Consecration - Russian River Brewing Company

bifrostguard

California

4.75/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A - Deep burgundy in color with almost no head or lacing to speak of. The light that did make it through highlighted the deep red color and made it interesting to look at.

S - Currants, cherries, mild funk, wood and awesome. I had a good feeling after smelling this one.

T - Yeah. It's good. Not really a big fan of sours but I thought Consecration was the best of the style I have had. Not overly sour or sweet. Currants keep the flavor in check on the fruity side allowing me to be able to pick out vinegar, brown sugar and wood flavors as well. Some notes of tobacco, leather and wine are noted as well.

M - Much like a good wine. Medium bodied and only slightly drying.

D - Effing awesome at the bar. I gave this a perfect as it made me think twice about getting another Younger, but it ultimately lost. I will have this every chance I get.

Serving type: on-tap

02-04-2009 04:20:05 | More by bifrostguard

antilogic

California

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

Served on tap at O'brien's TION night in a Chimay Goblet, with Vinne himself.

Color was a dark burgundy red, aroma had wine and fruit notes. Taste was great. Not too sour, very drinkable, lots of wine characteristics, dark fruit, kurants or cherries. Medium in body, light, if any head, almost no alcohol noticeable for 10%, delicious! I'll be trying to get a few bottles of this one...

Serving type: on-tap

02-02-2009 05:58:11 | More by antilogic

paytoplay

California

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

Heavy influence of currants and cabernet / oak flavors. Blue and red berry fruits. Cassis, seemless and very balanced. Long finish and almost thick silky texture. Zero alc noticable. Tried from Keg at O'Briens Russian River nite. Not sure aging this would be helpful in developing more complexities?

Serving type: on-tap

02-01-2009 00:16:17 | More by paytoplay

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

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

OStrungT

California

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

This beer pours a dark mohogany color. My wife said it has a slight purple tint to it, but I didnt see it. I might need glasses though. It boasts a light tan head. The head fades slowly, leaving a nice lacing.

This beer has a mild tart aroma. I can smell some grapes also. It smells wine like, probably because it is aged in wine barrels, you think? It also smells slightly fruity, with some cherry and black currants. A slight oaky aroma is also present.

This beer tastes just like it smells. Tart, and a little sour, with a slight fruity flavor of grapes, cherries and black currants.

This beer hides the alcohol well. It leaves a tart aftertaste. Carbonation is perfect.

This beer would probably not be the best session beer. It is high in alcohol, and it is easy to forget that since it is so easy to drink.

Overall: This beer is yet another outstanding wild ale from Vinnie and Russian River. I love it, as I expected. If you ever get the chance, do not hesitate to try this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-23-2008 22:32:17 | More by OStrungT

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

hopdog

Pennsylvania

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

On tap.

Poured a dark brown color with a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of dark fruits -dark cherries-, berries, chocolate, and wood. Tastes of grape skins, dark cherries, wood, lightly vinous, chocolate, and funky. Softer body. Nice tart finish.

Wow, I wish I could get a lot more of this one!!!

Serving type: on-tap

12-09-2008 03:50:36 | More by hopdog

WeisGuy

New York

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

On-tap at the brewpub.

a - a dark brown color with a purplelish hue, modest white head with moderate lacing, lots of bubbles on the side and rising to the top

s - good deal of sweet dark berries and some oak along with some sour notes

t - tastes almost like a slightly less sweet and more sour grape kool-aid with some 7-Up thrown in for carbonation, but that doesn't do this beer justice, much more complex with strong oak notes thrown in, maybe it was just the fact that I knew it was aged in cabernet barrels, but the grape and oak definitely came through strong, the sourness was moderate and not as strong as, for example, Beatification or Sanctification, the alcohol really isn't noticeable at all, which is surprising given the 10% abv

m - medium-bodied, fuller bodied than other RR sours, good amount of carbonation, sourness is a little drying on the palate, but the sweetness balances that pretty well

d - quite drinkable despite the 10% advertised abv, the sourness is definitely not as strong and overwhelming on the palate as the other RR sours, particularly the Sanctification that was also on tap tonight, quite complex which keeps the beer interesting for several servings, overall, amazingly drinkable for a 10% abv sour ale

An extremely good beer overall. I haven't reviewed a beer in awhile, but this one warranted a formal review. I didn't find this one quite as good as Beatification (one of my top 3 beers ever), but it's not far behind. The cabernet barrel aging is very well done in that it lends complexity and character to the beer without totally overwhelming all other flavors. It'll be great to see this in bottles eventually.

Serving type: on-tap

11-29-2008 06:06:03 | More by WeisGuy

GClarkage

California

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

11/15/08- Had on tap at the Bistro Barrel Aged fest in Hayward, CA.

Presentation- Via the tap into small taster size glasses.

Appearance- Auburn colored pour, slightly murky but ultra fine yeast sightings if any. No real head and slight lace remnents.

Smell- Large amount of sour berries and lots of brett sourness and barnyard notes.

Taste- Unlike other supperb Wild Ales by RR, this one has some serious depth. Or at least thickness and a more fruity base other than just sourness. Cherry, raspberry, blackberry...can't really tell what berry (although I think it's cherry). Very sour with sharp acidic flavor. Winelike taste due to the cab barrels used for aging. Almost seems like some mild sweetness trys to creep in, but can't get it's head through the door.

Mouthfeel- Very full mouthfeel for a Wild Ale. Sharp and ultra clean with a medium crisp carbonation level.

Drinkability- Right up there with all the other Wild Ales Vinnie brews, one of my new favorites. Winner of the fest IMO.

Serving type: on-tap

11-17-2008 20:49:53 | More by GClarkage

iowaherkeye

New York

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

On tap @ Russian River. Hot damn am I happy to see this on the chalkboard.Clear ruby brown with a small beige head, fading to a thin ring before long, and swrved in a snifter. Big oak and red wine nose up front with the vinegar and sour apple notes next. Buttery brett and leather peak out stronger as I nose this, and it's hard to pick out the sweet dark fruit that is Salvation in the base beer. Whoo! Flavor is full of tons of sour fruits and berries with a definite dry red wine and oak finish. Sour factor peaked ~ a 6-7,and I wanted to add there was some low earthy bitterness in the backend as well. I'm hard-pressed to find any Salvation in this. Full body with light prickly carbonation--just a little warming in the belly implies the 10%. Really effing good--looks like my Iowa homies are getting one pricey growler!

Serving type: on-tap

11-12-2008 07:17:42 | More by iowaherkeye

calir1

Oregon

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

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

Wonderful beer and wish it was bottled

Serving type: on-tap

11-11-2008 19:40:10 | More by calir1

sessycuban

California

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

A - The beer is a deep red, much like a cab. Fantastic lacing, small head.
S - The beer smells of oak, cab, and butter. Nothing surprising here.
T - The beer has a balanced taste of cab, butter, grapes, and a bit of yeast. I'll admit, cab is the only style of wine that I abhor, but Vinnie really made this work.
M - The beer is quite dense, probably more so than any sour I've ever had. This is very unique.
D - It's very strong for a sour, but it works as a sipper. This was so tasty that I got a growler, despite the hefty price tag. Vinnie is still the king when it comes to sours.

Serving type: on-tap

11-10-2008 20:28:06 | More by sessycuban

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