Russian River - Consecration

We had this back at GABF and loved it so luckily I was able to track some down. I decided to crack a bottle of this as a Valentines gift to myself, I offered some to the wifey but she isn't a big fan of sours so she politely declined. That's ok, more for me!

Beer: Consecration
Type: Wild Ale
Origin: Russian River Brewery - Santa Rosa, CA
ABV: 10%
Price: $25 - 750ml Bottle
Rarity: 7/10 – Only available one week of the year on tap at the brewery.



Appearance: Popped the cap and soon after I had no choice but to offer a decent overflow amount to my homies, dammit. After the CO2 bomb settled it poured a beautiful dark red with a bubbly light red colored head.

Smell: Smell was funky, sour, tannic 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.

Taste: 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.

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

Drinkability: 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. I am going to have to put a lock and key on the remaining bottles so I don't drink them too soon. :laugh:

Thanks for the review, it sounds like a phenomenal beer!

Like I stated to Justin.....

Well maybe this will be the sour I bring to DLD 2009. What did we have last year, Supplication and Beatification?

I still have lovely dreams of the Beatification....

Nice review. I've only been able to have a couple of ounces of a couple of the RR sours. And that was enough to tell that they are amazing beers.

Nice review Jonas :thumbs:

This was probably my #1 beer from GABF, I can't wait for my bottles to get here!

Score – 9.2/10

Appearance
Gushed when I popped the cork and ended up getting some yeast in the glass as a result of a rushed pour! :angry: I think I need to start chilling my sours instead of just pouring them at cellar temp since this is a pretty consistent problem. It pours a ruddy brown with a big dark tan head that vanishes almost immediately. There is absolutely no lacing at all.

Smell
When I put it to my nose it smells amazing similar to a big Cab initially, but this is accompanied by sour vinegar and an earthy funk.

Taste
You’re hit with a nice tartness and cider vinegar up front. As it rolls across the sweetness from the currants provide a nice balance to the tartness. Right before the finish the alcohol makes an appearance. While it is a bit hot, it isn’t unpleasant. I think I was more just caught off guard because it isn’t something I’m used to in a sour. It finishes extremely long and dry.

Feel
The carbonation and body both fall in the average range. It works well with the flavors and extremely dry finish.

Overall
It’s probably a good thing these are so expensive since at 10% it is amazing drinkable. The depth of flavor and balance is simply amazing. This is one of the few $20+ bottles of beer that I’ve had that I would shell out the money for again without hesitation.

Nice review Justin... just when I was over Jonas's review :angry:

Nice review mang. Wasn't it a bummer when it gushed? Mine was fairly cold and it still happened.. I do agree that this beer is worth the $20+ price tag, I loved it.