Temptation
Russian River Brewing Company

TemptationTemptation
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From:
Russian River Brewing Company
 
California, United States
Style:
Wild Ale
Ranked #22
ABV:
7.5%
Score:
98
Ranked #296
Avg:
4.45 | pDev: 8.76%
Reviews:
1,069
Ratings:
3,891
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 06, 2024
Added:
Sep 19, 2003
Wants:
  1,780
Gots:
  1,052
A blonde ale fermented with a special strain of yeast, then aged in French oak chardonnay barrels. Flavors of wine and oak absorb into the brew throughout twelve months of aging. During this aging process, a secondary fermentation occurs using a yeast strain disliked by most brewers and winemakers called Brettanomyces.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of moysauce
Rated by moysauce from Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
From Untappd 2019
Mar 06, 2024
 
Rated: 3.94 by sbradley41 from Pennsylvania

Jan 27, 2024
 
Rated: 4.03 by Gagnonsux from Texas

Dec 31, 2023
Photo of MaddDoGG5150
Reviewed by MaddDoGG5150 from California

4.48/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Pours a translucent gold color. A thin foam head that doesn't retain very well.

Aroma: grapes and white wine. A slight touch of oak and leather.

Taste: somewhat follows the nose, with a malty sweetnes in the background. Moderate bitterness with a tart finish.
Oct 16, 2023
 
Rated: 4.5 by brittanylicious from Indiana

Jul 16, 2023
 
Rated: 5 by doctorgary from New York

Jul 10, 2023
 
Rated: 3.52 by Holderness from Massachusetts

May 29, 2023
 
Rated: 4.91 by bowmanad3

Apr 09, 2023
 
Rated: 4.34 by Humanusfermentum from Virginia

Jan 26, 2023
Photo of MonDak_Joe1953
Reviewed by MonDak_Joe1953 from Minnesota

4.44/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
375ml bottle. Corked and caged. Label is marked for the bottling date of '021722'.
Mostly clear, pale gold colored body. One thin finger of white head sticks around.
Aroma of oak, white wine and grape, and funk leather.
Taste is chardonnay grapes, oak, and leather/tobacco funk. Lower level of tartness. Really dries up in the aftertaste.
Very soft, medium plus mouth feel. Very dry finish. Very good carbonation.
Prominent Brett qualities along with the oak wine barrel influences. Terrific palate cleanser.
Jan 14, 2023
Photo of hman43
Reviewed by hman43 from North Carolina

4.2/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Look: It pours golden and brilliantly clear with a white head. Head retention is low.

Smell: It has a strong wine character from the chardonnay with some earthly flavors. There are some grape notes with a hint of leather.

Taste: It has wine flavors with grapes. There are very low leather and earthen elements. There are some wood elements.

Feel: It has a medium body with moderately strong sourness.

Overall, this beer is quite wine like but not to the point where it drinks like a wine.
Nov 25, 2022
Photo of Hobbs87
Reviewed by Hobbs87 from New York

2.58/5  rDev -42%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.5
Have to call it as I see it. Just a terrible beer. I’ve had others from Russian River and this should be removed from their offerings. Figure they would have something based on a wine being in the Napa area but just had no enjoyable qualities at all. Most scores from BA have been somewhat accurate but a 98 for this is just stunning. Don’t waste your time or money, IMO this score is completely way off base.
Nov 24, 2022
Photo of UWDAWG
Reviewed by UWDAWG from Washington

4.04/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Poured from 12.68 ounce bottle into a tulip glass.

Look- Pale gold, very hazy, no visible particulate, sudsy white head, below average head retention and lacing.

Smell- White grape, oak, chardonnay, mildly brett.

Taste- White grape, chardonnay, sour finish.

Feel- Thin body, clean finish, very dry finish, sourness induces saliva, gentle carbonation.

Overall- A wild ale with an abundance of chardonnay characteristics. This is a large descent from the beer styles I typically drink, but was an enjoyable new experience.
May 07, 2022
Photo of CarolinaCardinals
Reviewed by CarolinaCardinals from North Carolina

4.2/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
A friend of mine visited Colorado for a family Christmas and he brought back a bunch of RR goodies 12-31-21 including this 375ml bottle for $14.99. Bottled 1-14-21; consumed 4-7-22.

Beer poured deep golden with a pretty good white head.

Nose is very nice, a nice combination of horse blanket, white wine, and a touch of sourness.

Taste follows the nose with a light but fairly substantial malt base that initially comes across as a sweet tart but has some funky leather. Finishes very dry and oaky.

Mouthfeel is light bodied and smooth with each sip.

Overall a sour that is very well done and does not obliterate my sour sensitive palate!
Apr 07, 2022
Photo of pthoolihan
Rated by pthoolihan from Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pretty color with a nice head on an aggressive pour. Smells fruity, tastes sour and dry. Comfortable feeling in the mouth but a little after bite
Apr 03, 2022
 
Rated: 4.34 by not2quick from Missouri

Mar 31, 2022
Photo of eluvah
Reviewed by eluvah from New York

4.32/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
On tap at Iron Abby in Horsham PA. Pours a hazy gold with thin white head. Smells of grapes and oak. Nice tart flavor and finishes with a little tartness on the tongue. A very nice sipping beer.
Mar 22, 2022
Photo of Rug
Reviewed by Rug from Massachusetts

4.28/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Bottled 1/14/21

Oh man, it’s about damn time I get to try some of the Russian River Wilds! I managed to wrangle up 4 different ones, and plan to try them in order of lowest to highest ranking, starting here just short of the top 250 at #310. I’m too excited so let’s just get into it

Pours an opaque pale gold with a finger of white head that fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing

Oh man, this is super funky in the nose. I’m picking up on aromas of earthy white wine, wet hay, old leather, sharp oak, lemon juice, pear, apple skin, and light white pepper

The funk really keeps up in taste, it’s soft and delicate up front yet tart and funky on the finish. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting dry white wine, pear skin, white grape, smooth oak, and light apple. The swallow brings notes of earthy white wine, sharp oak, wet hay, clove, lemon juice, apple skin, and leather

A light medium body pairs with moderate tingling carbonation, resulting in a sharp beer. Finishes quite dry and funky

This one is very good, but the straight up funk holds it back just a little bit. Still, it’s masterfully done, and I can’t wait to try the rest
Mar 06, 2022
Photo of drdiesel9483
Reviewed by drdiesel9483 from Ohio

4.27/5  rDev -4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Had a 2014 on tap in 2022
Look - Clear golden color with a nice white head and slight lacing. Shocked it looks this good
Smell - grainy tart citrus. Guessing the aging brought it to this smell but still fantastic
Taste - floral tart with a slight citrus
Feel - medium body with a crisp carb
Overall - really great beer. Would love to try fresh and see the difference
Feb 25, 2022
 
Rated: 4.59 by dexterk1 from Illinois

Feb 17, 2022
Temptation from Russian River Brewing Company
Beer rating: 98 out of 100 with 3891 ratings