Consecration - Russian River Brewing Company

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

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

750 ml bottle, big thanks to Carlos and GregMcQ for both hooking me up with one of these.

Pours a clear dark reddish orange, some amber highlights, thin off white head forms, quickly drops to a thin ring around the glass before almost disappearing, some lace spots stick to the glass. Smell is real nice, currants and funk, sour fruity, cranberries, alcohol, candi sugar, grapes and oak, vanilla, very sour and acidic in the finish, nice complex tropical fruitiness, does remind me a bit of the Toronado 20th. Taste is similar, lemony up front, very sour and funky, acidic, caramel/honey sweetness, currants and grapes, sour fruit, oak and vanilla, very dry in the finish, tons of fruit, sourness is not overdone. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation, some warmth going down. Very nice sour, don't think I enjoyed this one as much as most of the other RR sours, but still pretty damn good. Thanks Carlos and Greg!

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2009 18:38:32 | More by Viggo

corby112

Pennsylvania

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

From notes:

Pours a deep ruby color with golden mahogany edges and a two finger frothy off-white head. Good retention, only slowly fading into a lasting ring that coats the glass with large chunks of soapy lacing.

Funky, musty aroma with lots of earthy oak tannis, dry brett and vinous dark fruit. The barrel aging is very prominent in the nose with lots of red wine character. Hints of grape, currant, tart cherries and other dark berries as well as oak and subtle vanilla. This is complimented by the funky/barnyard/horsey notes.

Full bodied, intensely tart and puckering with slight acidity and some soft carbonation up front. Very funky with lots of musty, dry brett/bugs as well as a sour vinegar flavor that lingers over the barrel and vinous dark fruit notes into puckering dry finish that leaves me drooling for more. As in the aroma, the barrel character is prominent with earthy oak, slight vanilla and a prominent red wine/dark fruit flavor. Hints of grape, currant cherry, plum, raisin and other dark berries.

This beer has an incredible balance of tart, acidic, funky sourness and sweet, vinous dark fruit and it is the perfect blend of the wine and craft beer worlds.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2011 10:56:07 | More by corby112

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

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

Came out brown with red hues to it. Minimal head to the beer. Aroma of funk, cranberry, cabernet, cherry and oak.

Taste, excellent, tart, yet substantial, tannins dry out the mouth, wood flavor melds with everything else. Slight cherry flavor. Even though very red and brown in appearance, comes off very dry. Currants, brown sugar.

Extremely drinkable, alcohol doesn't seem to be present at all. Couldn't give it a perfect 5, it is just too expensive to get a perfect score.

Loved having this in the bottle as well, the cork was all twisted to one side, so you knew there was lots of carbonation in there (not too much though).

Serving type: on-tap

01-20-2011 17:51:30 | More by Beerandraiderfan

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

3.75/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

On tap at the Local 44 in Philly yesterday.

The beer pours a darkish brown color with minimal head retention and fair lacing. The nose on this beer is its best feature, IMHO, with a complex aroma of black currents, wine, vanilla and sour funk. On the palate... sigh... this beer is just over the top sour for me. I get a hint of wine and black currents, along with some light vanilla, but the overwhelming flavor component to this beer is sour funk. There is an intense vinegar/sour wine flavor to this beer, with a huge rush of sour in the finish. My tolerance and appreciation for sour beers has improved over the past year, but I just think the brett in this beer is over the top, with the sour overwhelming and dominating everything else. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a long finish, and the alcohol is very well hidden. However, the excessive sour component really wore me out in the end, and IMHO it really hurts this beer's drinkability.

Glad I had a chance to try this one, but once was enough for me.

Serving type: on-tap

03-16-2009 13:44:11 | More by johnmichaelsen

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

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

First had: bottle at Eulogy, Philly, PA

First had this in a 750ml bottle, but I have had it on tap as well. A tasty, dark, sour ale wood aged with black currants. After Pliny the Younger, this is my favorite RR brew.

Pours an attractive vermillion-mahogany color with a delicate beige head with some tinges of ruby here and there. Sour aroma, dark fruits, leather, and vinegar. Flavor starts out sweet almost like a kriek or framboise, with notes of cherry, blackcurrants. Soon turns more tart with the more sour qualities of cherries, red wine, and hints of vinegar coming through. In turn moves to more dried fruit--figs, prunes, dried cherries--soaked in wood-aged wine. Finishes acidic and bitter overall, yet still smooth. Medium body, complex, and very enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

06-10-2011 15:26:46 | More by Rifugium

glid02

Georgia

4.75/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle from Batch 001x4 at Naja's in Redondo Beach, CA.

Pours a clear dark ruby/brown color with a half-finger tan head. The head dissipates into a thin layer on top leaving light lacing.

Smells of tart cherries and currants - though I'll be the first to admit the latter is noticed primarily from reading the bottle - with a solid funkiness and hints of oak. As it warms the oak flavors gain some steam but the tart fruit never wavers.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Mildly sweet light to medium fruit flavors up front are overtaken quickly by tart fruit flavors that become more tart as the beer warms. There's a hint of raisins and other dark fruit in the taste that wasn't present in the aroma. Ending is solidly tart and mildly dry.

Mouthfeel is great. This is one of the best I can remember from an AWA, a very nice thickness with active and grainy carbonation.

Drinkability is very good. I finished the bottle surprisingly quick and could easily have had another.

Overall this was a very good AWA and my first foray into RR sours. A good way to start.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2009 21:04:37 | More by glid02

lacqueredmouse

Australia

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

Brought back from California wrapped safely in my luggage, cracked open with my bro @LaitueGonflable to celebrate his 500th review on BeerAdvocate.

Pours a dark deep blood red colour, dark grape-juice with a filmy tan head that collapses very quickly. Lots of carbonation swirling up through the depths, which makes the beer look alive, with a nice bead. Looks very heavy in the glass as well, although the carbonation is large-bubbled. Looks very decent.

Big vinous notes on the nose - lots of tannic red wine, tobacco leaf, dark curranty fruits and a hint of musty oak. Slight funk coming off it as well - although the acidity isn't present here, there's a whiff of barnyard and ripe cheese on the nose. Altogether, it's a wonderfully refined nose, sweet subtlety bouncing off rambunctious wildness.

Extremely long and full palate, starting with vinous acidity backed with earthy oak and tannic tobacco leaf. Port like heat seems to well slightly as the palate continues, leaving a warm booze note. Just when you think that's the end, up comes the berry-like currant note flushing its sweet-sour finish like warmed Christmas pudding over the palate. It is ever threatening to burst to extremes, but everything holds everything else together and it just rampages down the middle ground, never veering too far one way or the other. Coupled with this is the complex mouthfeel, that lingers through crewy and ripe at the start, almost touching harsh heat as the alcohol note comes through, before finishing with a cleansing, slightly puckering note. I've possibly never had a beer with a longer and more expressive palate - the fact that long after the beer is gone, there is still a dance of different characters developing is absolutely sublime. The complexity is amazing - the way the palate develops after each sip is absolutely stunning.

This is an absolutely exceptional beer. There's no getting around it. This beer proves why American Wild Ale is a unique style, and why it is such a well-regarded one at that. It also cements in my mind Russian River as an exceptional brewery. The complexity is incredible - I can't believe how much there is going on. Let's just put it bluntly, this is a really, really, really good beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2010 04:15:41 | More by lacqueredmouse

DoubleJ

California

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

A brand new Russian River sour, and one that's high in alcohol. Had some on-tap at Verdugo Bar in Los Angeles. On to the beer:

Poured into a tulip, Consecration is a dark red-violet beer with little head retention, leaving no lacing on the glass, but the latter wasn't expected from much. The aroma is a beautiful thing. Sweet vinegar, akin to what you'd find in ketchup or barbecue sauce. Pickel juice. Notes of oak and barrel. Slight underlying sweetness underneath it.

My first impression of the taste was it was very intensely acidic upfront. But what sour isn't acidic? Bits of tartness show through, as do assorted, overripened fruits. There's a long lasting, pleasant aftertaste of vinegar on the palate. The high alcohol presents a faint, but noticable boozy aspect with a sharp pinch towards at the back of the line.

A good sour, but I'm not as big of a fan as everyone else seems to be. But I have had heard several accounts say the bottled version is ten times better than the draft version I sampled Maybe I need to sample the bottle someday for its optimal performance.

Serving type: on-tap

02-13-2009 17:13:53 | More by DoubleJ

DrJay

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Batch 3 (002X3).
Clear chestnut brown with a fizzy/soapy, short-lived beige cap. It looked a lot like a glass of Coke, with not much head or lace to speak of. It was a light gusher too, so watch out. Aromas of tobacco leaf, cherries, berries, currants, earthy with a light funk, red wine, strawberry seeds, hint of cocoa. More earthiness as it warms. The flavour was a combination of fruity and earthy, chocolate covered raisins, berries/currants, a bit tart but very pleasant and non-aggressive in this character. Faint vinegar, light woody oak, green berries. Mild alcohol and warmth in the finish with a lingering berry sweetness. Medium bodied and off-dry, moderate carbonation after the initial loss of aggressive carbonation (it took about 20 minutes to clear from the bottle), a bit of woody astringency. I really liked this one. Nicely balanced with complex fruit flavours.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2010 01:59:21 | More by DrJay

HopHead84

California

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

On tap at Russian River. A silly bar pour leaves the beer nearly spilling out of the glass. No head. The beer is a dark, dark reddish purple.

The nose is of tart raspberries and plums with a touch of vinegar. The currants work very nicely in the beer. This is reminiscent of the Toronado 20th. There are faint alcohol notes, but it relatively well hidden for 10%. Much like the aroma, the flavor is of ripe, tart raspberries and those delicious currants again. There is a nice medium level of sourness to Consecration. The finish is dry and slightly puckering, with just a touch of alcohol.

This is a medium-full bodied sour with low carbonation. The mouthfeel is vinous. This is the closest thing I've had to Toronado. I'd love to do a side by side comparison of the two. The alcohol is well hidden, which leads to a damn drinkable strong sour. I'm glad I stocked up on this.

Serving type: on-tap

02-17-2009 06:52:41 | More by HopHead84

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

4.18/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

All that time spent in the barrel has given the beer a murky prune juice complexion and off colour that resembles a raisin. That said, it does glows like pomegranate juice against the light. (Where would the beer reviewer be without fruits?) The extended slumber also killed off most head retention. Check that, all of it. It has ravished its once beautiful looks.

If you weren't aware that this was aged in Cabernet Sauvignon barrels you'd be astonished at how the beer smells so strikingly like the red wine, right down to the perfumed alcohol esters, oak wood and dusty tannins. There's also, of course, lots of dark berry fruit, enough to be unsure of how much can be attributed to the currants and how much to the barrel.

The bouquet really grew on me with warmth, and definitely matured into something that you could sit, sniff and deliberate about for hours. The flavour, however, was a little less dignified, notably because it reminded me so simply of a Cabernet Sauvignon - worse actually, a slightly watered down one with far more oak barrel and tobacco bitterness present.

That's not to imply, however, that it isn't still considerably flavourful. And it's unarguably unique. For one it shows virtually no indication of its strength and has a lot of wild berry fruitiness. The oak is concentrated, persistent and astonishingly nutty, with notes of Brazil nut and coconut shavings in time creeping out from all that toasty wood flavour.

Unlike other Russian River beers, however, I find this one to have a fairly shallow complexity; its tartness is obvious but diluted, the bitterness tasting like tomato or tobacco leaf and its acidity and phenols - because they're so pronounced in red wines - are dulled in the shadow of the Cabernet Sauvignon flavour. Unlike most sours, the finish is unexciting and fleeting.

Consecration is an artistic and innovative experiment... that for all its intricacies and inventiveness ends up tasting a lot like watered-down cab sauvignon. What to make of that? It blurs the lines not only of the beer/wine world, but of the perspectives of the reviewer too - $11 is a lot for a bottle of any beer, but at $23 this would make a reasonably priced bottle of wine. I suppose for me, personally, that makes it more a novelty thing than anything else.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2011 00:35:03 | More by biegaman

kojevergas

California

3.8/5  rDev -15%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

375ml brown glass bottle with an intricate cork+steel wire cap served into a hefeweissbier glass in low altitude Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations were high as this is me second favourite brewery in the world and me favourite in the Americas.

A: Pours a three finger head of slight cream, fair thickness, and poor retention. Colour is a dark copper with the potential for overcarbonation, judging by the bubbles. It's appealing in a generic sense.

Sm: Aroma consists of souring hops - which aren't overpowering like some lambics, wine, grapes, mild wood notes, and some lactic notes. Aroma is of moderate to mild strength.

T: A very complex taste, consisting primarily of souring hops but with a wine "shell" around it. Some cedar comes through, particularly from the midpoint through the climax. If berries are present, they're buried. The finish smacks of grapes, which closes out the flavour nicely. No alcohol comes through.

Mf: Very smack your lips pleasant due to the grape finish - sort of a slight Welch's commercial effect. It's smooth and wet all around, but perchance a touch too thick. Overcarbonation is slight but existent.

Dr: It hides its ABV very well, and has some great complex flavours, but does suffer from some minor issues, namely overcarbonation. I could see this getting better with age, but it'd be very difficult to drink more than one. It's nice to kick back and enjoy after returning from work, but sippers only go so far. Excellent value in California.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2011 04:15:06 | More by kojevergas

stakem

Pennsylvania

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

Poured a clear dark amber color with some redness and brown hues about it. Served with no head present and minimal amount of faint spotty lacing. Nose is funky with oak and woodsy characteristics. Alcohol and Brett are apparent. Dry fruit smells riddled with alcohol. Taste is puckering with sourness and alcohol right upfront playing a lead role. Quite drying and tart. Flavors of dark skinned fruit come through as it warms...and warms it does as the alcohol in this beer is there in both warmth and taste. The woodsy flavors mesh favorably with the alcohol. Lingering tartness is left in the mouth that is puckering enough to make you go back in for continuous repetitive sips. Light feel and highly carbed this was one very enjoyable experience.

Serving type: on-tap

04-20-2010 19:12:36 | More by stakem

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

4.45/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Batch 002X3

Brewed: 6/18/2008
Bottled: 4/1/2009
Primary: Abbey Ale Yeast
Conditioning: Rockpile

A: Deep chestnut brown, very bubbly, tan head, no retention, only a hint of leg.

S: Nice sour aroma with plenty of dark fruit, brown sugar, a little brett & funk, fairly woody.

T: Plenty of dark fruit and currants, a pleasant sourness (a light mix of Brettanomyces, lactobacillus & other funk), hints of cocoa and dry-roasted nuts, wood.

M: Very dry, very bubbly, with only a slight acidity.

D: A remarkably good drinker.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2009 03:25:27 | More by Derek

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

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

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

Poured into Boulevard Smokestack Glass.

Opens with a nice big pop. Batch 002X1

Pours only a thin layer of tan head. Decent retention. Color is a dark dark cherry-hued brown. It is a clear bee but you can't see all the way through it.

Aroma: I can smell the wine from the barrels that it was aged in. A nice wood/oak smell. Grapes. I am guessing this is the currants, which I am liking. A very complex flavor. A nice sour/wild smell if that makes sense. Makes the mouth water.

Taste: Very sour and amazing. I am digging the currants. A lot of fresh ripe berries. Nice barrel-aged taste going on her. It is very tart. Has some grapes here as well. Damn, this tastes good. Stunning. Next up is the tart cherries with a little bready malts to balance out things. I am very impressed.

Mouthfeel: Sour, tart, and puckering. I love it. Medium bodied with a perfect level or carbonation. This beer is just flowing right now. Leaves a nice tart aftertaste. Damn RR did an amazing job here. Very clean.

Overall, this is an amazing beer. I am trying not to drink this treat fast, but it that isn't happening very well. Very drinkable and I want more. One of my favorite beers I have had yet!

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2009 02:03:22 | More by mothman

JohnGalt1

Idaho

4.5/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Still sipping on the 3767 ... entering this one in from a couple different paper notes ... both of these previous bottles came from Onecrazybreeze... Brianne is awesome.

Batch 001X2

Thin head with a deep brown brew that is pretty cloudy when held to a light.

Very rich aroma.. very fruity and only mildly funky... tart berries.. whaffs woodiness .. grape bubblegum or soda..

tannic berry skins and an abundant fruitiness... some black cherry essence... maybe even some black caps... more oak than the nose .. a little lactic ... some wet leather and wild strawberry essence shows as it warms ... fantastic body for a sour... carbonation seems abundant but helps balance the slightly heavier mouthfeel ...

I still have a few bottles ... but I think some age is going to do wonders... Thanks again Brianne... You are a peach.

3.5/4.5/4.5/5/4.5

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2010 08:26:32 | More by JohnGalt1

thagr81us

South Carolina

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

Big thanks to MCLK for this as an extra! Batch 003X3. Served from bottle into a Duvel tulip. Pours a deep reddish brown with a two finger off white head that subsides to one quickly. Lots of carbonation rising to the top and makes a fizzing like a soda. Maintains decent lacing throughout. The aroma is comprised of yeast, bread, sour apple, and grapes. The flavor is of sour apple, grapes, very subtle alcohol, and citrus. It has a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was the first Wild Ale I had tried back at a tasting and it got me interested in the style. This is a very nice blend of flavors all in one package that makes my taste buds jump for joy after every sip. If you have not tried any Wild Ales, this might be a good place to start.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2010 22:05:57 | More by thagr81us

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.45/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Batch 002X3

Purchased at the brewery in Fall, 2009 and consumed while playing original Nintendo on July 12, 2010. Decadence.

A: A thin and flat appearance, ruby-tinged brown hued with very little head and virtually no retention or lacing. Upon the second pour, the head is very fizzy and fades almost instantly with a hissing sound.

S: Cherries, oud bruin, wild yeast, wood. This beer smells very complex.

T: A lot of flavors going on here. Everything I named in the aroma, plus a funky tartness that makes my lips pucker and my throat tingle. Really profound and complex, this beer is very intriguing and enjoyable. Many sours in the 10% or above abv range are considerably harsher than this.

M: Acetic, vinegar finish that grows stronger over time. Puckering finish that makes the cheeks (on your face) pucker and cringe (in a good way).

D: I'm taking on the whole 750mL tonight, but this is certainly a good candidate for splitting amongst a few friends.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2010 01:52:22 | More by Huhzubendah

ccrida

Oregon

4.9/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

750ml bottle (batch 001X3) poured into my large St. Feullien goblet (I was gonna go with one of the Russian River glasses, but they're all pretty ugly and none of them have the nucleation etching like this one), Consecration is a brilliant ruby with an off-white head that is pretty quick to settle to a thick skim, leaving light lace.

Smell is vinous, tart dark berries, caramel, not overly rich, even at cellar temp, but very nice. The constant crackle keeps it lively and enticing without overwhelming.

Taste is very nice. Immediately it reminds me of Oerbier Special Reserve, probably my favorite beer of all time. Which makes it all the harder for me to overlook that fact that I buy that for few less dollars for an equal volume, and that it comes from drastically further distance from a brewery that ages it for at least an extra year or so before release. Still, value is not a factor in taste, and on that accord there are very few that pale. Like most Flanders style beers, especially the stronger ones, I really wish I'd had this with the massive rib eye au poivre I had earlier, rather then splitting the Shiraz with my wife. Consecration is more overtly fruity (then the De Dolle), and is not that funky, although it's obviously pretty young, but is nevertheless fantastic.

Mouthfeel is medium light, a crisp creamy carbontion, with just enough maltiness to keep it from being to thin. Very digestible, and the coating of the tannins on the mouth is pleasant and really ties in the wine barrel aging.

Drinkability is high, as this is about as good as it gets for me taste wise. My only ding is the cost, in that comparable beers in it's class (the aforementioned De Dolle, Rodenbach Grand Cru, Abbaye De Saint Bon-Chien, etc...) are quite a bit less, and they all come from another continent, not a days drive south of me. Still, this is a masterful beer that I'm glad to see will be somewhat regularly available, demanding a high proportion of my beer budget until they ramp up and price down! In fact, the more I contemplate this beer, the more impressed I am, perhaps one of the best I've ever had - again, only the De Dolle being on par. Wow, this beer is just an incredible mind blower. As I worked though it, I had to bump it up to a 5, in spite of the price, because it was just so dang good, in spite of the young age!

Edit - I had to pop an 06 Oerbier Special Reserve to compare with the last glass of the Consecration, these notes are all from the perspective of the De Dolle:

a-much larger head, more lace, duller, murky body
s-much drier, more mineral, bright
t-less complexity, more (very clean) alcohol, less depth, more wood, less tannins. RR is fruitier, DD is earthier, and has less depth.
m-a bit less carbonation but still hanging strong, lighter, drier.
d-good, but I'm shocked to see I prefer the RR in the shootout. The oakiness is a bit much, it hasn't gotten overly funky like I'd hope with the age, and the depth doesn't match the RR. I like a sweeter beer, or more sour, but the aged DD reminds me of the disappointing 05 Abbaye De Saint Bon-Chien I had on xmas eve, which was also over oaked and not that sour.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2009 08:18:34 | More by ccrida

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

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy orange-ish to brown in color with a small off white head. In the aroma, tart dark fruit and a note of licorice. In the taste, dark grapes, small tartness and small alcohol notes. A sour bite and a medium bodied mouthfeel, with a small dry grape and note of sourness in the aftertaste. A small tartness, nice alcohol note, and quite wine like.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 16:44:54 | More by OWSLEY069

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

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

Russian River : Consecration

12 oz corked and caged bottle. Pours a rich mahogony/ruby color, more or less clear and a small fizzy head forms and crackles away. Aroma is big and wine like, alittle alcohol peaks through, and then theres the funk which all make for a complex nose. In the taste, almost sweet and sour with grape notes, oaky tannins, bitter brett offering a strong sour, and alcohol is almost un-noticed. Malt body is more or less overrun by these strong flavors, but there is a light touch of caramel. Its all about the lovely sour in this beer though, and the delicate flavor of currents. The feel is medium bodied and semi dry. Overall, this is one hell of a beer and I wish I could get it all the time with a reasonable price tag. Mighty fine.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2011 17:06:09 | More by Stinkypuss

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

jrallen34

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I drank this from the bottle into a chalice. Batch 03.

This pours a light clear brown, very clear in the light. The head is very small with no retention, light lacing.

The aroma is light but pretty complex, especially compared to temptation, which I tasted at the same time. The sour funk is there but there notes of sweet druit, alcohol and wood, which is very pleasant.

The taste is very strange and heavy handed in the beginning. Its like the tannins of a red wine. There are some notes of oak and alcohol. The taste is very sour on the end. **Upon re-review 8 months later, I like it a lot better. The wood really mellows out and starts to show off a little more sweetness in the red wine variety.

Mouthfeel is very heavy, but not entirely drinkable.

Overall, pretty damn good sour, but not world class as its rating and ranking suggest. Worth trying but don't overpay or trade for it.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2009 01:34:10 | More by jrallen34