Supplication | Russian River Brewing Company
Brewed by:
Russian River Brewing Company
California, United States
rrbeer.com
Style: American Wild Ale
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 7.00%
Availability: Rotating
Notes / Commercial Description:
Brown Ale aged in used Pinot Noir barrels from local Sonoma County wineries. It is aged for about 12 months with sour cherries, brettanomyces, lactobacillus, and pediococcus added to each barrel. Flavors from the cherries, Pinot Noir and oak balance each other nicely with a little funk from the brett.
Added by BeerAdvocate on 02-25-2005
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Ratings: 6,529 | Reviews: 1,494
4.11/5 rDev -9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
It smells phenomenal. I don’t think the taste lives up to the smell, and for the price and hype I have to say I was disappointed.
All in all a very high quality beer.
172 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
It smells phenomenal. I don’t think the taste lives up to the smell, and for the price and hype I have to say I was disappointed.
All in all a very high quality beer.
172 characters
4.63/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.75/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Pours deep reddish brown. Lovely head but short lived.
After that it's all Beer vs Wine... lovely red wine notes throughout and its well sour. Cherry menthol and port--like warming alcohol without a burn. add in some nut flavours as well.
But
There is a complexity to this I haven't had before in any sour. The port notes and the smooth mouthfeel are soooo different.
367 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Pours deep reddish brown. Lovely head but short lived.
After that it's all Beer vs Wine... lovely red wine notes throughout and its well sour. Cherry menthol and port--like warming alcohol without a burn. add in some nut flavours as well.
But
There is a complexity to this I haven't had before in any sour. The port notes and the smooth mouthfeel are soooo different.
367 characters
4.42/5 rDev -2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
2017 vintage. Rating #400 for me on BA.
Pours deep red with a thin off-white head.
The nose is cherry, cranberry, and funk.
The taste is tart cherry and red wine.
The mouthfeel is medium minus and taut.
Overall, clean and refined. Pretty awesome stuff.
257 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
2017 vintage. Rating #400 for me on BA.
Pours deep red with a thin off-white head.
The nose is cherry, cranberry, and funk.
The taste is tart cherry and red wine.
The mouthfeel is medium minus and taut.
Overall, clean and refined. Pretty awesome stuff.
257 characters
4.64/5 rDev +2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
3.5/5 rDev -23.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
4.1/5 rDev -9.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.42/5 rDev -2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.43/5 rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours a dark reddish brown with a quickly receding off white head. Nose is tart sour cherry. Taste follows with a definite red wine influence. Definitely the 2nd best wild ale I've tasted next to RR Consecration.
212 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours a dark reddish brown with a quickly receding off white head. Nose is tart sour cherry. Taste follows with a definite red wine influence. Definitely the 2nd best wild ale I've tasted next to RR Consecration.
212 characters
4.59/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.74/5 rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Served from a bottle into a flute at Toronado Bar in San Francisco; produced in 2018
A: Pours a deep brown color with ruby highlights and an off white head, displaying moderate retention and solid lacing.
S: Tart with aromas of cherries, pinot noir grapes, and vanilla. Lacto clearly present.
T: Tangy with flavors following the aromas fairly closely. Earthier, woodier, with an ?old leather note.
M: Substantive mouthfeel. Full bodied with beautifully persistent effervescence.
O: Despite consuming this very early, it presented very complex and mature flavor characteristics. Would love to be able to get this back home.
628 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Served from a bottle into a flute at Toronado Bar in San Francisco; produced in 2018
A: Pours a deep brown color with ruby highlights and an off white head, displaying moderate retention and solid lacing.
S: Tart with aromas of cherries, pinot noir grapes, and vanilla. Lacto clearly present.
T: Tangy with flavors following the aromas fairly closely. Earthier, woodier, with an ?old leather note.
M: Substantive mouthfeel. Full bodied with beautifully persistent effervescence.
O: Despite consuming this very early, it presented very complex and mature flavor characteristics. Would love to be able to get this back home.
628 characters
4.59/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.65/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.51/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.66/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.71/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.39/5 rDev -3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Look: It pours brown with a slightly off white head. Head retention is moderately good.
Smell: The first impression is a winy, sour aroma. It is followed by cherries and leather. There is also a bit of a barnyard impression.
Taste: There are flavors of cherries and leather with a moderate vinous quality. There are some wood like qualities to it. There are low levels of malt in the background. It has a very faint hint of smoke.
Feel: It has a moderately feel with some pleasant alcohol warming. It is quite sour to start, but does manage of dry finish.
Overall, it is quite complex in the nose and in the flavor with plenty of sour and brett qualities with the wine qualities. It work well together.
710 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Look: It pours brown with a slightly off white head. Head retention is moderately good.
Smell: The first impression is a winy, sour aroma. It is followed by cherries and leather. There is also a bit of a barnyard impression.
Taste: There are flavors of cherries and leather with a moderate vinous quality. There are some wood like qualities to it. There are low levels of malt in the background. It has a very faint hint of smoke.
Feel: It has a moderately feel with some pleasant alcohol warming. It is quite sour to start, but does manage of dry finish.
Overall, it is quite complex in the nose and in the flavor with plenty of sour and brett qualities with the wine qualities. It work well together.
710 characters
4.73/5 rDev +4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
4.54/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Bottled on: 01-25-18
Look - Mid-brown with a reddish hue. 1 finger head with pour from a 375ml bottle. Head dissipates - as expected with an aged sour. Stays active with some bubble streams for quite some time.
Smell - Hoped for a more pungent aroma. Cherry, vanilla, wood, almond, tobacco, hint of vinegar.
Taste - Tart up front - then you get some of the cherry, grape, and malt - somewhat sweet for a bit. Dries out / becomes quite sour quickly. Alcohol is not overpowering, but you know it is there. Flavors of red wine, charred wood, raspberry, and cherry all continue to swirl around the taste-buds. Very complex. As the fruit and sour notes fade, I was left with a surprisingly strong charred oak / grain aftertaste.
Feel - thinner side of a medium beer I would say. Not too thin but right where it needs to be. The bubbles subsided before I was half way through - slightly more carbonation would have been ok, but understandable with this style of beer.
Overall - This is an amazing beer. So complex with so many flavors to try to nail down. I took tiny sips throughout the entire drinking experience. This is well balanced in that it is quite sour but so much else going on that it isn't the only characteristic. I will buy this one again. Another amazing brew from RR.
1,314 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Bottled on: 01-25-18
Look - Mid-brown with a reddish hue. 1 finger head with pour from a 375ml bottle. Head dissipates - as expected with an aged sour. Stays active with some bubble streams for quite some time.
Smell - Hoped for a more pungent aroma. Cherry, vanilla, wood, almond, tobacco, hint of vinegar.
Taste - Tart up front - then you get some of the cherry, grape, and malt - somewhat sweet for a bit. Dries out / becomes quite sour quickly. Alcohol is not overpowering, but you know it is there. Flavors of red wine, charred wood, raspberry, and cherry all continue to swirl around the taste-buds. Very complex. As the fruit and sour notes fade, I was left with a surprisingly strong charred oak / grain aftertaste.
Feel - thinner side of a medium beer I would say. Not too thin but right where it needs to be. The bubbles subsided before I was half way through - slightly more carbonation would have been ok, but understandable with this style of beer.
Overall - This is an amazing beer. So complex with so many flavors to try to nail down. I took tiny sips throughout the entire drinking experience. This is well balanced in that it is quite sour but so much else going on that it isn't the only characteristic. I will buy this one again. Another amazing brew from RR.
1,314 characters
4.31/5 rDev -5.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
06/2014 - Huge cherry, oak, some cinnamon, and notable wine aromas; sour, woody, chewy body with lingering sweetness and cherries; tart finish that lingers, with cherry, too.
174 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
06/2014 - Huge cherry, oak, some cinnamon, and notable wine aromas; sour, woody, chewy body with lingering sweetness and cherries; tart finish that lingers, with cherry, too.
174 characters
4.84/5 rDev +6.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Supplication from Russian River Brewing Company
Beer rating:
4.55 out of
5 with
6,529 ratings
0 characters. We love reviews! Turn your rating into one with ≥ 150 characters.
Explain why you're giving this rating. Your review must discuss the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) and your overall impression in order to indicate that you have legitimately tried the beer. Nonconstructive reviews may be removed without notice and action may be taken on your account.