Consecration - Russian River Brewing Company

macrosmatic

Florida

4.53/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to eyebereej for this in a trade! Reviewed from notes. Poured from 375mL bottle into Peg's tulip glass.

A: Pours a deep red amber, is somewhat translucent. Not much in the way of visible carbonation.

S: Aroma is a bit like wine; fruity & dark. Sourness very evident in the nose.

T: Taste sweet and yet dry, with flavors of cherry, merlot, apple hints over the woody flavor. The fruity flavors are present, but it is not a sweet beer overall. I'm not sure of the words to use. Dry dry finish.

M: Nice mouthfeel - smooth, a little lighter mouthfeel than expected. It does result in some puckering sensation, to be sure. Alcohol presence less in the taste, more in the warming sensation down my esophagus.

O: Definitely a good sour beer, though not my favorite RR sour so far. I considered changing my description of the flavor - I'm assuming that I tasted Cabernet, not merlot. But I decided to leave my initial impression intact and expose my wine ignorance.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 19:45:33 | More by macrosmatic

inlimbo77

Delaware

4.23/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

375ml bottle. It's from Batch 005X2E. Poured this one into my Lost Abbry tulip.

A: Pours a fairly clear amber color. Basically no head. There was a good pop on the cork. But not a lot of carbonation. Lacing is non existent. You do catch some little alcohol feet.

S: I am getting the customary Flemish Red type smells off this one, but the complexity is amped with some of those vinous notes from the red wine barrel. I get some tart dark cherries and vinegar notes as well.

T: It's a more mild tart on the tip of the tongue. Then you get that tart dark cherry flavor that I have come to love. It's very smooth, and mellowed by the oak barrels I would assume. You do pull some of that leather and wood that red wine would add as well. You can't taste the 10% at all, as I thought that was a little high for the style. it's completely masked.

M: This is a lighter, medium mouthfeel for me. It's very drinkable and pleasant.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 14:07:28 | More by inlimbo77

Forb

Nebraska

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

Poured from a 375ml bottle; 10% ABV; batch 007...

Appearance: Pours a translucent ruby/brown body with a quickly dissipating off-white head. Lacing and retention are at a minimum.

Smell: Tart characters from combination of the Cabernet Sauvignon and currant additions. Almost makes me glands water just smelling it.

Taste: Definitely a sour ale with the wine characteristics clearly amplifying the approach. Tobacco notes from the malt blend with a dark fruit to create a complex balance of sour subtlety. No bite whatsoever from the alcohol!!

Mouthfeel: Carbonation like a champagne or sparkling wine finishing clean but not too dry.

Overall: He went from wine to beer... artist to artist! 10% ABV never tasted so... nonalcoholic?? Cheers!!

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 02:39:21 | More by Forb

JimmyTango

California

4.73/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

To me this is everything geat about Roddenbach Grand Cru time a thousand... more complexity, more sourness, more leather, more better. Clear brown with a dark red tint. Amazing! Currants, jucy, sour, balanced, tobacco, oak, and clove. Its hard for me to describe just how much you’ll like it. Subtle and delicious but crazy complex. Get it!

Serving type: on-tap

05-02-2012 22:11:30 | More by JimmyTango

WeedKing4

Ontario (Canada)

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

Was able to try this at the brewery. Poured dark rosey amber. Very sour but I preferred supplication. There's a little bit more of booze In the taste with a more malty finish.. Makes your mouth pucker though. This brewery sure knows what it's doing with sours.

Serving type: on-tap

05-01-2012 00:22:35 | More by WeedKing4

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Russian River Consecration, batch #007. Poured into a Rodenbach Grand Cru tulip glass.

Decent clarity through a murky coppery-orange color. Looks brown without a light backdrop. Little head after raising the bottle during the pour. An eggshell ring holds thick. 3.5

So much pucker in the nose. Faint sweetness matching tart berries (currants). Alcohol, barnyard funk, hay, lemon, unripe raspberry, barrel wood, and a tannic red wine. Nice aroma/fumes. 4.5

Not super sour, as I might have expected. Rounded vinous barrel, heaps of critter funk, tart currants, lemon juice, wild flora tang, and thin malts. Some aged hop hopping that bitters the beer a bit in the finish. Slightly acetic. Maybe even lactic. Has a great big cabernet vibe. Very much like a soured red wine, full of tannins and oak characteristics. Hints of blackberry, tobacco, and bitter almond. Fabulous. 4.5

Younger bottle shows some nice spritz, especially in the finish. Medium-thin body is a bit surprising for a 10% beer. So is the near-absence of strength in the taste. A tame but welcoming mouthfeel, overall. 4.0

This is a top-notch sour. I've heard these (and other) RR sours can go downhill after some aging, but I'm excited to check in on my batch #006 in a year or two. A must try. 4.5

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2012 03:19:50 | More by thecheapies

tobelerone

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

I believe this was batch 004, but I can’t be sure. Pours a reddish brown hued body, with almost no head, and no lacing at all. Looks more still, by far, than expected. Strange.

Aroma is packed with prominent oak, mustiness, funk, sweet currants and sour cherries, slight vinegar underneath. Taste has all this and more; it’s fruity, sour, a bit tart and oaky. Not an over-the-top sour warhead-type beer, just well integrated sourness with the oak and a touch of vinegar. The currants are fairly subtle, with more tart cherry flavor than anything else. Definite must and funk; vinous, slightly sweet, very complex.

Medium bodied with low carbonation; I would have preferred a crisper, livelier, and cleaner feel, although the finish is quite dry. Interesting beer to be sure, curious about the stillness of this particularly bottle. Very good, but not as appealing as Supplication, Sanctification, or Temptation for my money.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2012 16:24:31 | More by tobelerone

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4.35/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

375ml corked and caged bottle poured into tulip 22/4/12 batch 006

A clear light ruby red when held to the light with just a thin film foe head that falls quickly and leaves zero lace, I like the color

S funky strawberry and cassis with some oaked vinous notes with some vinegar, smells pretty good and I'd never guess it's 10%

T I prefer the taste with more sour vinegar and the cassis is easier to pick up, more vinous notes leaves me wondering if there was still wine in the barrel, I pick up on the subtle barrel notes but its the liquid grape that I can taste

M sour and leaves my mouth tingling just a little, still no heat and a slickness left behind, pin prick bubbles work well

O perhaps I was a little hard on the smell, it may have been closer to great then good, I'm more impressed by how they made a 10% BA brew that has no booze anywhere

I see a trend developing with Russian River, great stuff being brewed!! yet another big thank you too Rutager for sending me this one along with many others

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 02:41:18 | More by wordemupg

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.88/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

375 mL bottle poured into an RR -tion glass. Batch 006.

Appearance - Pours with a hint of a brown head that's gone in a flash. Nothing after that. Looks flat as hell. The body is a dark ruby red. Looks like a glass of cabernet.

Smell - Acidic and lactic sour aromas. Oak. Strong red wine presence. Distinctly cabernet, too. I'm amazed how well the wine comes through. Sour fruits round out the flavor. Cherries and I suppose currants, but hell if I've ever actually smelled currants.

Taste - Like the flavor, but with a more pronounced acidity. Sour at first. Not puckering, but it's sustained throughout the drink. Lots of sour fruits followed by a ton of cabernet. The finish of the beer is dry, but the wine character overwhelms the dryness leaving it with a vinous character in the end.

Mouthfeel - It's not a light sour by any means. In fact it gets kinda tough to drink after a while. Medium-low carbonation doesn't help. It feels like I'm drinking a sour glass of wine more than a beer.

Overall - Interesting flavors, but a huge sour ale that gets sluggish and repetitive as I drink it. Tasty, but not something I could drink all the time.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 02:30:54 | More by Alieniloquium

JohnnyHopps

Indiana

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

I give reluctant props to the local sports team which purchased this brew for me.

The beer, poured into a tulip glass, gave a reddish brown hue with a modest head. The head rapidly disappears, giving a better look at the beer. The initial taste immediately caused me to think of a tart lemon candy. Though as the flavor develops, one can sense sour red fruit flavors that are rounded by oak chips. There are a certain vinegar notes, typical of a sour present. The spiciness leads well into the aftertaste which ends the experience on a dry note. The modest level of carbonation allows the flavors to linger and develop. Of course, this is improtant because Consecration is a complex beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2012 14:59:36 | More by JohnnyHopps

Bobheed

Texas

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

A: Pours a deep brownish red color with a tiny tiny head that disappears immediately. Huge alcohol legs too. I know it's 10% but it looks much higher

S: Divine. Really get sour oak upfront and a bit of dark fruitiness. Lots of earthy funkiness to it. Also get the smell of rotten cherries sort of at the end, sounds weird, but it's actually quite pleasant

T: Think of every red fruit you've ever had( cranberries, cherries, etc) now add vinegar and dip it in oak chips. That's pretty much how this tastes. Possibly the most balanced flavor from any RR sour ale. I really picked up the funk in the taste more than the smell also.

M: For a beer that looks nearly flat it has quite a carbonation bite and that couples really well with the tartness. Very dry finish

Overall this is a splendid ale from RR. It's probably my favorite wild ale that I've had from them (this or Beatification, totally different though) I usually try to keep these in stock because of how available they are, just finally got around to reviewing it. Great fresh or aged too, the bottle I had was one of the newer batches though, 007

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2012 03:50:30 | More by Bobheed

DocJitsu

California

3.53/5  rDev -21%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours an opaque caramel color with no head. Tart apple and Belgian yeast aromas. Ok, so I'm not a wild fan at all. I mean, as much as I want to get it, I just don't. Have you ever picked up a sack of apples that have fallen off the tree? The sack was left outside all night. You went out the next late afternoon and picked them up. The movement stirred the honey bees inside. You stuck your head in the sack. This beer tastes like that apple sack smells. I do enjoy how after the beer disappears from the palate and I lick my lips, there's a sweet taste that, subsequently, appears on the tongue. I'm still developing my palate for the wilds. Bear with me.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2012 04:12:01 | More by DocJitsu

derkfromwi

Wisconsin

4.48/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Batch 007 Poured into wine glass

A: Thin white head that disappears quickly, reddish orange-brown color, decent to good carbonation,

S: Cab sauv, black currants, lemon zest, vinegar, funkiness

T: Spices, tart and sour, tabacco, black currants, Cab, earthy and funky

M: Full-bodied, good prickly carbonation, smooth, good aftertaste

O: Very good stuff, a very drinkable sipper sour

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2012 04:05:52 | More by derkfromwi

Giovacchini

California

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

Batch 7 poured into a snifter.

A- Clear dark brown/ maroon with a very small head that disapates.

S- prunes, vinegar, citrus, alcohol, and vanilla.

T- vinegar, Chardonnay comes through, bitter citrus, some dark fruits, and yeast.

M- bitterness lingers, alcohol not very present on my palate, and nice carbonation.

O- the first time I had this beer I did not know what I was drinking. Several months later i now understand what a sour beer is I appreciate them much more. I thoroughly enjoyed this beer. I've had Sanctification, Beatification, and Temptation this week and this beer is just as awesome.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 02:23:59 | More by Giovacchini

WankelEngine

Illinois

4.58/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 375mL bottle into a Goose Island chalice

A: Pours a ruddy brown color. There is some light tan foam as I pour but it disappears quickly.

S: The smell is lightly fruity and sweet. There is a little bit of tangy vinegar as well. Some citrus/apple.

T: Very tart. The currants are luscious and tangy. A slight vinegar flavor complements this nicely. There is a mild vinous and sour grape character that increases as the beer warms. A good amount of barnyard funk, wet hay, but its much more tart than funky. There is also a lactic sourness that permeates the flavor and leaves my mouth watering. I can taste a lot of different tangy fruit flavors like apple, citrus and grapefruit. Cannot taste the alcohol at all.

M: Small amount of carbonation is effervescent and playful. Light bodied and mouthwatering.

O: A very good sour beer. There are a lot of dimensions to this beer; it covers sour, tart, funky, vinegar and tangy. The fruit flavor is also vibrant.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2012 03:15:13 | More by WankelEngine

tdm168

North Carolina

4.48/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to jtd1969 for hooking me up with a bottle of this.

Poured into a Southern Tier tulip. Pours a dark ruby, amber color with a thin layer of fizzy, white head that quickly fizzles away. The nose has notes of grapes, alcohol, and currants. The smell is quite spicy and fruity with a significant amount of the alcohol coming through. The flavor is very tart and sour. It makes my cheeks pucker immediately. The currants come through as do some fruits like red grapes and maybe raspberries. There is a juice or wine characteristic to it. The alcohol really isn't too noticeable. It adds some warmth as the beer warms. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, a bit viscous, smooth, and has a bubbly carbonation.

This is my first Wild Ale. I'm impressed. It's complex, drinkable, smooth, refreshing, but a sipper. If RR was available around NC I would have this more often for sure.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2012 23:14:29 | More by tdm168

Arbitrator

California

3.63/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Chilled bottle into a glass.

I've had every single batch of this beer, multiple times. I am reviewing the latest batch (#5) here, but I will include a summary of all at the end.

A: Pours a clear maroon body with generous light beige head. It fills the glass and leaves some sticky rings of lace down the sides.

S: A good balance of cabernet barrels and currants. The bugs have done their work: funk is represented in a combination of leather and hay; the sourness is primarily lactic, though there is an afterthough of acetic acid. My main request here would be to bump up the brettanomyces presence. The sourness could (and probably will) develop with time, but the funk hasn't hit my desired level.

T: Cabernet grapes, a darker currant presence, and tannins. There's a mild undercurrent of earth and leather. It's also quite sour, with a dominant lactic presence and a touch of vinegar in the finish. This isn't as aggressively sour as batch 4; it has found a better balance. I can't say it's perfect, but to my palate, it is upper-tier.

M: A bit boozy, but that's accentuated by the vinegary finish (and it becomes especially prominent toward the end of the bottle). Unlike the last batch, this one doesn't produce a constant, undrinkable burn.

O: Batch 5 is an improvement over batch 4. I still think this beer is oscillating, and it peaked with batch 3, but this is a strong showing. I wish the bottles didn't have that slight price increase when they shrank sizes, but oh well. I've had a couple of bottles of this iteration, but I'll probably wait to see if the next one (or, judging by the pattern, batch 7) improves upon it.

Batch #1: by far the most vinegary. This was great in my early days; Consecration was my first sour and it was an immediate love affair. My tastes have changed since then; I don't think I'd like an acetic interpretation anymore. (4.9)

Batch #2: less sour than batch 1. The emphasis was on wine barrel, with a tannic and earthy flavor dominating. I was less enthused about this batch. (4.6)

Batch #3: this tastes like it was made for my palate. Lactic sourness with just a touch of acetic burn in the finish. Good balance of wine barrel to the fruit. Just lovely. (5.0)

Batch #4: really lactic, with initially a mild acetic burn, but it gets pronounced and overpowering by the end of a 375mL. Difficult to finish for one person. Wine-barrel heavy, with tannic, leathery, and earthy flavors coming out. Reminds me of a more sour batch #2. (3.6)

Batch #5: this is on the return path to greatness, though not quite there. Mild lactic sourness, a presence of acetic burn in the finish. Good, but not overpowering, incorporation of wine barrels. Currants are distinct. (3.9)

Batch #6: I lost my notes from when I had this.

Batch #7: This tastes like he's starting to dial in the recipe; it is similar to batch 5, but with less acetic burn. It has a dominant lactic sourness (though it is not palate-destroying or stomach-churning) with a huge buildup of tannic currant and grape skin in the finish. The barrel is really prominent here; the cabernet sauvignon is unmistakable, making the beer taste like a slightly soured wine. Good, not great. (3.63)

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2012 06:00:00 | More by Arbitrator

Nachojon

Illinois

4.73/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Beautiful beer. The deep brown, like a Koa wood color aged in the cab barrels gives this one an amazing color gradient. Light this head offsets this color. Stunning in a white wine glass.

S- Funky prune or fig juice is the standout aroma here. Pomegranate and some oak.

T- I love the flavor profile here. Starting off with some of that rich fruit figs, cranberries, prune before leading into that tart raspberry and even some strawberry. Then it's the pomegranate smoothness and some real oak dry finish. Immaculate.

M- So nice. Puckering, with the juice there in the middle and the dry finish.

O- Russian River is out of hand. Love it.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2012 04:10:34 | More by Nachojon

bashiba

Iowa

4.08/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a nice clear amber with a thick tan head that disappeared as quickly as it came.

The smell is dominated by the sour tartness of the bacteria with just a hint of vinous wine and blackberry.

The flavor is nicely sour with dark blackberry and grape flavors coming through along with a heavy oaky and cedar barrel flavor. Has a bit of leathery and tobacco flavor coming through as well.

The mouthfeel is dry and a bit puckering.

Nicely done American Sour, the Cab barrel and Blackberry add a little something extra that is nice.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 22:19:07 | More by bashiba

output01x

Ohio

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

Poured from a 375 mL. corked and caged bottle (Batch 007) into a tulip glass.

A strong pour yields a 1 1/2-finger tan-colored head that quickly fizzes away to just a thin foam ring in seconds. The body is a translucent dark ruby brown with decent amount of carbonation bubbles. Some light lacing can be seen clinging temporarily to the sides of the glass between sips but does not seem to stick around long.

Sweet, dark fruit aromas comprise the majority of the nose with notes of dark, wild berries (blackberries, mulberries, etc.) Oak, black cherries, and barnyard funk add a good bit of complexity and sourness.

Like the nose, each sip starts sweet and dark with flavors of berries. Swirling the liquid in the mouth allows a surprisingly strong sourness to impact the sides of the tongue. Swallowing the beer releases more sourness, oak and wild berry flavor, and straight-up funk. Flavors of unsweetened blueberries, currants, and pomegranate come out at this stage. As these flavors fade, a true cabernet sauvignon wine flavor sets in leading to a pleasing dryness. Surprisingly, outside of the cab flavor, no alcohol is detected.

The medium body is refreshing and easy to swallow but just a tad sticky. The carbonation is worse than a bowl of Rice Krispies with milk being added. As the beer warms, the carbonation seems to die down, really letting all the flavors come to fruition.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2012 23:27:12 | More by output01x

DarthKostrizer

California

4.23/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Churchill's during Churchill's Renaissance

Batch 2

Look: Pours a darker shade of brown with some red highlights 1/8 inch head and not much retention with some spotty lace

Smell: Dark fruits some tartness and oak

Taste: I was expecting this to be much more tart and sour but I think the age has done wonders for this beer. It is has some delicious sour berries with the black currant especially coming through some nice tart and sour sting with a bit of funk

Mouthfeel: Medium to thin body with medium carbonation and slightly tart

Overall: This is a damn fine example of a american wild ale I really enjoyed this and was glad I tried it

Serving type: on-tap

03-06-2012 02:43:11 | More by DarthKostrizer

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

4.6/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

***Batch 004X3***

Big thanks to jzeilinger for this one.

Poured from a 375ml. bottle.

Appearance: Pours a lop sided 2-3 finger head (burnt sugar color) that quickly fizzes away with almost no lacing. A murky copper-light brown body with some red hints.

Smell: Sour berries, bit of sweetness and tartness not powerful. Some blackberries and wood.

Taste: Currants & blackberry seeds, really powerful with some tartness. Cabernet brings out the cork and red wine and melds seamlessly with the rest. Fine, tangy and complex.

Mouthfeel: Fairly dry and it fills every corner of the mouth. Tart but retains a level of comfort.

Overall: Really, really dug this. I could literally picture the currants i was tasting in the beer. ABV has zero impediment and this awesome blend is excellent.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2012 12:35:32 | More by papat444

OneBeertoRTA

California

4.85/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Out of all the non limited release RR sours this is the bees knees.

The pour is dark much more so than Temptation, the abv is whopping and well hidden.

This was the beer that turned my wife on to sours and her favorite to this day. When this is available at my local stores I get it ever time.

Highly recommended to any entry or veteran sour lover.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 16:25:35 | More by OneBeertoRTA

tehzachatak

Massachusetts

4.53/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

375 mL bottle (Batch 007) into my Ommegang tulip.

A - decanting carefully yields a incredibly fizzy and quickly dissipating finger of head, leaving virtually no lacing anywhere. clearly effervescent, with a deep brown/red body that is fairly translucent. absolutely effing gorgeous.

S - my oh my. it's definitely wild. some slight red wine characteristics, don't really get the currants, and then a whole host of wild notes. barnyardy funk, some acid bite. now that i see it, a little sweetness that may be from the currants. awesome.

T - really tasty. definitely get the currants and the wine character. the cabernet notes are absolutely amazing matched up with the acidic wild body. very dry mouthfeel. more understated in the funky flavors than the nose would imply, which is probably a good thing. some acid tang throughout the whole thing. really delicious.

M - really stunned by how great the mouthfeel of this beer is. seemed like it would be incredibly more effervescent, and it's not, which is actually great. somehow manages to have a slightly big body, even with the dryness and acidity. only gripe is that i probably couldn't drink several because of how acid it is- but no matter!

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 22:26:14 | More by tehzachatak

TenHornsProud

Colorado

4.48/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a dark ruby with a fine white head. Slightly cloudy.

Big bretty armoa with clove and cherry notes. Some dark fruit, wood, funk, and horse blanket. Big, fantastic nose.

Cherry taste up front that goes into a cab/merlot red wine character that is bretty and ends on a bitter/sour kick. Slight wood-aged complexity sneaks in.

Medium to light body and high carbonation work quite well.

This is a fantastic beer that has a big red wine character.

Serving type: on-tap

02-27-2012 03:30:53 | More by TenHornsProud