Framboise For A Cure - Russian River Brewing Company

jeonseh

Indiana

4.36/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Batch 2

A - Bright strawberry red, clear body, and a small white head

S - Tons of raspberry that intersects with lots of lactic acid to give it a slight sour flavor

T - Really tart like a raspberry warhead crossed with a sweettart candy. Lactic acid really comes through near the end to leave a tart bit in the finish

M - Medium body with light carbonation. Dry finish and light tartness that leaves a tingle on the tongue

O - Really tart beer with a good raspberry presence. Wished they made it more often and definitely love that they are doing this for a cause.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2013 17:17:24 | More by jeonseh

metter98

New York

4.43/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: The beer is clear dark rosé in color in color and has a very slight amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a half finger high white head that died down a bit, leaving lots of lacing on the surface.
S: Moderate aromas of sour raspberries are present in the nose - these get stronger as the beer warms up.
T: The taste has flavors of raspberries along with slight notes of oak and sourness.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and very tart on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is very well blended and provides interesting complexities from the sourness and raspberries. It's not too sour and the fruity flavors seem very natural.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2013 22:35:22 | More by metter98

dbrauneis

New Jersey

4.49/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2012 Vintage

A: Pours a clear dark rose in color with some light amounts of gentle visible carbonation and some pink + ruby red highlights. The beer has a quarter finger tall fizzy pink head that reduces to a medium large patch of thin film and a medium thick ring at the edges of the glass. Light amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate to strong aromas of raspberries with heavy amounts of tartness and just a hint of funky sourness. Very light notes of sour cherries.

T: Upfront there is a touch of natural raspberry sweetness over a subtle pale malt which is quickly followed by moderate to strong amounts of tartness. Slight hints of sour cherries and just a touch of funkiness. Light hints of oak.

M: Just shy of medium bodied with heavy amounts of carbonation. Moderate amounts of acidic prickliness and just a touch of dryness in the finish.

O: Easy to drink and really well balanced between the upfront sweetness and tartness/sourness. Very enjoyable and probably one of my favorite framboise beers - no hints of anything artificial (very much the natural flavors of the fruits).

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2013 22:34:14 | More by dbrauneis

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4.26/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

375ml bottle poured into HF stemmed glass. Thanks Tom (airfoil) for this gem! Full bottle pour, reviewed live.

A- Pours a translucent cherry red with a thin white head that has an off pink color and recedes to a thin layer leaving thin layered lacing that clings to the glass. About average carbonation with very nice consistency.

S- Tart raspberries, some cherries, nice balance between fruits and malts. Nice sweetness balanced with a decent level of tartness and a light sour presence. Fairly aromatic.

T- Tart raspberries with a nice balance between a subtle malt presence, raspberries add a nice sweetness that seems slightly syrupy. Finishes with tart raspberries and a hint of a cherry, both of which linger nicely as a sweet lightly tart aftertaste. Overall not overly tart with a nice balanced sweetness.

M- Medium bodied, nice carbonation that adds a subtle tingly sensation that fits nicely with the tartness, very easy to drink.

O- This was a great framboise and probably my second favorite I've had next to Cantillon's Lou Pepe Framboise which add a little bit more funkiness that only Cantillon can achieve. It was very drinkable with a nice sweet fruit presence balanced with a nice tartness. If you like the style of framboise I definitely recommend trying this out.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 19:43:04 | More by jaasen64

tectactoe

Michigan

4.38/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Huge thanks to yeahnatenelson for this one. As a raspberry whore, it's been on my wants list for a while. This is the 2012 batch, which also uses Temptation as the base. It pours the color of a ruby-red grapefruit with a gradient of deep ruby in the center and borderline pink at the edges. The soapy foam cap is a mix of lavender and pink and it gone within a minute or two, leaving behind only a little ring around the edge.

Raspberries lead the aroma profile, but Framboise for a Cure is far from one dimensional. I'm also picking up a noticeable amount of apples and grapes and cherries, all providing a jolt of sweetness and tartness. Plenty of funk roaming around; Brett-like, musty cork, and some wet hay notes. The more and more I smell this one, the more seemingly tart it gets. Plenty of overtly sour notes that pinch the saliva glands and start making my mouth water.

Once again, there'll be no surprise when I say that the flavor profile opens up with a large mound of raspberries. Other "berry" flavors seem relevant, too, along with lighter bouts of grapes and cherries. Very juicy, gushing with fruity flavors all around. Plenty of mildly vinous notes, including a nice amount of oak and tannin. Certainly tart and puckering from the middle to the end. It has a very crisp mouth feel from heavy carbonation and feels so light and effervescent. The funk is a bit more subdued on the palate, but still includes lots of cork, must, and cellar-like funk. Mouth watering a delicious.

Framboise for a Cure is damn good. As I stated earlier, I'm a huge fan of raspberries and I tend to be somewhat biased towards beers with well-integrated raspberries - exactly what this beer is. That being said, and somewhat shockingly so, I think I prefer the regular Temptation to this batch of Framboise for a Cure (which is essentially Temptation with raspberries). Nevertheless, still a fine brew and sure to make any raspberry and/or sour lover go nuts. Get some!

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 01:22:40 | More by tectactoe

jvillefan

California

4.33/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5

A: Very appropriatly pink body with a white laced head.

S: Pleasent very crisp sour aroma with raspberry. There is a dryness to it that rounds out aroma.

T: Very fruity in the beginning. There is a sweetness that comes from the raspberries. The tart adds some pleasant funk to this beer.

M: Has a great bite from the carbonation but the body is a little light.

O: A great beer for a great cause.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 05:26:19 | More by jvillefan

mindspin315

New Jersey

4.09/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a Rodenbach Grand Cru tulip.

Appearance: Amazing fluffy pink head. Settles to a nice finger worth of froth. Nice lacing, lots of bubbles streaming up the middle of the glass, and an awesome red raspberry colored body to boot. Give a swirl and a fingers worth of head will re-appear.

Smell: Big dose of tart and sweet raspberries. Fresh berry fruit aromas. As if a mix of raspberry, strawberry, and tart sour cherries were picked at the same time. A light touch of funk...not overly musty or barnyard-y. Much like a Cantillon 100% Kriek but with Raspberry and not Cherry. Reminds me much of SHBRL, but a touch less complex.

Taste/Feel: Raspberry through and through. Lots of fresh tasting berries with a berry seed flavor...like biting into some fresh raspberries. Sweet raspberry/strawberry candy but not cloying in anyway. Much like those fruit candies you get that have a picture of a berry printed on the label. The beer dries out right before the finish and you're left with a light funky berry coated mouthfeel. The flavor and feel never gets to funky or sour...it's simply a nice mild drinking and tart raspberry wild ale that dries out nicely in the overall feel.

The beer borders on a fruit beer, but has enough tartness/funk to separate it from that and keep it from being too sweet. I was very much reminded of a Cantillon 100% Kriek or SHBRL in a few different aspects of this beer...even if this is only a wild ale and the others are lambics...it's def between a fruit and a sour beer and in a good way. Guess the perfect description is wild ale, because you don't really know what you're getting. Not that the beer is all over the place. It is simply a great balance of both tart and fruit. The raspberry aspect of the beer is mastered in this one...but it's a bit one note without the yeast adding a lot to the overall beer. I could easily drink a bunch of these over the summer months. But that's not feasible with this being so limited. Glad I got to try this and would easily drink it all the time were it a regular offering.

[93/100]

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 07:08:26 | More by mindspin315

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev -5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

This poured out as a beautiful red color with a light pink head on top. The retention is pretty good here, not much lacing. The smell of the beer is slightly floral and fruity with a tart aroma on it. The taste is tart with a nice raspberry sweetness. The mouthfeel of the beer is light bodied with a good carbonation. Sweet and dry plenty of sour tart fruity notes. Overall this is a really good brew. Glad I got to have it!

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2013 01:47:25 | More by Knapp85

jegross2

Illinois

4.84/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Reviewing the Framboise For A Cure from Russian River Brewing Company out of Santa Rosa, California. Batch 3 of this brew is the same as Batch 2; it uses Temptation as a base and is 6.5% ABV. Russian River describes this beer as a "sour barrel aged beer with raspberries." 100% of the profits from this beer's bottle sales are donated directly to the Sutter Breast Care Center of Santa Rosa. You can make a direct donation to the cause of curing breast cancer through the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation by clicking here.

Score: 98

2012 vintage bottle (batch 3) served in a Bourbon County Brand Stout snifter and enjoyed on 02/11/13.

Appearance: Pours a gorgeous, slightly dark rose color with a finger-plus of frothy pink head that settles to a thick (half finger?) layer atop the glass. The beer is on the opaque side of translucent and "clean" in appearance. No noticeable army of floaties or any haze. Average, soapy lacing with awesome cling. Truly a gorgeous-looking sour. 5/5

Smell: The minute the cork popped of the top of the bottle, a "wild raspberry" aroma became immediately apparent to my nose, which was perched a couple of feet away from the bottle. Smelling from the glass, I get sweet and tart raspberry, strawberry ice cream, cranberry and a little bit of "all berry jam" akin to what they serve/sell at the Egg Harbor in Lincolnshire. There's a faint amount of that straw-like sour funk (my friend humorously calls this "Cantillon Dust") that you get in beers Cantillon Classic Gueuze present as well. Absolutely delicious! 5/5

Taste: Tastes just like it smells, but a little less bold. Tart raspberry, creamy strawberry and a little bit of that "Cantillon Dust" funk in the finish that faintly lingers with a hint of raspberry. Truly delicious, simply magnificent! Not very complex, but boy is this beer tasty! Although not very tart at cellar temp, this one grows in tartness as it warms up. 4.75/5

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, medium carbonation. Has a juicy juice-like mouthfeel that moistens the palate while also slightly drying out and inflaming the gums after the swallow -- which makes for a really interesting mouthfeel. Nice blend of sweet and tart here. 5/5

Overall: One of my favorite sours consumed to date. This one can roll with the big boys (Fou Foune, Beatification, Tornado 25th Anniversary Ale, etc.). Give the average price one must pay for a quality sour, I would absolutely recommend this brew at the price point (even though it breaks the $1/oz retail threshold).

Cost: $15 for a 375 ml bottle.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2013 05:28:31 | More by jegross2

Thehuntmaster

South Africa

4.35/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

375ml bottle 6,5% Abv.
Served chilled in an oversized wine glass.
2012 Vintage

Thanks to futura123 for sending this bottle my way.

Appearance: I guess it is not very manly, but I love the look of fruit sours and this is no exception. Framboise for a Cure pours out a beautiful magenta pink, with a rough pour yielding a massive marshmallow pink head. The head lasts fairly well for a sour and leaves some patchy lacing on the glass as it recedes.

Smell: Mmmmm, I love raspberries! Fresh, juicy raspberries dominate the nose, however there is a distinct underlying tartness also present. As the beer begins to warm, the fruit character expands to include some cherry and a touch of cranberry. Warming also brings out some of the base beer, with notes of oak, a musty character, old wood, a touch of hay and a vinous note.

Taste: Wow, this is quite a lot tarter than I expected, with the first sip causing some mouth puckering. After the initial sourness, the fresh raspberry notes from the nose quickly become apparent and proceed to dominate the flavour. As the beer warms a light cherry character is noted, along with characteristics from the base beer that include: Tart white grapes, some musty notes, old wood, some oak and a little white wine.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, with a high level of effervescent yet smooth carbonation.

Overall: Framboise for a Cure is a great fruit sour, however it needs a little more complexity from the base beer in order to compete with the likes of Lou Pepe Framboise or Southampton Black Raspberry Lambic.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 09:41:16 | More by Thehuntmaster

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.36/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Draft at Monk's Cafe in Philadelphia, PA.

Pours a very hazy, bright ruby red color with a pink grapefruit-colored, one finger head.  Good retention, slowly fading into a lasting ring.  Spotty lacing left behind.

Inviting aroma with earthy oak, musty funk and ultra fresh vinous fruit.  The raspberries really stand out with a juicy, seedy and jam-like quality.  The raspberry and other dark fruit notes are a nice counter to the toasted oak, lactic acid and funky bugs.  

Tart and puckering with a nice balance of musty funk, sweet beery and earthy oak.  There's a subtle lactic presence in finish that compliments the barrel, fruit and sour notes.  Not acidic or harsh with the perfect amount of sourness that counters the oak barrel and seedy berries.  Sweet vinous raspberries flavor is strong but not as prominent as it is in the nose.  Very juicy and fresh with lots of raspberry, currant, grape and other dark fruits.  Very complex yet remains delicate and very easy to drink for a sour.  

Serving type: on-tap

02-01-2013 23:44:56 | More by corby112

ehammond1

California

4.5/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle (2012)

Thanks for sending this bottle to me, kristalynn and leschkie! Cheers!

Shared this bottle with my sister months after her APL leukemia was declared "in remission." Cheers, to her!

A gorgeous, bright pink and deep near-red in color. Very minimal sediment throughout. Small-bubbled light rose/pink crown of persistent foam sits atop. Gorgeous framboise.

Very bright, expressive aroma of raspberries (and if I was given this blind, I would probably mention cranberries). Lots of fruit, along with a definite, sharp sour acid presence, and only a mild funk character. This is expressively berry-forward.

The flavor is similar to the aroma, with huge notes of raspberry, cranberry, some oak, and complementary, though very mild funk. There's a moderate level of sour presence, though it's not overwhelming. A complete, incredibly drinkable framboise.

Medium bodied with moderate-high carbonation. Very nice.

Delicious.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 23:15:37 | More by ehammond1

kscaldef

Oregon

4.28/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2012 vintage

A: Vibrantly pink with a 1/4" pink head receding to a thick ring and foam. Good clarity with apparently carbonation.

S: Intense raspberry with mild earthiness

T: Very tart, heavy fruit presence but also lemony and earthy. Man, that is sour. Clean, but super sour.

M: Well-carbonated, mildly astringent. Medium-light body.

O: Very well done fruit sour; top of the charts for an american wild. Thanks to deeblo for the chance to snag a bottle of this.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 23:58:29 | More by kscaldef

HuskyinPDX

Washington

4.38/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2012 bottle opened on 12.4.12 thanks to punkhim.

A - Pours a dark pink-maroon with a fizzy light pink head that fades quickly.

S - Tart wood and sweet raspberry.

T - Nice balance of tart and sweet, lots of raspberry.

D - Great carbonation with a light body and a tart finish.

O - Tart and sweet, then tart again, very tasty.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2012 06:21:51 | More by HuskyinPDX

macrosmatic

Florida

4.4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to eyebereej for this one! I'm very excited to try it. Poured from 375 mL bottle into a CCB snifter glass.

A: Pours a relatively clear, pinkish-red, with a quite pink small head. Medium visible carbonation. I was going to give this a 5.0 for appearance, but the brewer missed the mark on the Barbie pink of the breast cancer ribbon.

S: Surprisingly low presence on the nose. Funky, sour, sweet, with some overripe fruit aroma.

T: Fruity, puckering sour, big raspberry flavors with Brett and Lacto funkiness. Some wood, oak to dry it out a little further. The hang is funky sour, but not overdone and it fades more quickly than some sours. Very tasty.

M: Medium body, sweet and sticky mouthfeel. Alcohol very well-hidden. Good carbonation.

O: Very very tasty. Not my favorite RR sour, but I'm very impressed. Would drink this anytime it's available.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2012 03:28:59 | More by macrosmatic

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Doodler for this bottle! Been wanting to try this beer for a long time!

Poured into cascade tulip glass.

vintage 2012.

375ml C&C bottle let out a healthy pop when cork was removed.

Appearance: reddish pink bodied beer with a off white head that has a pink hue to it. Head pours out to 2 fingers high and drops to a thin cap. Spotty lacing.

Smell: Fresh, juicy, sweet raspberries and you can smell the beer as soon as the cork came out of the bottle. Very dominent fruity nose. Just a hint of oak. Not getting much funk.

Taste: Its just like a fresh picked raspberry. The raspberries are more tart than sweet. I would say this beer is moderately sour. Hint of oak and its got just a touch of acidity. The beer tastes very similiar to how smells, but the only difference is it smells like its going to have some sweetness and it doesnt. It more tastes more tart/sour than sweet. This beer tastes great, but its so fruit forward that it almost gets one deminsional. The beer leaves no doubt that the raspberry is the star of the beer.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied beer with moderate carbonation. Semidry finish. Drinkability is fantastic in this sour ale. Its sour enough to give you a great pucker factor, but its really easy to drink this beer fast. The carbonation is spot on, it not overly aggressively carbonated like alot of other sours it exactly where it should be.

Overall: Recomended you try this if you like raspberry sour ales. Its gotta be at the top of its class! Russian River does a fantastic job on this beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 11:12:57 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2012 bottle. Thank you govia75!!!

Appearance. Pours bright pink with a little peach and over a finger of foamy light-pink head that has good retention.

Smell. Funky dank old wood and fresh raspberry juice. Yum!!

Taste. Nice sour, fresh raspberries. A little bit of funk and some wood in the aftertaste, but it's very light. The raspberries come though prominently and are delicious!

Mouthfeel. Medium-light body with medium-full carbonation.

Overall. A fine sour with some great fruit flavours. I would drink this all the time if I could!

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2012 02:30:01 | More by Rutager

kevanb

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2012 bottle poured into a Russian River stemmed "tion" glass

The beer pours a great pinkish red color, hints of garnet and ruby when held to the light. A light pink color head, very fizzy, sits atop the beer but it recedes into nothing almost immediately, a touch of lacing, no film atop the beer. The aroma is of very tart and puckering raspberries, a bit of vanilla and oak, but very much in the background, the fruit and acetic qualities really take over the aroma. The flavors are a bit more interesting and mellow, lots of raspberries, some sweetness, almost a strawberry taste as well. There is definitely a strong sour component, but not as strong as the nose led on, much smoother, touches of oak and vanilla, but again, just a great subtle layer, the raspberries really shine here. The body is perfect, super lively, bubbly and crisp without being sharp and prickly.

Verdict: Just delightful, a pleasure to drink and another world class sour beer from Russian River. The raspberry flavors are really allowed to shine here and with it, bring out some great complimentary aspects that take this to a new level, rather than just being a sour bomb. Glad to have another one to cellar.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2012 23:49:55 | More by kevanb

Gobzilla

California

4.5/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: pours a translucent pink in color with a little thin head that left left a little lacing sticking to the glass.

S: I definitely was able to the detect the raspberries upfront on the nose with some acidic citrusy notes, plenty of funkiness, oakinness as well, but with a good amount of sweetness.

T: it had a nice sour punch on the first sip alongside the fruit raspberries which were more apparent on the palate, plenty of acidic qualities, funky barnyard character, and did have lemony citrus accents.

M: the brew was light to medium in body with a moderate amount of carbonation which had a sweet, fruity, acidic, citrusy, oaky, and sour finish that lingered on the palate.

O: this elusive beer has been in my gots list since the first batch and it did not disappoint. Solid beer all around and glad to have another bottle in the cellar. Good lookin out beezler.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2012 20:37:27 | More by Gobzilla

harrymel

Washington

3.68/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Vintage 2012

This thing pours pink, pink, pink. A nice light frothy pink on the surface. Smells of raspberries, lemon, lactic, grass and some more raspberries and their pithy, vegetal character. This beer is very, very razzy. Plenty of raspberry notes, some dry tartness, lacto tartness, some gain and peppery sharp notes. It's tart, but has a hollow middle for me. Medium on thin bodied with moderate on hi carb and a semi dry finish. This one is good, clean and approachable.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2012 05:12:18 | More by harrymel

Offa

California

3.73/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is for the 2012 batch, on tap at Russian River itself.

This is an excellent fruit wild ale, if still a bit slim on the rustic/funky qualities and a bit too focused on the fruit. It is bright, dry but not too dry, very engaging.

It is beautiful deep, but bright, red, with small pale pink head that slowly thins to rich foamy ring, a few wisps and some pretty good lace.

Aroma is a bit too raspberry dominated, but full-bodied, bright, and excellent nevertheless. it has bright, rich raspberry, light rustic yeastiness and faintly earthy quality underneath.

Taste is similar, mostly dry raspberry with faint sweetness, lightly sour and tart and acidic, a light but firm rustic yeastiness underneath and light yeasty bread in the aftertaste. It has some noticeable rustic/funky yeasty and sour-ale character but it certainly could use more to make a really complex fruit wild ale. However, it is very good, crisp, bright, quenching, and has a little complexity but not nearly enough to be a truly exceptional example. I like beers of this sort to have a lot of flavour, not be really lean and dry like dry champagne, which this tends towards. I also like my fruit wild ales or lambics to have plenty of very evident funky/yeasty character in addition to the fruit. The feel is pretty good, but a bit thin and not lively or engaging.

Serving type: on-tap

10-12-2012 03:26:56 | More by Offa

rlee1390

Indiana

4.28/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A-Cloudy, carbonated bright red/pink. Two finger head that like most sours doesn't last long.

S-Some tartness/funk, lots of oak, raspberries, earthy/pine notes along with some slight grass as well.

T-Great balance, mild sourness more tart than anything, raspberries balance nicely with the oak and sour. Once again some grassy notes as well.

M-Lighter and watery, not much carbonation either.

O-What a beer. Russian River knows what they are doing with their sour program.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2012 02:44:52 | More by rlee1390

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On Tap at Monk's Cafe in a tulip glass raising money for breast cancer.

When it got to me I was graced by a nice hue of deep red, not blood red, but a nice rounded red. It could of been pink for all I know, It was dark in there. Just liquid by the time it got to me, no lacing towards the sides. Some swirls brought forth some reddish bubbles, no cling.

Smell was str8 up raspberries, it was very prominent. That's all I smelled for a while. Under that the temptation base is hard to pick out, the berries kinda mute the wine aspect, but there is some funk and a faint mineral quality. The berries beat all.

This is a mighty fine beer, on top of a already spectacular beer. Framboise for a a cure is very fruit forward, with a nice funk in the middle and a pucker quality. Some wood on top of raspberry with a faint amount of wine aspect.

Feel is a nice step below medium with a great pucker on the end of the tounge, swirling this around the mouth keeps the berries coming, very fresh beer here, I wonder what time would do to this but I would have a hard time holding it. I ordered another glass on the way out.

Serving type: on-tap

10-11-2012 04:30:44 | More by onix1agr

ColForbinBC

New Jersey

4.13/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On-tap, served in a tulip; 2012 batch

Pours distinct raspberry red color with a finger of light pink foam. The head fell somewhat quickly and left nothing behind. The nose is full of tart raspberries and a mild sugary sweetness. Some musty hay and acidic cider vinegar. On the palate, the raspberries are front and center. Big, bold tart raspberries rush the palate with a mild sugary sweetness in tow. Some hay and light manure-like funk come through in the middle before tart raspberries pop back up in the finish. The finish is sharp, dry, and tart. Light body with high carbonation. The raspberry flavor really lingers; your mouth is coated with fresh raspberries. A really delicious beer with loads of fresh fruit. Extremely drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

10-09-2012 02:06:31 | More by ColForbinBC

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

First had: on tap at Monk's, Philly, PA

Served in a tulip glass, poured a bright magenta color, with a small, frothy white head that fizzled out after a moment, leaving a ringlet and a few stray bubbles behind. Lots of raspberry in the nose, as would be expected, lesser notes of musty grass and citrus juice. Puckeringly tart on the tongue, fresh raspberries dominate, citric, lactic, acetic (just a bit), mild grassy funk, and a touch of woodiness. Tasty! Good balance of sour and sweet, once your palate gets used to the initial snap of tartness. Light-medium mouthfeel, very drinkable if you like sours/fruits/lambics.

Serving type: on-tap

10-09-2012 01:21:41 | More by Rifugium