Russian River Temptation
Is it beer, or is it wine? "Aged in French oak wine barrels for twelve months with distinct characteristics of fruit and subtle oak" sounds more like a description of wine than beer. But, of course, Temptation is indeed beer. Actually, Temptation is 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. The "Bret" gives Temptation intriguing characteristics and a pleasant sourness. Temptation is re-fermented in the bottle to create its carbonation--a process commonly used to make fine champagne and sparkling wine. Spent yeast forms a thin layer of sediment to remain in the bottle.
4.1
1192 reviews
Santa Rosa, United States
Community reviews
15-MAR-2019, bottle @Ulkløbben meeting, @Mads.
Clear, pale golden with a low, White head.
Apricot, citrus, barnyard. Soooo creamy and smooth. Tart, full. Like a great wine.
Bottle shared with the KL tasting crew. Poured a hazy light orange amber with a thin broken white head. The aroma is yeasty, light mineral, citrus fruits. The flavour is moderate sour, with a light, crisp, fresh, tart orange citrus, dry, yeasty, light biscuit dough palate. Medium bodied with average to soft carbonation.
Bottle. 5/1/18 bottle date. Appearance: Crystal clear, golden, with a low lying white head.
Aroma: Definite Chardonnay, Apple, and light pear. Lactic acid and light brett funkiness are pleasant.
Taste: Distinct white wine vinous flavor followed by some lactic acidity and only a touch of brett funk and hay on the back side. Nice tartness and bitterness to balance.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied withca high carbonation
Finish: Very dry finish. Apple and pear fruitiness linger with some Chardonnay notes
Overall: An amazing sour ale. The Chardonnay barrel adds a distinct vinous character, along with some fruity apple and pear ftombthe yeast. Brett and lactobacillus adds just a touch of funkiness and tartness to counter the fruitiness of the beer. Very light, bubbly, and refreshing
Golden with a white ehad - Sour malt aroma - Malt body with a good sour fruity wood flavour - The sour fruity wood flavours goes into the finish - This was good
Fido at share. Glad I finally got to try this, as they didn't have it on when I was down in Santa Rosa. Aroma and taste are Sublime, smooth light tartness, more if the Brett notes. Right in alignment with the way Russian River does these beers. Well worthy of its reputation
On tap at the brewery. Pours gold. Grapefruit, nectarine, white grape, strong oak, white wine vinegar, sweet peach syrup stuff, funky barnyard complexity. Medium body. Great.
Bottle from Whole Foods Market in Redwood City, CA. Aroma is earthy funk, horse hair, apricots, dried fruit must. Taste is white wine, very musty and earthy funk flavors, tangy tart, maybe some peppery spice and then dry wood. Would pair well with crispy lemon pepper chicken wings.
RUSSIAN RIVER SHOP STUFF !!! 375ml Buddel....muss SOFORT!!! wieder hin ;)..☄️💥OG-CLONE mit gekonnt floraler IRIS-Blendung👑dazu noch stonelicking appelfein & auf der Crazy cheesy WhitePepperSide🤖daaann Allround AmericanSourer mit✨Ansichten 🔥 PERFEKT!!!
Straw pour. Aroma of white wine, barnyard and peach, flavor is similar, very tart, with raspberry.
375ml bottle shared with brother, thanks Guillaume for the share. Aroma: lots of chardonnay notes, bretts, lemon and light horse blanket. App: hazy straw, small white head leaving great lacing. Taste and palate: medium body, rugged texture, moderate but extremely dry acidity and a tad astringent finish. Overall: well made. Finish is a tad astringent. Aroma is mind blowing. Taste is more subtle. Great.
Draught @ Russian River Brewpub, Santa Rosa. Pours clear light golden with an offwhite head. Aroma of light sourness, malt, yeast, brett, wet wood, oak, little earthy, white wine grapes, wine. Flavor is mildly sour, malt, yeast, brett, wood, oak, earthy, grapes, white wine. Medium body, average carbonation, dry and light acidic finish. Excellent balance and drinkability. 200718
Thanks to kappldav123 for sharing! Unclear golden in the glass. Winery fruity smell. Taste starts tart fruity, but also fresh. Increasing barrel wood in the second part. Nice stuff.
Bottle from Bottles in Portland. Clear effervescent golden with a frothy white head that lasts forever and leaves a thick layer of lace all over the glass. Champagne, oak, sour funky Brett aroma. Very dry and slightly fizzy. Funky, medium-sour, a very much like a nice sparkling white. Very well done.
Many thanks to Erzengel for sharing! A clear dark golden beer with a small white head. Aroma of sour grapes and apples, vinegar, herbs. Taste of sour wooden grapes, herbs, vinegar, riped apples, some vanilla. Great one!
Many thanks to kappldav123 for sharing this bottle! Nice funk in the nose. The beer starts fresh sourish. Very sourish deep, lots of funk and slightly grainy. Sourish, fresh but nothing "special" in this aroma. Complex, but not too intense, refreshing and easy to drink though.
Bottle looks simple but really good. Beer in the glass deep golden, nice small head. Fruity sour aroma. Starts intense sour, notes of lemon, grapes, bitter background. Finish milder, less sour, light salty hints. Quite drinkable. Nice!
375 mL bottle shared with ebone1988. Batch 003. Got this one from Derek. Thanks dude! The pour is a darker golden orange with a thick ring of light tan head and a couple spots of good lace as it falls down. The aroma is nice. There is a great tart wine about it with a growing oak and a beautiful funky sourness. There is a little fruit skin and a growing dryness on the finish. The flavor matches. Funky and fruity up front with a growing oakiness and dryness and a strong Brett character. The mouth feel is lighter bodied and crisp with a brighter carbonation and a lingeringly fruity and funky dry oak on the back end. This is really good, especially for the age. I’m digging this one hard. 8 4 8 4 16
Oh my yes. Batch 3. Bottle shared with koleminer20. For the book. Aroma is wine grapes, wood, funk, tart, lovely. Appearance is golden, off white head, mostly clear. Taste is champagne, wood, funk, grapes, must, dry, excellent. Mouthfeel is light to medium body, light crisp carbonation, woody dry champagne grape and funk aftertaste. Overall, this is excellent.
0,37 litre Bottle, greetings Bergstaden. Cloudy light Golden with white head. Yeast, grapes, malts and hops aroma and taste. Dry.
Bottle. Aroma is chardonnay, wood, funk, grapes, gooseberry. Taste is dry, wine-like, lots of white grapes, finish is funky and slightly metallic.
Pours clear blonde, medium white head. Some lacing. Smell is nicely tart, very balanced. bit of the wine barrel rising to the surface later on. Taste is tart, well balanced to the barrel ( very oaky ) mild wine aspect. medium mf, med-high carbo. Mildly dry, very mild oxidation ( madeira ) drinkin' very great, still !
Sour Ale Aged In Chardonnay Barrels.
Alkohol: 7,5% obj.
Butelka: 375 ml
Data butelkowania: 05.15.2017
Kolor: Złoty, klarowny, czysty jak łza trunek.
Piana: Biała, drobnoziarnista, wysoka i puszysta. Rzadko w piwach w stylu Sour Ale można zobaczyć tak wspaniałą, czapowatą pianę. Po nalaniu do szkła stoi w bezruchu jak zaczarowana. Cudowny, książkowy lacing.
Firmowy pokal wygląda jak pomalowany przez jakiegoś artystę-malarza.
Zapach: Potężny owocowy bukiet! Piwo miażdży intensywnością białych winogron, białych porzeczek i agrestu.
Owocowy aromat wzbogacony jest o nuty beczkowej wanilii, dębiny i zbutwiałego drewna.
W tle nuty wiejskie, stajenne. Nie
brakuje ani końskiej derki, ani skórzanego paska.
Piękny, bogaty i super-intensywny aromat!
Smak: Smak jest niezwykle owocowy nafaszerowany do granic możliwości jędrnymi, dojrzałymi od słońca winogronami.
Wtórują im dojrzałe mandarynki, pomarańcze, agrest i liczi.
Dębowe, beczkowe taniny doskonale pasują do całości. Perfekcyjnie komponują się z wanilią.
Umiarkowany poziom kwasowości, bogaty owocowy profil trunku.
Goryczka niewielka, leciutkie winne taniny minimalne ściągają na języku. Wytrawny finisz.
Gęsta, oleista tekstura.
Piwo lekkie, ale zarazem bogate w smaku, sesyjne do bólu.
Sztos!
Wysycenie: Średnie.
Podsumowanie:
Piwo leżakowało przez 12 miesięcy w dębowych beczkach po francuskim białym winie Chardonnay.
Jest to całą pewnością najlepsze Sour / Wild Ale jakie w życiu piłem.
Tutaj każdy element jest dopracowany w najdrobniejszym szczególe. Nawet piana, która w tych stylach opada dość szybko w dół, tutaj prezentuje się okazale jak w najlepszych czeskich Pilsach.
Smak i aromat jest niezwykle bogaty, intensywny, wielowymiarowy.
Beczka po białym winie Chardonnay daje przepiękny owocowy bukiet. Smak jest spełnieniem marzeń o ideale stylu.
Temptation wyprzedza o klasę wszystkie poprzednie piwa jakie piłem w tej kategorii.
From Apr 2007
This one pours from 375ml caged and corked bottle(batch 002)..ooops! I turned the bottle sideays to read some of the info and when I popped the cork, the beer shot out of the bottle big time. My bad. :^(
Anywho, it pours a cloudy straw yellow with a large head of foam that shrinks slowly leaving a solid layer with plenty of lacing.
The smell is all fruity, and yeasty, and funky. Fruit wise, I can smell lemon and some apricot and it's very inviting indeed.
The taste on first sip has a BIG sour punch and a ton of citrus flavours. Lots of grapefruit, apricot and lemon tartness permeate my every taste bud and I can *only* smile. A very BIG smile. Swishing the Ale in my mouth, it gets even more complex. Big yeast notes, strong representation of funk, and a never ending stream of a variety of fruit...man, the flavours are simply outstanding. Yum. Talk about a Wild Ale, in the future, when I see or hear that term used, I'll instantly think of RR Temptation.
The mouthfeel is superb, the carbonation is light, the drinkability is through the roof...I kid you not. The finish is very lemony and you just want the aftertaste to *never* end. And as far as the 7.25%abv comes in to play, there's no evidence of it in the tasting and there's almost no warming as it goes down. An amazing brew.
Bottom line: Yet another fantastic brew from Russian River. If I ever visit California again, visiting RR Brewing would be a must. My BA hat is off to them!
Sweet grain malts, caramel, sweet grapes, oak, vinous. Clear gold, small, frothy, white head. Medium sour. More sour berries, lemon, lime juice, unripe redcurrant. Decent Sour. Keg at GABF17, Denver.
Tasting at Tokyo Midtown. Batch 051517. Light hazy yellow, bit of white foam, leaving nice lacings. Nose has good acidity, grape peels and white currants, funk. Good balance, not too acidic. Taste is mellow sour, good bitterness, balanced pretty well with sourness. Acidity kept in control. Woody and spicy with white wine characteristics. This one is GOOD, light bitter dry aftertaste. Autumny and oaky linger.
Aroma is clove, sparkling wine, citrus and allspice. Taste is citrus, oak tanins and sweet grains paralleled by minor funk and sour finish. Axing stuff.
Honey gold, clear, with a smooth light fruit aroma. Brett sourness adds a tartness that balances well with the oak.
This brewery was one of those that I visited while on a beer tour to Santa Rosa. Got this and others in a flight, but went for this one two more times. It looks beautiful, hazy, orange, with a thin frothy head that lingers. It smells of grapes, apples and pears. Tastes amazing, very tart but not overpoweringly sour, mineral, fruity, acid, bright like champagne and strawberries.
One of the best beer I had while on my tour.
Bright yellow. Aroma white grapes, white wine. Tastes big minerals slight grassy hops juicy character. Fuller body than most Russian river brews actually great. Some ozone big melted snow minerals.
duft ananas frugt sødme mango
smag frisk citrus lime mango appelsin frisk