This week we have the second beer from Russian River Brewing Company. The first beer I reviewed was Damnation, which was a very good example of the Belgian Strong Ale and proved to me that Russian River can produce a good, basic Belgian style beer. The second beer I’ve tried is called Supplication, a brown ale that has been aged in French oak Pinot Noir barrels with sour cherries and several different strains of souring agents.
The brewery was created in 1997 by Korbel Champagne Cellars when they decided to diversify their markets by entering the brewing business. Vinnie Cilurzo, then head brewer, began winning awards within two years, and in 2002 Korbel sold the brewery to Vinnie. Cilurzo soon moved the operation from Guerneville to a new, larger brewery in Santa Rosa, California so that he could meet the rapidly increasing demand for his beers. Currently, Russian River offers a variety of beers in bottles and on tap in their brew pub, but their primary lines are their IPAs and Belgian-style beers.
Most beers are brewed using a strain of the Saccharomyces genus of yeast, which has been selected over time to provide a specific flavor profile. Ale yeasts typically belong to the species Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which typically form a thick layer of foam on top of the wort during fermentation and work at a relatively warm temperature of 60-70°F and finish quickly. Lager yeasts generally belong to the species Saccharomyces pastorianus, which ferment much more slowly at sub-60°F, but finish with a drier, cleaner product.
There are many other species of yeast, however, and the beer in question this week is fermented using yeast from the same family, Saccharomycetacae, but a different genus, Brettanomyces. Brettanomyces produce distinctive sour flavors, which give sour beers their name. The yeast is in Supplication is actually a blend of three different species of Brettanomyces (B. claussenii, B. bruxellensis and B. lambicus), backed up by Lactobacillus and Pediococcus, which are two strains of bacteria that also provide sour flavors. Both Brettanomyces and the bacteria slowly ferment sugars that Saccharomyces will not, resulting in a dry beer that continues to mature in the bottle.
Supplication poured a clear, reddish gold with a thin, light tan head. The head was extremely fine, and persisted for a very long time; it actually reformed quite easily upon swirling the beer in the glass, and left a beautiful, long-lived lacing on the side of the glass. The aroma was a complex sweet and sour, that managed to be strong and delicate at the same time. The body was fairly thick, but this was offset by the fairly high carbonation at low temperature, and began to thin out at warmer temperatures. The taste was very sour, to the point that it reminded me of Warheads or Sour Patch Kids, however it was much smoother than I would have thought possible. The sour of the cherries blended perfectly with the sour beer character, and all the favors complemented each other without clashing.
What truly made this beer, however, was its behavior at warm temperature. Good beer should get better at warm temperature, as your taste buds become more sensitive and more compounds begin to volatilize; this can cut both ways, however, as increased temperature will also reveal off-flavors (now think about why some beers insist that they be served “Cold As The Rockies”). This beer, however, opened up beautifully; it just became more and more complex, while the sourness mellowed out slightly. I was not able to detect any off flavors in this beer, and the flavor profile was just way beyond my palate.
Honestly, I have never tasted a better beer than this one. It was so complex, and just got better and better as it warmed up. The flavor profile and depth is more reminiscent of wine than most beers, so make sure you grab a wine glass or snifter so that you can appreciate the aroma. I cannot recommend this beer enough, although be warned; the price of this beer is in keeping with its quality.
Size: 375 mL
Price: $14.50
ABV: 7.0%
Look: 5/5
Smell: 5/5
Taste: 5/5
Mouthfeel: 5/5
