Consecration - Russian River Brewing Company

TMoney2591

Illinois

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

Served in a Sloeber tulip glass.

Thanks to G311 (and the Mathmagicland BIF) for this beast!

My first RR wild, so let's do this. It pours a translucent dark garnet topped by a fizzy tan foam that's just too effervescent to exist for very long, kinda like those crazy man-made elements at the end of the periodic table. The laser etch at the base of my glass must be workin', 'cause a perpetually resurgent ring o' fizz is dancing around on the surface. Good times. The nose comprises a good amount of funk, oak, sour grapes, sourdough, prunes, and a touch of a bleu cheese/ranch blend. I can only assume this is one of those wild/sour beers. Am I right? Regardless, the fizzy ring continues to mock the lack of perpetual motion machines out there. The taste is a new kind of melange for me: sour berries, sour apples, rye bread, a slight bit of vinegar, extra sweet toffee in background spurts, some of that blue cheese again, and an underlying current of oak. I'm both pleased and intrigued, leading to a clear desire for more of this. The body appears to be a whispy medium, with a surprisingly slight carbonation and a very smooth, fluid feel. Overall, a very tasty and interesting brew. Simply put: get some!

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2010 06:00:26 | More by TMoney2591

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

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

I've been waiting on this one for a while. From the same BA trade that got me the Lost Abbey Witches Wit, as well as the Lost Abbey Cuvee De Tomme that I'm sitting on even longer. It's been sitting in the fridge for about six weeks, and I can't wait any longer. Away we go!

Dark plum-red coloration, with no head at all, starts slightly fizzy, then quits quickly.

Aroma: ah, that's the stuff, there's the brett, that funky wild wicked twisted sour and sassy wine-ish nose. Currants are doing plenty of work here, too, it's fresh with the fruit. Lovely, lovely stuff.

Tasting it: Whoa! Grabs the tongue and pins it down. Puckeration all the way, in this. Does not relent with the intense tartness. Fruit flavor gives some relief, squeezing in between the huge tart bite.

Another sip, another gulp, and in rushes cherries, blackberries, grapes, some sweet, and then sour. grips the tongue, spanks it a bit, slathers it up and down with funk and sour. Luxurious, relaxing, lush and wonderful.

Halfway in, it's getting deep, plummier, richer...moreover. I'm more impressed-er, for sure. Deeee-licious. Mmmm. Mmm. Mm. M.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2011 05:10:53 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

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

The beer pours a nice amber color with a 1/2" off-white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a mild sourness in the nose along with a nice barrel aged aroma. The crystal malts seem to mellow the overall sourness. The taste is more laid back as well. It's easy drinking. I cannot believe this is a 10% abv. beer. I could drink this all night. It has a more moderate sourness than Beatification. It's also a darker beer with some crystal malt sweetness. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a medium bodied beer with good carbonation. This is very drinkable. It's tasty and not overly "wild".

Serving type: on-tap

02-21-2010 23:30:44 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

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

An impromptu Consecration vertical broke out at a recent tasting, we were able to sample batch 1, 2, and 3 side by side. I am happy to report that they are very similar.

Batch 001 - Beer is brown and clear, there is no head and only slight carbonation. The aroma is a mixture of sweet and sour (but not of the Chinese food variety). Really great sour / tart flavor with a hint of malt in there, really shocking. Beer finishes slightly dry overall. There is also a hint of oak and funk at the end, very slight.

Batch 002 - Again, it is clear and brown but this time the carbonation a lot higher. Large bubbles rise through the beer quickly, still no head. The aroma is slightly sweeter but is still very sour. The beer has the same sour notes at the batch 001, in fact they are pretty much the exact same flavor but this one has a slight bitterness to it. I think the bitterness helps accent the oak flavors in the back.

Batch 003 - This one appears slightly lighter than the other two, but just slightly. Still brown and clear. Not as bitter as the Batch 002 but just as sour. Some oak notes in the back.

Overall this is a top notch sour, one of my favorites by a lot. All three were great and I would have them again.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2010 22:06:17 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

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

Thanks to hophead101 for sending me this bottle.

Batch 001x1, sampled June 19, 2010.

The beer pours a clear dark red color with a white head. The aroma is awesome. I get lots of brown sugar, oak, vanilla and a low amount of tartness. The flavor is brown sugar, medium tartness, dark fruits, vanilla and oak. Medium carbonation and medium mouthfeel. This beer matured into a wonderful drink. It was tried alongside Sanctification, Temptation, Supplication and Beatification and I think this beer was easily the star of the show.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2010 04:22:28 | More by Mora2000

zeff80

Missouri

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

A - Poured out a clear, copper color with a small, white head that left a little lace.

S - It smelled of oak (and a little bourbon) with a strong yeasty aroma. Light caramel notes, too.

T - Great sour bite grabs you at first sip. It tasted spicy and yeasty, too. Almost like a brown ale with brett. A nice funky flavor.

M - This was very smooth and soft with a nice dry finish. A medium-bodied ale.

D - This is a really good wild yeast ale. The aging served it well.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2009 05:00:28 | More by zeff80

MasterSki

Illinois

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

Review #250 - Big thanks to Dave (d0b) for sharing one of these on New Beer Sunday. Batch 001X3 served in a Hopleaf tulip glass.

A - One finger of fairly quick-dissolving tan foam, that doesn't leave a ton of lacing, but settles into a nice ring that lingers throughout the drinking experience. Medium brown color, with firey red highlights at the edges of the glass and lots of tiny bubbles racing upwards. I know that it's possible to do better, even within the constraints of the style and ABV - see my description of Toronado 20th .

S - Lots of bretty funk, tart and sour currants, tobacco, sweet caramel malts, and wood. The mix of Belgian dark and wild ale is reminiscent of the T20th, but this is quite as nice, particularly the wood smell initially gave off a slightly plastic kind of smell before the brew warmed up.

T - The taste is a bit of a revelation, with lovely tartness, no discernible alcohol, a lovely red wine/Cabernet acidity, oak barrel, currants, and sweet caramel malts. There's significantly more sour and less funk here, and the flavors come together in a much more satisfying way. Since so much of this review is going to be ultimately very T20th influenced I'll mention that the oakiness and lacto-sour elements are much milder here, although I'm wondering if that is because of the age or the recipe itself...

M - Sticky, but with a dry finish, moderate carbonation, minimal alcohol heat, and medium body. Some cotton mouth but not where near as extreme as the Lou Pepe Framboise we had. Right on for the style.

D - Shockingly drinkable for a 10% wild ale. Great aftertaste and negligible carbonation burn or bloat. Other than the (slight) problem of getting stupidly drunk from a 750ml bottle this is terrific stuff.

A couple thoughts...
This is a superb substitute for Toronado 20th. While clearly a different beer it does a lot of the same things very well - blending two classic Belgian styles (quad/dark ale with gueuze/lambic), hiding a ridiculously 10%, and marrying a whole host of wonderful and seemingly incongruous flavors. The only place is comes up short is in the appearance, and that doesn't really influence my drinking enjoyment all that much. And when one factors in the huge price differential...

Batch variation seems to be pretty obvious. I didn't get that vague plastic smell from the batch 001x4 bottles I've sampled. I'll comment further when I open up my own bottle at some point. I'm also looking forward to batch 002.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2009 16:30:07 | More by MasterSki

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.65/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Sampled Falling Rock, GABF week 2008
I was able to sneak into a spot at the bar and got one of the first glasses of this, the first keg blew in 5 minutes (before Chris even had a chance to announce it was on tap) and the second only lasted an additional 15 minutes; I was definitely quite lucky to get two glasses of this beer. The beer arrives with quite a clear appearance, it is the hue of a raisin with a rich concentrated color and shows a deep red hue when held up to the light. It is topped by a pale, ring of a head that after a bit forms a brown tinged, full tan colored head that just covers the beer. The aroma definitely has a tartness to it, but also has a rich, thick fruitiness to it that reminds me of a mix of concentrated tamarind, syrupy-fruity balsamic vinegar and rich raisins.

As the beer first hits my tongue it is chewy and rich; a sour beer with a substantial texture (at the time I didn't realize how strong this beer was, but in hindsight the richness makes a lot of sense). Tannins coat my teeth and there is a soft, yet noticeable barrel character in the finish that adds a spicy oak bite. Rich raisin flavors, a substantial berry-like wine note, as well as some rich dried fig and prune flavors all combine to provide a big, fruit-driven backbone that anchors the flavor of this beer. The rich fruit and oak flavors is tempered by a mouth puckering, somehow rich, sourness that is mostly lactic in character but sees to have some acetic overtones to it that reminds me of some sort of berry vinegar as well as hints of a rich, grape balsamic notes. The beer almost develops a raspberry flavor at times, and this actually is pretty nice (says someone who generally shies away from raspberry flavors in beer). As I contemplate my second glass of this beer I start to notice more of the oak flavors coming to the fore with flavors of vanilla, light coconut that is sort of Bourbon-like somehow as well as a structured wine character and a definite berry note that seems like a wine signature.

I haven't said this yet, but this beer is just fantastic. It has an incredible balance of tartness to rich fruit and light, though structured oak character. The flavor is just so well integrated, everything just seems to work together to carry this beer up to another level of complexity and interest. The oak really does add lots of structure, which goes a long way towards helping the overall balance of this beer. I like that the incredibly rich fruit character never gets overwhelming (back to that balance again). This is an awesome beer, whose enjoyment I am sure was magnified by the setting as well as the prior afternoon session of the GABF.

Serving type: on-tap

10-31-2008 04:37:11 | More by Gueuzedude

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.43/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Cheers to Solomon420 helping get this one! Review based on notes

Batch 002X1 pours a hugely effervescent brown/chestnut with a rapidly falling tan head; a great beer to listen to...Nice viscosity to this, a touch of lacing & zero head retention

S: Much sourness, , leather, figs & candied cherries

T: Tartness, cherries, dryness; leather, raisins & figs up front, plus a touch of leafy hops. Oaky dryness & tart cherries dominate as this warms, & a bit of boozey figs, leather & more leafy hops as this warms. Finishes uber dry with leather. figs, vanilla & boozey cherries

MF: Medium bodied, soft carbonation, became oily & sticky once warm

Drinks easy as a wild ale & the ABV, a touch too dry for me to be completely happy with it, another great sour from these guys!

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2009 02:25:50 | More by russpowell

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Acquired from brewerburgundy courtesy of BA Secret Santa 2011, so a big “Thank You” goes out to him. Poured from a 375ml bottle into a tulip glass.

A: The beer is a bright reddish brown color, with a very thin off-white head that fades quickly and leaves a very thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains wild Belgian yeast, esters, dark fruit and some light malts.

T: The taste starts out with a tart dark berry flavor followed by the wild Belgian yeast to enhance the sourness. The malt character is thin and the hops presence is very mild but both are where they should be for the style and create a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sour.

M: Crisp and a little smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, well disguised kick, good representation of style, this is a good sour beer to drink for a long time.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 04:04:18 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This pours out as a pretty nice wine like Amber Red color. The head vanishes quickly after the pour and just leaves a thing white film on top of the beer. The smell is super tart smelling, very acidic like vinegar. The taste is of sour cherry and stomach acid similar to a Geuze Lambic. The after taste leaves a dry mouthfeel in the back of your tongue. It makes you want another sip but since I'm not into this style too much it's almost unwanted. The mouthfeel is similar to a red wine in my opinion. It's an awesome beer for those who like the Wild Sour Ales but it's just not for me.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2011 02:17:19 | More by Knapp85

emerge077

Illinois

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

Batch 001 cellared in cold storage.

Forceful pop from the cork, made it a few yards into the other room even :D Gunsmoke emitted from the bottle, thankfully not a gusher. The tawny brown beer produced an uprising of tan foam, that was fizzy and fairly short lived. It faded to an ever present ring that clung to the edge.

Damp leather, tobacco, slight brown sugar and balsamic sweetness in the nose. Reminiscent of best-in-class Oud Bruins like Oerbier Reserva and Haandbaak. Fairly restrained wildness, pretty accessible to the wild/sour ale novice.

Sustained tartness at first, moving into sour territory before dissipating quickly. Lingering aftertaste of leather and tannic dark fruit skins, currant and black cherry. Dry mild oak and wine grapes imparted from the Cab barrels. Pretty clean and full of sour fruitiness. Well carbonated, lending to an effervescent feel.

Paired with cheese, the acidity is more obvious, and scrubs the palate clean.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2010 21:25:38 | More by emerge077

Halcyondays

California

3.75/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at O'Brien's,

A: Pours darker than a beet red, with a small cap of white foam.

S: Got some interesting cherry and wine notes, but wanted a bit more. Some chocolate in there too.

T: Heavy balsamic vinegar and wine character, almost had a rancid fruit characteristic, in a good way though. Fig and dark fruit notes. Not light on the funk. Sweetness comes out in the finish to the beer which I liked. Not the greatest flavour for me, but certainly interesting.

M: Upfront acidity, then the mouthfeel lightens up a bit, a little too thin at times.

D: An intriguing beer from Russian River. I don't think I liked it as much as everyone around me did, but I enjoyed trying it.

Edit - I've had this beer a few times since the original review, still not wowed, but I've found myself liking it more and more. Upping the taste score to a 4 (from 3.5).

Serving type: on-tap

01-31-2009 05:16:29 | More by Halcyondays

Gavage

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: dark amber in color with a short 1/4" head that falls to some thick surface bubbles.

Smell: yeast, sour fruits, and some woodiness makes up a pleasant but different aroma.

Taste: yeast, red wine, woodiness, tart cherries, and a moderate bitterness. Alcohol is mildly noticable. Sourness is strong here.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied. Crisp throughout with some significant dryness at the finish.

Drinkability: slow sipping beer and the sourness is a bit strong so one will not look for more than a glass in a session.

Serving type: on-tap

06-06-2010 19:46:40 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

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

Thanks to jcwattsrugger for this one!

Batch 001X2, cage-corked bottle.

Pours hazed deep mahogany with a styro-foamish head that thins.

The smell is of red grape - vinuous with currants and oak. Some tart black cherry as well.

The taste is of tart black cherries with black currents. Some and sour, funky with some wood. A firm darkish maltiness supports it. It has a vinuous, dry finish.

It is effervescent. Alcohol there, but reasonably well-hidden.

In some ways wine-like, but with a funky, malty character. Well-balanced - sweet and sour but not too much in one direction. An interesting, delicious, unique, sipper.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2009 03:04:02 | More by jwc215

tempest

Pennsylvania

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

Picked up a bottle at a Portland co-op, because that's the sort of town Portland is. Anyways, I split the bottle with a couple friends and was worried the sour and funky flavors, but they actually mild compared to some of the guezes I've tried. Instead of being a big, beat you over the head sour beer, the tang compliments the fruit, estery yeast, and mellow dark malts. I should also say that for 10%, this is as drinkable as any good beer is going to be.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2010 19:30:00 | More by tempest

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A corked and caged 750 mL bottle of Batch 001-3. I received several in recent trades, so thanks to beerbeagle, jw347 and ralflord.

A: The ale is a dark crimson red that has a full wooden brown appearance from afar. A loud pop didn't conjure up as much head as I wanted, nor did what popped up linger for long.

S: The ale has a vinous aroma, the long barrel-aging stint put to good use. The wine is red and very full-bodied. Tartness is behind the red wine but not as strong as I've experienced in other RR wild ales.

T: The currants are strong up front, sweet and juicy. As the currants fade, red wine and oaky tartness come through. The red wine is cabarnet, full and rich. The barrel has added a subtle tartness that goes well with the wine. The tartness is citric, very acidic. The bite is nice, a natural flow from the fullness of the red wine.

M: The currant/red wine/oak barrel interplay is interesting. Tartness follows full barrel and sweet berries. The currants are a nice deviation from grapes.

D: The 10% alcohol never rears its head. The ale is very approachable with a pleasant tartness that never makes me pucker too much.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2009 01:45:41 | More by akorsak

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured vigorously into my Liefman's Goudenband glass, head quickly dwindles tan head forms thick but fleets me. The carbonation never quits moving, leading me to believe that this beer is still alive. Aromatics are so deep with vinous tones in this case it seems to be currants added to the mix for the super fruitiness. Batch # 004X3 weird stuff that keeps giving off a wonderful nose. Hints of sherry vinaigrette blowing off the rapid bubbling head, mild cider notes with wild funky tones that could only be dreamt about if your not drinking this wild ale...horse blanket barnyard doesn't even do it justice. Flavor hits you with a blast of oak with tart fruits galore seems like currants are the victim once again. This beer dares you to keep drinking it make sure your immune system is up to par it hit's with a very acidic tartness that's probably not healthy for your digestive tract unless your consuming this regularly. If Vinnie just all about vomit acid inducing sour ales I've gone too far, but so far his Damnation was the best American brewed Belgian anything that I've tried thus far. I guess it's a question of do you really like sours? I do...it's so different from your average brew out there this wild fermentation really peaks my interest even if it ends in a sour vinegar lactic pedio WTF?

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2010 09:01:23 | More by WVbeergeek

barleywinefiend

Washington

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

On tap at RR
Poured a burgundy color with red hues and a nice white head. Nose is tart berries, oak and just a plain overall sour aroma. Taste followed the nose ery much the same with tart berries being the first thing you taste and then oak, booze and earthiness. This is my favorite RR sour. Very tasty, big, and awesome. Alcohol is noticable but the flavor just tends to bury it. Very damn good.

Serving type: on-tap

02-07-2010 14:50:28 | More by barleywinefiend

Wasatch

Utah

4/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml Bottle
Caged/Corked
Batch 001x3

This is my 1800th review, holy shit.

Poured into a chalice a nice ruby color, nice carbonation, nice one-finger fizzy off-white head, very minimal sticky lacing left behind. The nose is malty/yeasty, oak, cherries, currants. The taste is malty/yeasty, soury, slight oak, funky, cherries/currants. Medium body. Drinkable, this is a tasty brew, for some reason, I'm not really into the AWA as much as I use to be.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2009 23:30:31 | More by Wasatch

Billolick

New York

4.65/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Caged and corked Belgian style bottle, pours a regal tone of soft brown, under a lighter mocha head. The nose on this one is infused with wood and hints of maple. On the tongue instantly noticable are notes of soft vermouth, ripe fruit, light pepper, complexity extending light funk and echos of yeast coursing through, simply delicious in every way. Smooth, soft, flavorful and yummy in a dark and wet Belgium filtered through sunny California sort of way. Please consider distributing this to my local bars and stores sometime soon...

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2009 13:20:59 | More by Billolick

mdfb79

New York

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

From 4/25/10 notes. Poured from a 750 ML bottle into my Duvel tulip.

a - Pours a dark amber color with one finger of white head. Light carbonation evident.

s - Smells of red wine, sour dark fruits, some sweet fruits, funk, and oak.

t - Tastes of sour fruits, wine, sweet malts, and some funk. A little disappointing from the smell.

m - High carbonation and medium body.

d - Pretty good and better than temptation, but not as good as supplication. Worth checking out and I would have again. Thought it smelled a little better than the taste.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2010 23:51:44 | More by mdfb79

jlindros

Massachusetts

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

OOoooh yeah! I've been waiting to have some of this for a while now. I tried it a few times in the past and it's so delicious, but now I finally got to sit down, share the bottle with friends, and write a review. Batch #003, aged a bit, not sure exactly. Got this thanks to trades with Solomon420 and RaulMatisse.

A: Light fizzy head fades instantly over a semi clear rosy red mahogany colored beer.

N: Some nice sour fruits dominate. A little wild yeast is on the top with that, not funky barnyard wet horse Brett but more the sour fruit tangy delicious Brett, although there is just a touch of a barnyard aroma. A little oak at first, which seems to come out more as it warms. A little bit of a malty aroma, with slight sweetness. Just an overall great sour tangy fruit aroma.

T: WOw, so deliious. My mouth is watering from the first sip to half an hour after finishing it. Lots of sour fruits and deliciousness just pours out at first. A little tangy sour cherry fruit. The some malty flavors, a little sweet malt and toasty flavor. A slight wild yeast Bretty flavor, again more the sour fruit Brett than wild barnyard funk, but just a touch of the latter. The Brett overall is pretty mild. Some oak comes out as well, mostly in the background at first, but then starts to get a little more prevalent as it warms.

M: Trillions of bubbles, big carbonation, with a good body.

F: Dry finish, with some lingering mouthwatering goodness. It has a hint of sweetness but mostly dry, leaving the mouth ready for the next hit. Lots of lingering sour tangy fruit, a little sour cherry. A touch of wild Brett lingering on the finish, little funk even which seems to be a little more on the finish. Breaddy malts also come through. For being 10% there's no real booze, it drinks so well. This is a super delicious amazingly awesome sour. I wish so much we could get it around here, or even better if I could brew this myself. Sooo tasty.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2010 02:22:04 | More by jlindros

weeare138

Pennsylvania

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

Bottle at Capone's...
Appears a dark amber with a small white head that quickly fades. Tiny speckles of lacing are left around the glass.
Smell is of tart strawberries, funky barnyard, sugary fruit, vanilla oak, and rhubarb.
Taste is of the same aromas with strawberries, currants, wine and raisin flavors taking over.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, funky, chewy, with barnyard funk sticking to the palate.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2009 01:33:23 | More by weeare138

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