Intense tart and sour notes. Currents are dominate for main flavor but oak is present as well. Touch of sweetness similar to vanilla pop up here and there but overall this is a very sour beer.

T: Clean and balanced but still quite tart and sour. Big sour and tart notes hit the palate up front with current as the fruit. Current is very dominate but the entire flavor is clean and balanced with just a touch of oak and wood.

M: Full bodied and clings to the palate, front to back, from start to finish. There is zero carbonation, the bite from this beer comes from the sour affects of yeast and barrel aging.

D: This is an amazing sour. The barrel aging in Cabernet barrels with currents truly gives you a puckering affect that's sour and tart from start to finish. This isn't over done on sour instead is incredibly balanced for how intense and big this beer is.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2011 04:53:07 | More by notyourdadsbeer

deathcharms

California

4.97/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

6/19/11 Batch 005X1F. Finally got around to reviewing this beer after many times having it.

Pours a deep amber red. Off the of the pour the head dissipates almost immediately. The smell is that deep funk that we have all come to love with wild ales. A bit of cherry comes off the nose also. Taste is a mouth puckering sour with loads of tart cherry. The mouthfeel is light and playful, but not flat by any means. Quite and exceptional beer from an exceptional brewery.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2011 21:42:41 | More by deathcharms

JustinMatthew

Pennsylvania

4.97/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured at the Russian River & Taco Bonanza into a little chalice.

Pours mahogany in color, barely opaque and no head. Smells delicious.. Slightly vinegar/ tart and sweet. taste is a blast of tart and and mild sweetness. A little vinegar, currants, and slight oak all balanced perfectly. After taste is all oak.. Some vanilla and currants very mild overall. This sour beer leaves me begging for another sip!

Serving type: on-tap

11-20-2011 21:37:52 | More by JustinMatthew

jvillefan

California

4.98/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

Batch 001

A: A dark ruby brown with a pure white head that disappeared very quickly.

S: Very sour aromas coming off. There was the aroma of grapes, sour apple, and esters.

T: Very rich grape, caramel, and apple flavors. There is a perfectly balanced sour flavor to go along with the sweetness from the other flavors.

M: Very heavy for a sour with excellent carbonation.

O: Consecration that has been aging for 5 years is the single best sour available. Better then the 6 Cantillons, Duck Duck Gooze, Cable Car, and 8 Cascade beers I've had.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 23:06:25 | More by jvillefan

madtowndmb1

Wisconsin

5/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

On-tap at R.R. I've never given out a perfect score till now!

A: A great cross between a wine and a beer. It's a ruby red like a Cab but has the transparency of a beer. No head

S: Tart cherries, oak and Wine. I thought it was just oak-aged but the brewery says aged in Cabrenet barrels. You can tell and I loved it!

T: From the first sip I feel in love with this beer. The tartness of the cherries reminds me of the Belgian Red from N.G. but that's where it ends. Then it transitions to an interesting wild ale taste that totally works. I get a lot of wine sharpness in the finish and man it's fantastic!

The mouthfeel and drinkability speak for themselves. I would happily drink these till I couldn't see anymore and damn near did! This was there best beer in my opinion! Other than the price there is nothinhg wrong with this beer in my opinion! One of the best beers (better than Abyss and KBS) I've ever had!

Serving type: on-tap

02-23-2009 21:03:23 | More by madtowndmb1

mikesgroove

South Carolina

5/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Perfect, yes perfect. Email if you want to argue. Served this one at a nice fifty degrees and poured it into an oversized wine glass. Consumed on 02/26/2009.

Wonderful deep and dark brown with some light reddish touches around the sides and the bottom of the glass. A nice and foamy brown head rose up to a height of around two inches before dropping down to about half and then hanging around the rest of the session with deep and thoroughly coating side glass lace, this one was perfect.

The aroma was wonderful, previously poster arrived atthe word fuck to describe and I would have to agree here. Rich sour notes, sweet and tart cherries dropped in with light oak notes as it warmed, but dominted by the deep sour and cherry notes. Such a wonderful balance here between the sour notes and the rich underlying fruit flavor. Some nice dark malts as it starts to warm, but the long drawn out sour flavor comes back and dries out the palate and really pushes the flavor to the next level. What ten percent, this one drank like it was at four percent, it was just that damn good.

Overall I was totally floored by this one. One of the best beers, easily a top three to five I have ever had. It was perfectly blended and just really ungodly drinkable. I cannot say anything else, instead I will sit back and simply enjoy this one again.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2009 02:47:46 | More by mikesgroove

paulxqx

California

5/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A loud pop when the cork popped.
Poured into a medium sized tulip glass.
Small head that disappeared quickly

The color was like a golden red, it looked heavenly.

The smell is remarkable! One of the most complex smells of any beer I have tried. It smelled like a fine cabernet sauvignon wine. Slightly sour, currants.

The flavor explodes the second it hits your lips! Such a remarkable complicated flavor,.. but in a good way. Tastes like a rich wed wine, sour, fruity, slight hints of vanilla.

Someone else reviewing this beer said that it has champagne like carbonation, I think that is pretty accurate. A little wetter though.

Extremely drinkable! I would not mind drinking on this year around. Every sip is fulfilling and rewarding. Complete perfection.

If you are lucky enough to get your hands on this you will not be dissapointed

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2009 01:34:58 | More by paulxqx

hopenator

Washington

5/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I am overwhelmed with appreciation for this tasty beverage. Pours dark amber/ruby (my lighting is not very good) with almost nonexistent white head. Feels very smooth in my mouth, and mouth-puckeringly sour. With grape, floral, and oak tones, it almost tastes like a fine red wine--maybe a Syrah?--and I mean that in a good way.

Serving type: on-tap

12-25-2009 01:24:15 | More by hopenator