Consecration - Russian River Brewing Company

Bubba83

California

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

Appearance is good. It's not the most appealing color, sort of a murky brown cola color with hints of red. When held to the light it looks like dark cranberry juice. Head was quite lively on the pour into my snifter. I got about 4 finger widths somewhat on accident. I let it mellow down and it smoothed out into smaller bubbles, a thin rim hangs around, off white in color. Some trails of lacing here and there but usually dissolves off after some time.

The aroma is the highlight for me. Lots of dark fruits including cherries, raspberries, red grapes, and some balsamic vinegar. Plenty of depth here.

It's always weird having the first few sips of a new sour not knowing what to expect. I haven't had a sour in almost a year, so it really made my mouth pucker bigtime. After the initial shock wears off and the bubbles thin out a bit, it becomes a lot easier to enjoy. I actually thought I was going to give taste like a 3.5 until I became more used to it and the flavor profile started opening up beyond the sourness/acidity.

Beginning of the sip tastes like grape juice, sweet and fairly wet, then quickly turns into cranberry followed by cherries and raspberries. The acidity follows, stemming from the cranberries and finally hitting a background chocolate note that is behind balsamic vinegar. This part of the sip takes the most getting used to for this Flanders Reddish type of style. Finishes up dry and sour with some red wine tones.

Drinks well for 10%, can't taste the alcohol, too much else going on. Doesn't really warm on the way down either. It's very sour though so it demands drinking it pretty slow. Really enjoyable though to sip on all night. The warmer it gets and the more acclimated your tongue gets, the more enjoyable it becomes.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2009 08:08:45 | More by Bubba83

craytonic

District of Columbia

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

Appearance: Pours a ruby-raisin with blood-amber highlights that grows darker towards the bottom of the bottle. Almost a gusher, huge head.

Smell: A definite tartness with raisins, dates, plums, prunes and lots of berries (blackberry, raspberry) and some black currants. Very jammy. The dark berries are the most dominant part. Also a wine cabernet sauvignon element with some oak undertones that gives off noticeable tannins.

Taste: The acidity hits with a serious punch, more so than any other sour I have had*. My tongue still feels the scorch of citric acid the next day. This is a very, very sour beer. The dark berries dominate (blackberry, raspberry) along with raisins, dark sour cherries, dates, plums, prunes, and black currants. The wine element is here as well, definitely cabernet sauvignon / merlot with oaky undertones and tannins. There is absolutely no vinegar element to this beer, and little funk to speak of - though I wish there was some of both. A bit of balsamic vinegar.

Mouthfeel: Light with a champagne-like carbonation.

This is a very good beer, but there is something holding it back from greatness.

Drinkability: The extreme sour does a good job balancing out the high level of dark fruits; I was shocked to see it is 10% as I felt it but didn't taste it.

*NB: Had the newest batch on 4/7/2011, either they grow much more sour with age or the newer bottles are much less sour and flavorful/bold.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2009 19:37:42 | More by craytonic

jgap

California

4.33/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks to Henry for bringing this to our tasting. Pours a toffee brown with little head that quickly becomes a pleasant lacing. Smell is sophisticated currants and sour notes with brett. Taste is sticky fruit, woody oak, white grapes, and plumb. There are also deep sour currants. Finish is long and dry with a lingering sour and maybe even a little salt. Well blended brew. Very good.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2009 22:19:38 | More by jgap

tjthresh

Indiana

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

Bottle shared by Bobby91w at the Sexual Chocolate 09 release party. Pours dark red-brown with not much head to speak of. Really nice nose of oak, and dark berries. Huge tannins sour bomb. Nice fruit flavor. Med syrup body. Dry finish. Pretty good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2009 02:10:45 | More by tjthresh

PeprSprYoFace

California

4.9/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Grabbed some bottles of this from my local supplier La Bodega. Thanks for carrying some sweet stuff in a beer wasteland such as Riverside.

Poured into my Russian River Barrel aged snifter. Pours a nice looking dark brown with a thick tan head that dissapated to about 1/4" and stayed there. Not alot of sticky lacing though.

Smells of alot of bret funk with tart cherries and some oak. Smells like this is gunna be awesome.

Taste is wonderful hands down best sour I have had so far. You can really taste the wine notes from the barrels and the oak and bret mixed with the malts is sublime. Wonderful

Mouthfeel is perfect for this beer. Couldn't ask for more.

Drinkability is high and usually I can't drink that many sours in a row but I could drink the entire 750 by myself but I'm being nice and sharing it with a buddy. Glad I bought a couple.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2009 07:15:16 | More by PeprSprYoFace

DrDogbeer

Massachusetts

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

Huge thanks to swnicholson for the chance to try this gem. Poured into a tulip. Pours a murky brown with a very active, but thin head. Smell is of ripe fruits- I get prunes, rasberry, and the like. Some sugary alcohol and vinegar as well. Taste is not as sour as I had imagined. Really smooth flavor, actually. Again, some dark fruits, and smooth rich wine flavor. Alcohol is extremely well hidden. Some active carbonation in the mouth, but overall very smooth and rich. Not my fave RR, but very good.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2009 16:41:12 | More by DrDogbeer

session1979

Colorado

4.68/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this back at GABF so I decided to crack a bottle of this as a Valentines gift to myself. Offered some to the wifey but she isn't a big fan of sours.

A: After the CO2 bomb settled it poured a beautiful dark red with a bubbly light red colored head.

S: Smell was funky, sour, tanic and full of a sweet acidity. Very appealing, so much so that it was hard to let it warm for more than a few minutes before taking the first sip.

T: Big cherry fruit sourness hits the edges of your tongue. Then sweet notes follow and tame it ever so much. The finish was soooo long and dry and the taste turned to grape skins. One of the best finishes I have ever experienced.

M: Light body due to the massive carbonation. As it should be for this style.

D: Very, VERY drinkable. I shared it with two others but could easily enjoy the bottle all to myself despite the high ABV.

Overall: I have loved each of the RR sours for what they offer and amazingly they are all different. This one is a welcome introduction into the world of dark sours and I absolutely loved it. An ace.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2009 20:47:43 | More by session1979

slayer3604

California

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

a- A malted straw color, with a minimal head that disipates very quickly because of the high acidity of this brew!

s- Like saltwater taffey, which sounds weird, maybe it is because i was staring at some when i was smelling it (at verdugo bar, ca). very very weird and cool smell. insane funk, and barnyard!

T- Lemon grass, citrus (beyond lemon...like afterthought of grapefruit)...and maybe even a little cranberry tart to it as well. so deep. it lingers like nobodys mom.

M- tangy, medium bodied, full of flavor, and as mentioned before, lingering! Very acidic and leaves a buttery film on your teef.

D- I could drink this all day, except for the fact that it will give you a headache from the acid...or at least me haha.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2009 05:39:20 | More by slayer3604

largadeer

California

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

Appearance: 750ml corked and caged bottle, batch 001x4, into a Russian River 'Tion tulip. Pours a beautifully clear chestnut amber with crimson highlights. Incredible color on this stuff, especially when held to the light. The head rises high but is short lived, receding to a ring rather quickly.

Smell: Vinous and chocolatey, big fruit overtones and woody tannins. Restrained funkiness; rather clean actually. Hints of spiciness and alcohol. A touch of raspberry and vanilla sweetness appears at warmer temperatures.

Taste & mouthfeel: Tart fruitiness quickly followed by woody tannins, earth and dry red wine. Hints of chocolate and caramel are present beneath it all, the last remnants of Salvation, perhaps? This all leads into a tart, dry and juicy finish with a blast of black currant. Consecration has nailed the beer/wine hybrid more than any other Russian River beer. While it's good stuff, I do find it a bit overwhelming. 9 times out of 10 I'd rather drink Supplication or Temptation.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2009 05:00:18 | More by largadeer

JWD

California

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

Picked these up on the Consecration/ PTY release day.

A- Outstanding ruby reddish dark brown color with a frothy tan head on it.

S- i think i am wine tasting, very strong red wine hint here, little funky and definently going to make you pucker!!

T- Great, I have had all but the ultra rare RR sours and this is my favorite right there with beatifacation, This offering bring so much more to the table, Starts sweet fruit wine and leaves you sour and dry, tons of changes here.

M- High carb and all else it what is to be expected.

D- Love it, i could have 2 750s easy, great sipper that improve as it warms.

Overall, great RR offering that i will be stocked up on for a while if i can resist the temptation to drink, so far i am not doing good and at $25 a bottle i cannot afford any more!!

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2009 05:01:31 | More by JWD

m1ked

California

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

Picked a bottle from South Bay Drug....top notch spot.

A- A near gusher once uncorked. Pours with the appearance of coke-a-cola with a monster 2 inch tan foamy head that hangs around for a while. No lacing observed. Small tan ring left behind. When held up to the light, a clear rusty garnet color. A couple lone streamers noted.

S- The obvious upfront vinegary sour tang with an appreciable presence of sour fruit and raspberries. Subtle woodiness, cinnamon. Mmm smells yum.

T- Once again....Tangy vinegar, sour cherry raspberry...I guess that must be the currants. Sour apple, with longstanding tangy sour. Subtle wood that gives off some phenolic hints.

M- Smooth mild body with great carbonation that continues to bubble until it is all gone. Leaves your mouth dry but your salivary glands working overtime.

D- Another great tasting sour from RR. You have to be able to appreciate sours to appreciate this excellant sour. I have only recently started venturing into the wonderful world of sours. I am glad to have had this opportunity.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2009 05:14:46 | More by m1ked

Overlord

California

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

Wow.

Pours a clean amberish brown that glistens with a wicked orange tint when held to light. Tight frothy white head belies the brew's color.

Smell is heavy on the funk, acidic fruit, and oak. The taste is just heavenly. So smooth, so dangerously drinkable. Crazy oak, just the right amount of funk, a definite acidic sourness that's offset by the light sweet notes of barely-ripe-currants and vinegary citrus. There's a real vinous/wine undercurrent that provides an interesting base. Touching off the wine base is a cherry/raspberry (is that what currants taste like?) bite.

Just fantastic. Great champagne-esque bubbly mouthfeel. Russian River has hit the perfect blend of sour and sweet fruit.

**As I continue to drink this, the theme of this beer is "balance." Just perfectly in harmony.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2009 08:35:19 | More by Overlord

francisweizen

Australia

4.88/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

750ml, corked and caged bottle, batch 1. Consumed 02/06/2009 at the city beer store PTY release. Thanks for sharing, madorb.

Dark raspberry rust with a nice off-white head of clingy foam that lasts and provides the viewer with legs and sheets of lace.

The aromas is somewhat similar to the toronado 20th, however, this is sharper with a definite big fruit nose up front from the currant. Also, the acidity is cleaner and less muddled than the 20th.

The taste is BIG and sour. When I found out that this was 10%abv, I was honestly shocked, as this drinks like a thirt quencher. The flavors are of big fruit, oak, and brett funk with a lovely mid palatte biscuit malt punch, and the faintest dead green dry hop in the background. This drinks like heavenly juice.

The mouthfeelis like lightly carbonated wine, when swished in the mouth extra carbonation is released smoothly hitting every single taste bud in your mouth, and making those buds sing with the joyous flavors of this nectar.

Drinkability is perfect. I can and will drink this one all day, thank god this is a somehwat bigger batch than we usually get for these RR wild ale releases. A few choice Bay Area retailers got up to 20 cases of this stuff, and even though the brewpub itself is almost sold out, there will be a second batch released in a few months....Also, this will be on tap at the Toronado on Tuesday night, and kegs may find their way to other sleect draft account in the bay area as well.

Another masterwork from Vinnie and Co.

Na Zdrowie.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2009 19:12:16 | More by francisweizen

Georgiabeer

Georgia

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

Thanks so much to Grant for sharing this wonderful growler with me, RustyDiamond, Brickstoredave, Ding, Atlantabeerdog, and SaintNathanial. Absolutely delicious and a great pleasure to drink this with friends. Poured a garnet tinged amber with a slight head. Beautiful color. Lovely aromas of cherries and ruby Port, with some astringency on the finish. Tastes tremendously complex with cherries, a little bit of funk, quite loamy and bitter- not horseblanket funk, but an earthier, forest funk. Quite astringent and a bit of sweet licorice on the finish. Dark and brooding with wildly interesting flavors. Quite intriguing. Smooth, tannic, and sour in the mouth. Utterly delicious and fascinating and extremely easy to drink despite the high abv.

Serving type: growler

01-25-2009 02:26:58 | More by Georgiabeer

ralflord

Connecticut

4.88/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Thanks Dyan

Oh my fucking god is this a great fucking beer!! Poured into a double bastard glass. The lacing was tight with a smallish head. Beautiful amber color, with a wonderful sour and wine smell.

The taste was amazing. The beer, sour and wine flowed together in perfect balance. I loved the sour aftertaste.

The drinkability was off the charts, even though this is a high alcoholic beer. I could drink this all night.

Amazing beer!

Serving type: growler

01-15-2009 05:14:02 | More by ralflord

tpd975

Florida

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

Huge thanks goes out to Gillard for coming through with this gem.

A: Pours a brillant amber hue that is flat in color and appearence. No head at all with zero lace. Good for the style.

S: The aromas are bold and big on wine. Tons of sour red fruit with hints of sweet tarts, funk, and cherry juice. Inviting.

T: The sweet tarts come thru as does a bit of crushed aspirin. Beneath that is a wonderful mix of red fruit that is heavy on the cherries. Winey sourness pushes thru along with bits of wood, and vineous qualities. Yummy.

M: Medium in body, a bit sharp on the tongue with a dry finish.

D: I had several glasses.

Serving type: growler

12-29-2008 22:32:08 | More by tpd975

Floydster

California

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

Growler from the brewery, I was stoked that my buddy Dane brought this back for me on his trip home from San Francisco, damn it was expensive though, split with my dad, poured into my New Belgium snifter, color was a dark red with some purple tint, minimal bubbly tannish head that went away quickly, no lacing, smell was black currants, raspberries, cherries, brett, oak, mild booze, toffee, sugar, and tart, flavor was great and you could not taste the ten percent at all, starts off with a nice sour bite, soft carbonation allows the grapes and cherry flavor to really come out in the middle, musty earthiness in the finish with more tart, like how this one feels at the end, mellows as it warms but nice sugary fruit work well with the sourness, mouthfeel is full and rounded, thicker body for a sour with a lower level of carbonation, taste lingers very well, easiest drinking ten percent beer out there, feel free to argue if you disagree, could have finished the jug off myself, not heavy on the stomach, somehow refreshing which is incredible for how strong it is, those red wine barrels did wonders to this one, Vinnie does not brew a bad sour and one thing is for sure, I will buying numerous bottles when this stuff is finally released outside of the pub, highly recommended

Serving type: growler

12-20-2008 04:07:58 | More by Floydster

ATLbeerDog

Georgia

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

Pours a root beer color with almost no head (from a growler). The small head that is there quickly dissipates. The heavy aroma of sourness has me sniffing for a tad longer than usual. First sip is a puckering sour with wild yeast notes completely in charge. A wine flavor slips through the bitterness. Even with a somewhat low carbonation, the mouthfeel here is excellent. Truly an amazing beer. WOW!

Serving type: growler

12-14-2008 17:22:33 | More by ATLbeerDog

gford217

Georgia

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

Growler courtesy of Strelnikov poured into a goblet.

Pours a deep, clear copper with a decent bubbly cream head that dissipated quickly to a thin collar.

The aroma is wonderfully complex with the slightly sharp currant sweetness on top of a sugary sweetness. The barrel characteristics are also present with hints of vanilla in the nose. The brett is there to lend an ever-so-slight sourness with a complementary earthy funk in the background.

The taste seems to be a more complex and balanced version of the nose. The sweetness hits up front with the light tartness of the currants balanced by the underlying sugars. The brett makes its presence felt but the finish is very vinous with the oak playing a role as well.

The mouthfeel is lightly carbonated and very wine-like with a dry finish and bits of funk throughout.

This is a fantastic beer and one of the better sours I've had the opportunity to try. It's superbly well balanced and extraordinarily drinkable for the ABV. Highly recommended.

Serving type: growler

12-13-2008 03:53:23 | More by gford217

lhaqq

California

4.68/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured into a goblet with a small off-white head and an opaque brown body, reddish-brown on the edges.
S: Sour apples, oak, red wine, gum (ever had Bubblicious before? Something like that).
T: Strong taste of a cabernet sauvignon, sour light fruit (white grapes and apples), yeast, and a bit mango chutney.
M: Dense, compact carbonation. Sharp sour kick at the end.
D: A pretty intense but delicious beer, so couldn't have too many. My favorite sour ale as of yet. Would've got a growler of it but a bit too spendy.

Serving type: cask

11-09-2008 05:21:52 | More by lhaqq