Consecration - Russian River Brewing Company

As I relaxed over Christmas break, I had the opportunity to try the third beer in the series from Russian River Brewing Company, Consecration. The first beer I tried was Damnation, which was a golden strong ale, and the second was a brown ale barrel aged in Pinot Noir oak barrels with sour cherries named Supplication. Consecration is a dark strong ale that has been aged in cabernet sauvignon barrels with black currents.

Russian River Brewing Company was started in 1997 by Korbel Champagne Cellars, who then sold the business to the head brewer, Vinnie Cilurzo, in 2002. Vinnie has since expanded both the brewery and his distribution region, making a name for himself with extreme IPAs and sour Belgian-inspired beers like the Supplication I reviewed last term. Like Supplication, Consecration is a sour beer, which means it was inoculated with a souring agent. Russian River actually uses four different souring agents in their beer. First is the fruit, currents in Consecration and cherries in Supplication. After the beer has finished its fermentation with Saccharomyces it is dosed with Brettanomyces (another form of yeast) and Pediococcus and Lactobacillus (two forms of bacteria), all of which digest sugars that Saccharomyces cannot to produce lactic acid and other sour tasting compounds.

Consecration poured a clear, golden amber with a beautiful reddish hue. The clarity was excellent, although care must be taken when pouring any bottle conditioned beer so as not to disturb the yeast sediment on the bottom (unless it is a hefe, as these beers are meant to be consumed with a heavy yeast suspension); this sediment tastes nasty, and ruins the last glass of beer. The head was tan and fairly thin, but of a very fine texture and left beautiful lacing on the glass. The aroma was sweet, sour, and slightly fruity, but the most distinct scent was actually of vanilla, almost like a bourbon; overall the scent was very complex. The carbonation was smooth, with some sparkling highlights that tickled a bit. This was not nearly the sparkly carbonation I’ve experienced with many other beers, which can be pretty harsh, and paired very well with the thick, full body. The taste was quite sour and acidic, while maintaining some sweetness, but the overall balance was quite good, and the sourness was not nearly at the level of the Supplication.

This was actually one of the best beers I have ever had, right next to Supplication, and I can’t recommend it enough. Both beers are sour beers, however, and not particularly cheap; If you are interested in trying something new, go for it, but if you like your Natural Ice, buy a case of that instead and be happy.

Size: 375 mL

Price: $17.50

ABV: 10.0%

Look: 5/5

Smell: 5/5

Taste: 5/5

Mouthfeel: 5/5

Supplication - Russian River

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