Consecration - Russian River Brewing Company

GeoffFromSJ

New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this on-tap at Tria in Philadelphia.

Sour and funky but not overpowering. Deep dark fruit flavors.

I was expecting more complexity and deeper flavors*, but what I got instead was a really smooth and pleasant wild ale. Quite drinkable given its alcohol percentage.

* Not saying it isn't deep. Just not as much as I was expecting.

Serving type: on-tap

10-06-2009 02:35:46 | More by GeoffFromSJ

benclimbs

California

4.43/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served In a small tulip at toronado, nice redish head and pours dark amber lacing was solid

Smell is a lot of dark fruit mixed with the typical lemony, citrus characters of a sour ale - smells very unique and rich

Taste is so wine like it's amazing it's like a sour ale combined with a lighter, bubbly sour Bordeaux!, wow, big fruit, leather, spice... Very earthy and interesting

Notes - such a crazy brew, some beers can e likened to muscat grapes, this one is more like French red wine

Serving type: on-tap

09-01-2009 23:00:11 | More by benclimbs

LittleDon

Texas

4.47/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A healthy 10 oz served in a wine glass (closer to 12 or 14 oz). Brownish red in color, with very little head. It is oily, with the existant lace sticking and sliding down the glass. Clear, mostly opaque and with medium carbonation. Berries and bananas in the aroma, it reminds me of a Belgian. None of the banana characteristics are present in the taste, however. Sour, but not over the top, with very noticeable ketone/aldehyde characteristics. Hints of bourbon in the flavor and a bite to the tounge. Light mouthfeel. Surprisingly bitter finish. As a lambic, a nice balance between the sourness and malt. Worthy of a second tasting.

Serving type: on-tap

09-01-2009 04:11:58 | More by LittleDon

kimcgolf

Georgia

4.22/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at RR in Santa Rosa. Poured in a short glass to a cloudy brownish-ornage with medium thick off-white head that lingers well and leaves okay lacing. Nose is sour red fruit and hops, mouthfeel thick and tangy-sweet and the taste a perrfect follow to the scents in the nose, with some alcohol added in at mid-glass. Like a good Flemish Sour, the finish was long and a rush of tangy fruit, quickly followed by a warming sugar sweetness.

Not quite the Duchesse, but a damn good Sour.

Serving type: on-tap

08-23-2009 01:19:44 | More by kimcgolf

squaremile

Oregon

4.13/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Belmont Station and Bailey's Taproom in Portland. Pours a hazy ruby/plum with a small head. Aroma is red wine, cherries, and oak. The taste is more of the same but with a strong sourness that reminds me at times of some of my favorite sour candies. But it isn't that simple since the barrel creates a nice complexity and keeps me going back for more. I'm not a sour beer expert but I really liked this.

Serving type: on-tap

08-21-2009 06:29:38 | More by squaremile

jbsteiny

Hawaii

4.28/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

On tap at the Toronado in a tiny little glass (6 oz?). I love sours and having missed Stone's Sour Fest, I had to try this.

Dark maroon -- light barely broke through, revealing some rubies in there. No head, but that could be the pour (again, tiny glass) as there was fine carbonation.

MMM.. vinous, vinegar, currant (or is that association from the description on the tap?), oak for sure. Sour cherries? Funky in the nose. Yet I was a little disappointed with the flavor -- felt it was over-dominated by the oak so the sour fruit flavors didn't have enough room to be fully appreciated.

A little fizzy, but i like how the tartness puckers and dries you up. Goes down way too easy for 10%. Maybe the batch I got was over-oaked. Would definitely love to split a 750mL of this sometime...

Serving type: on-tap

07-24-2009 20:06:12 | More by jbsteiny

wd40

New York

4.58/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Very dark, deep burgundy hue in glass. Has a sweet fruitiness of raspberries and currants balanced by sour tartness. Consecration is aged in wine barrels and there is definitely a hint of red wine in the aftertaste. Although it's sour, it's so delicious I found myself almost gulping it down.
What makes this beer work so well is the balance between dark/sweet flavors, and bright/sour flavors. The dark/sweet flavors coming from the fact that the baseline beer for this brew is a Belgian style dark ale with currants added, that has been aged in Cabernet Sauvignon barrels.
The yeast used, Bretanomyces, also adds some earthy flavors to the mix. This is then counterbalanced by the bright sourness produced by the bacterias: Lactobacilius and Pediococcus. FWIW, that kind of sourness I can only relate to candy like sour patch kids, but the sourness has a lot of flavors competing for attention. This brew has some real complexity and depth of flavor. Highly recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

07-19-2009 01:00:51 | More by wd40

DiabolikDUB

Oregon

4.25/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-Tap @ Belmont Station poured into Tulip glass.

Pours a rich plum color with some glowing red hues and a light, fluffy tan colored head that quickly burns out into a nice thin wispy ring around the glass. The aroma is filled with tart berries, touches of oak and just a plain overall sour aroma. The flavor is very much the same with tart berries being the first thing you taste and eventually allows for some oak and touches of earthy hops to shine through and finishes very dry. Its a very effervescent beer and is light bodied. This is quite a tasty beer. It has very nice sourness which doesn't blast you away but definitely makes you pucker. The alcohol is very well hidden and will sneak up on you if you aren't careful as this is an easy drinker. Lovely, delicious stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

07-15-2009 20:40:13 | More by DiabolikDUB

Jmoore50

Nevada

4.2/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Had this on tap at the Toronodo, served in a tulip glass. This thing is wild.

The appearance was a darker brown with a lighter consistency. It was thinner than I would have expected. It also came with a dark dark purple tint, and no head. It left no lacing and left a light alcoholic residue on the glass promising it was 10% ABV.

The smell was interesting. It smelled of dark bitter fruits. It had a light hop bitterness also but overall this thing had a fermented wine smell. I also got heavy acidic smells as well as cherry?

The taste was something different. It was like a sweet wine, with dark pomegranate. Had the craziest mouthfeel. It was a bit overly carbonated and fruity. The alcoholic taste was covered well, but I can also take the booziness in good stride. My palate does not pick that aspect up as much as others. The fruit was intense. It was not even like drinking a beer, it was like a wine-fruit-coca cola- brew extravaganza. The most overwhelming characteristic was the bitter fruit and carbonation.

The drinkability was good, but I would of not drank a whole bottle of this. It is boozy and when you stand up after a full glass you can tell. I think it was an interesting brew that I would love to revisit sometime down the road, but not an everyday repeat.

J

Serving type: on-tap

07-09-2009 00:03:34 | More by Jmoore50

womencantsail

California

4.72/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Opaque, dark brown with a very noticeable reddish tint.

S: The nose is sour in general, but specifically sour cherries. The oak barrel also really comes through.

T: Again, lots of sour cherries. Quite tart. Maybe also some grapes and you definitely get the currants. The combination of the Brett, barrel, and fruit give the beer a very dry and tannic character..

M: The body is rather full with a high level of carbonation and a very dry finish.

D: Incredible. You would never know the ABV strength of this beer as the alcohol is completely covered by the wonderful taste.

Serving type: on-tap

07-06-2009 22:25:56 | More by womencantsail

SPRichard

New Jersey

4.15/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

had this at the Memphis Taproom over the 4th of July weekend...this is my first attempt at an American Wild Ale

served in a tulip glass...reddish/brown body...not much of a head on this one...no signs of lace at all

sour/tart cherries...biscuity yeast...some Belgian candy sweetness

sour cherries/green apples was all i could think of after each sip....really could feel it in my cheeks

despite the sour/tart flavors this was very smooth to drink...nice medium bodied...dry finish...not overly carbonated

this style is way out there for me...like i stated earlier this is my first time trying an American Wild Ale...took me a while to drink it, but made my way through it with no problems...taking a few sips of ice water between sips of beer made it a bit more bearable...i'm always willing to try anything from Russian River so I couldn't pass this one up....would I go back to it again if I found it, probably not but that doesn't mean it's a bad beer in my eyes...when i become more familiar with this style i may have it again and re-review it

Serving type: on-tap

07-05-2009 14:54:05 | More by SPRichard

br3wmeister

Colorado

4.38/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A- Large foamy off white head with moderate retention and ok lacing. Nice orange red color.

S- Earthy and woody aroma with hints of cedar and oak. Nice big tartness in the aroma as well.

T- Strawberries, cherries, some oak, grassy bitterness and large tartness that I have come to expect form American Wilds. Also some really nice sweetness, caramel and vanilla. Very tasty beer.

M- medium bodied beer with waves of sweet oiliness balanced by dry bitterness and puckering sour.

So far this is one of my favorite wild ales, it is very sour but yet still has nice sweetness and great complexity. I can't wait to try more wilds from Russian River!

Serving type: on-tap

07-01-2009 23:47:41 | More by br3wmeister

tai4ji2x

Massachusetts

4.7/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

on-tap at deep ellum during the cantillon/de la senne event on april 24, 2009, week's end of the craft brewers conference.

served in orval chalice

dark ruby red w brown tint. creamy, tan, faintly pink head. fades to creamy wisps and ring. lacing doesn't stick.

aroma: richer brett funkiness than the bottle i had from batch 1. same with the vinous and cider vinegar notes - like the bottle, but just more robust. tart, but with fresh fruit tones of grapes and currants. wood and leather hints with trace of oaky vanilla. fresh cranberry, red wine, cherries and possibly more currants show up again in the back.

taste is similar both to the aroma and overall to the bottled batch 1, but richer - even though here the draught lines are serving the beer at much colder temps. tart and dry with a lovely tannic finish, totally reminiscent of cabernet. full of flavors (wood, leather, farmhouse funk, fruit, hay, etc.)

medium body, nice and tart. acidic and astringent with tannins for structure and texture. cleaned up by both the acidity itself, but also the prickly yet fine and delicate carbonation.

whoa - where can i get more of this stuff?! i pray that the bottle sitting in my cellar will age into something like this...

thanks again to max and vinnie for making this happen!

Serving type: on-tap

06-27-2009 15:12:15 | More by tai4ji2x

duncan9idaho

Colorado

4.4/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Color is dark amber with small lacing. Head was think on pour. Nose has barnyard, coffee, fruit, and a hint of perfume. Taste was strong sour with hay and fruit flavor finishing with a hint of tannin and bread. Not the most drinkable beer but a 10 ounce pour will do the trick. Excellent!

Serving type: on-tap

06-23-2009 23:53:49 | More by duncan9idaho

Irie

California

4.63/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

"Like wine that's gone bad with butter..." according to a friend, but in a very delicious way.
Looks rich and red like wine, smells sweet and fruity like wine, and has a very mild mouthfeel (mainly from the casket I'm sure) but very smooth like wine, and tastes like a sweet wine that's been out a little while, all the while still being a 10% beer that dances on the line of what is considered beer.

That being said, this is an incredibly unique beer that explores the boundaries of what beer can be. I loved it and was very sad when I reached the bottom of my 6 oz pour. Will definitely drink again!

Serving type: on-tap

06-21-2009 01:38:09 | More by Irie

DmanGTR

New York

4.83/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Also had this at Local 44 in West Philly during Philly Beer Week (3/15/09). Review from notes.

A - clear garnet brown with an off white head in a tulip. The head quickly receded to leave a thin white cap. Some spots of lace (but I attribute the lack of head to be the way they rinse the glasses).

S - earthy, sour, mild Belgian candi sweetness. Throw in some tart cherries and biscuity yeastiness and you've got yourself a lovely nose for this beer.

T - very acidic, sour, and vinegary green apples. Citrus (maybe of lime?) and some funky barnyard going on here. This is so good!

M - medium bodied and well carbonated. Quite smooth and gives a dry finish.

D - holy crap... this was my 2nd beer of the day this morning (the first was Pliny the Younger) and I can still drink more!

Serving type: on-tap

06-02-2009 13:20:29 | More by DmanGTR

bulletrain76

California

4.1/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Draught at the brewpub. Brown color with a red tint and white head. Darkly vinous, tart, and oaky aroma. The flavor is quite sour with lots of oak and sour fruit. Malty underneath, with a less alcohol that I was expecting. Richly smooth and medium-full body. High-gravity sours are new to me, and I sort of miss the light, refreshing quality that you get in a lighter option, but this is really great stuff regardless.

Serving type: on-tap

05-11-2009 19:16:58 | More by bulletrain76

MisterClean

California

4.45/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Boonville

A - Pours mahogany with a 2 fingered cappuccino head. Dissipated moderately slow and left little lacing.

S/T - Brett, grasses, caramel, and tasted as if aged in some sort of a red barrel. Maybe cab sauvignon.

M - Full-bodied and well balanced. The brett is really sour and tangy. Very cloying.

D - Great overall. Not sure if I could finish a whole tulip pour.

Serving type: on-tap

05-11-2009 04:04:21 | More by MisterClean

mhatters

Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served at TJs a few weeks back, from my notes:

Pours a ruby color, no real head slight amounts of bubbles forming

The nose has hints of bourbon, woodiness (oak), and a bit of vinegary funkiness, but in a subtle way

The flavor has dark fruits, some acid, and a great backing of funkiness

The acid ensures a crisp dry finish, really nice on the tongue, warm and very pleasant.

Serving type: on-tap

05-02-2009 12:51:35 | More by mhatters

sholland119

Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On tap at Teresa's Next Door.

A-Pours a deep reddish amber with very little head.

S-Oak, sour currants, mild funkiness.

T-Delicious. Sour fruit in the front, currants and cherries, with some nice barnyard notes. Finish is slightly acidic and oaky.

M-Medium bodied with lots of lingering sourness.

D-I rarely crave a second wild ale (as I wrote a minute ago about Supplication) but I'd make an exception for this one. Outstanding!

HV

Serving type: on-tap

04-14-2009 18:17:39 | More by sholland119

DwnTwnBwn

California

4.78/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A - Served in a tulip Glass at the pub. Dark and slightly cloudy. Extremely fine bubbles sliding up the glass.

S - It smelled of oak (and a little bourbon) with a hints of a wet dog. (Very promising smell)

T - Notes of Jams and Currents. A perfect funky flavor. A tart berry flavor moves from start to finish with the tart ending at the end of the experience.

M - It was very warm and acidic with a nice dry finish.

O - Best wild ale yet.

Serving type: on-tap

04-03-2009 17:44:23 | More by DwnTwnBwn

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

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

On tap at O'Briens (San Diego, CA) on 3/20/09. Part of a full day of Russian River beers here. Served in a Chimay glass.

Pours a deep clear ruby amber color with a ½ finger of creamy beige colored head. Thin wispy retention that flares up nicely into a frothy cascade of rich lacing that clings to the sides of the glass. Just a beautiful looking beer here. The aroma is quite dense smelling with oaky tannins, and a light vinegar sourness. Underneath of that emerges dark cherries, hints of vanilla, and a nice bit of candied sugary sweetness. Light warth invades the profile as well, giving off just the slightest feel of a fume to the bouquet.

The taste is souring acidic oak and black currants up front that really stand out and add a certain amount of denseness to the profile. Vanilla creeps in before a blast of tartness from the wild yeasties makes itself known. The overall profile is a touch souring at first but then lessens into a more tart feel as this warms. Very nice. I'm also getting some underlying sugary notes, that when mixed with the tartness in the profile, gives this that pleasant Sweetart taste that I like so much in these Russian River Sours. Dry tartness lingers lovingly on the palate. Nice. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a lower carbonation and overall slick feel to it but the little bit of creaminess that does reside in the body is pleasant, intermingling with the more viscous character and moving all of those big flavors nicely. Oh, and 10% on this? I would have never guessed. We actually had to check a case of this that was sitting near our table for the ABV and couldn't believe it!

Another Wild work of art here. The melding of the oak, cherries, and wild yeasts in this was just fantastic and the drinkibility was quite good for a beer of this size. Awesome.

Serving type: on-tap

04-02-2009 16:27:19 | More by Kegatron

jackorain

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I had this on tap at Capone's during the Sunday morning event that occurred on March 29th 2008.

The color was purplish brown in color with a copper hue when held up to the light. The liquid was all but crystal clear. The head was a thin and tan. What head was present hung around for most the time I spent consuming my Pliny the Younger. When it finally did recede it left a very thin tan collar. After each sip a few tight tan bubbles would cling randomly to the side of the glass.

Full Disclosure Note: Before proceeding with the rest of my review I must come clean and state that this is my first sour beer review. Not a bad one to start with, I guess.

The initial aroma was a huge hit of sour. My first impression of this aroma was red wine vinegar. After taking several more deep breaths over the liquid, I began to become accustomed to the sour notes and began to pick up several more complexities in the aroma. Grapes and sour cherries came through next. A musty, funkiness characteristic came through on the finish.

I must admit, as with the nose, I did not appreciate my initial taste. Very strong acidic nature, more like balsamic vinegar that the red wine vinegar from the nose. I said to those at the table with me, that this would go well with some olive oil and garlic and would make a nice salad dressing (quite honestly, this may be true, albeit it a waste). After growing accustomed to the sourness, as with the nose, I become to pick out quite a bit more complexity. There were some woodsy, oaky notes, as well as the grapes and sour cherries from the nose. The funkiness is prevalent middle to end. There is no hops to be found here. The finish is sour and dry.

This beverage has a medium body and a light but tingly effervescence for carbonation. Overall, it is very dry and astringent. The finish leaves the pallet dry and jowls drawn in from the astringency.

I would have to say that sour beers are an acquired taste and I have not yet fully acquired it. This was drinkable, I suppose. If it wasn't kicked in 70 minutes, I might have ordered another to assist my palate in the acquisition.

Thanks for Reading

Serving type: on-tap

03-31-2009 17:27:49 | More by jackorain

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.85/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

On tap at Capone's. Pours dark brown with a small tan head. Aroma of sweettart candies, oaky notes, and lots of sweet notes. Flavor is very tart and acidic with Brett, light pale malts, a touch of yogurt, and wine-like notes (red grapes). Very flavorful but the palate is a bit wearing over time. Not my favorite type of sour but this was quite good.
9/4/8/3/15 (3.9/5)

Serving type: on-tap

03-31-2009 03:04:31 | More by LilBeerDoctor

raoulduke37

California

4.33/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at RR - still have two bottles aging at home. Looking forward to that opening ceremony.

Appearance - Reddish brown, mahogany, with a minor off white head - very little retention or lacing, but the brew itself looks mighty inviting.

Smell - Ripe cherries, dark wine, strong fruit smells with a little bit of sparkling wine.

Taste - Very dark ale with champagne aftertaste - cherry, lambic sourness, but not overpowering because it is balanced well by cabernet highlights.

Mouthfeel - Slight carbonation tingle but still retains the attractive dark ale smoothness.

Drinkability - More of a treat than a session beer, but don't pass this one up if you can get it on tap, or aged for 1+ years.

Serving type: on-tap

03-30-2009 19:33:23 | More by raoulduke37