Russian River Brewing

My son is in from Phoenix and he, my wife and myself decided to forgo our local Bear Republic and head down to Santa Rosa to visit Russian River Brewery. We started with the RR IPA and it was lovely. Nice bitterness.. great flavor. Then we tried a few samples of their Belgians.. Temptation, Supplication and Consecration. Now I know I will never try to brew a sour. These are MY OPINIONS and are not to be taken as either a dis or RR Belgians or those who enjoy sours. The Temptation.. very sour.. none of enjoyed it. Supplication and Consecration.. darker ales.. also sour but not as "horrible" as Temptation. Again, my tastes. Then.. on to Pliny (Plyknee not Plinknee.. I didn't know ) the Elder... Wow... Powerful, bold, higher alcohol but not overpowering.. and oh so hoppy.. lovely. We could all taste the lasting hoppiness on the back sides of our tongues. FIVE different hops in this wonderful concoction. I can only imagine in my wildest dreams what the PtYounger is like at 11%.. Triple IPA.. wow.

I'll be back and maybe bring home a growler next time. I'd also like to try the HopFather IPA and the HopTime Harvest Ale.

The sours you reference are some of the best beers in the world.

As you say, just one man's opinion though.

Hello fellow Sonoma County Brewer!!
The sours (supplication & Temptation) are a lot to handle! Haven't had the beatification (sponteous fermentation). Their belguim style ales are great, some are better than others to my taste. But they are always slamming there and have a decent happy hour. I am always lucky enough to score a seat at the bar soon after arrival.

Pliny the Elder is a great brew, Pliny the Younger trades like oil and gold when it is released.

Toad in the Hole has a good beer selection.

I always recommend Siduri wines to people as well.

i prefer the elder over the younger.

I'll have to try the Younger next year. They cap the times each day to make it last for two weeks.. according to my beer maid

MrGrieves said:

The sours you reference are some of the best beers in the world.

As you say, just one man's opinion though.

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This. Supplication is godly. PtE is also great.

Sour beers are a bit of an acquired taste imo. Same with brett beers. I love consecration and supplication. Amazing beers. Heres to hoping my liquor store calls me to give me a pliny alert today. Its about time for a new shippment to arrive.

RosewaterFoundation said:

This. Supplication is godly. PtE is also great.

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Supplication is the best beer I've ever had

Rodenbach GC is better than the RR offering imo.

I guess I was lucky enough to have a taste for sour flavors due to my Thai food obsession. Eat some good, extra sour tom yum or tom kha... then go back to the sour beers. I die for a good sour beer.

I recently ordered 6 sours from Cascade Brewing in Portland. They were expensive, but the reviews were A/A+. I wasn't disappointed at all when I cracked open their 2010 Kriek at a beer sharing club here in Vegas. Some of the guys there believe Cascade Brewing is even better than RR when it comes to sours. If you are curious, they ship to most states directly. Just Google Racoon Lodge/Cascade Brewing. You'll be looking at $20-25 per bottle.