Russian River Brewing Co. Supplication Batch #2
Russian River Brewing’s Supplication was one of the two beers of theirs that I picked up a few bottles of during a trip to California a couple of years back. At this point in time I was very much into lambics and had read about Russian River and the two wild ales that they had brewed up until then, Supplication and Temptation. As luck would have it, while in a shop in San Francisco I ran across a couple of bottles of each and snapped them up, excited to give them a whirl.
Russian River was one of the first American breweries to begin experimenting with yeasts such as brettanomyces, lactobacillus, and pediococcus, the three “wild” yeast strains that are responsible for most of the exciting flavors that you find in Belgian lambics. Along with saccharomyces, the yeast that is used to brew most every other style of beer out there, these yeasts produce the wide range of flavors that make lambics such distinctive beers.
Russian River’s first two wild ales were (and still are) brewed using saccharomyces for primary fermentation. After primary, the beers were moved to wine barrels – Chardonnay barrels for Temptation, Pinot Noir barrels for Supplication – and inoculated with different “wild” yeasts. Temptation used just brettanomyces, whereas Supplication used brettanomyces, lactobacillus, and pediococcus, along with many pounds of sour cherries. Each beer was then left to sit quietly and do its thing for 12-24 months.
Since then Russian River has released two other wild ales, Beatification which is spontaneously fermented, and Consecration, which is brewed using a process similar to Supplication. Whereas Consecration uses saccharomyces for primary, Beatification is placed directly into previously inoculated barrels where it can then ferment spontaneously.
All in all, a remarkable brewing process, and Russian River now has a couple of hundred barrels or more of wild ales aging in their new brewing facility. Having tried a number of wild ales from different producers, I still think that theirs are the best examples of this type of beer being brewed by an American brewery. While Cantillon’s beers may be the most spellbinding examples of lambics, beers such as Temptation, Supplication, and Beatification are very, very good and amazingly complex.
So, back to this bottle of Supplication! This bottle was from Batch #2, and was originally brewed in October of 2005 and bottled in January of 2007 after spending 14 months in barrels. The beer was brewed to an original gravity of 1.064, and because of the ability of these unique yeasts to ferment wort more fully than saccharomyces, the final ABV came out to 7.0% (a bit higher than for a non-wild beer of this original gravity).
After a careful pour to leave the sediment in the bottle, Supplication in the glass is reddish brown and only slightly hazy. A thin head forms on the beer, but from the bubbles rising in the glass you can see that there is plenty of effervescent carbonation. The nose has aromas of tart sour cherries, smoke, and an undercurrent of mesquite honey. The palate kicks off with a very dry, bracing tartness at first. The body is medium weight, and the texture is highlighted by the effervescent carbonation. Flavors of tart cherries and red wine dominate, accompanied by honey, malt and a hint of smokiness. As the beer warms layers of flavors, especially lactic tartness, unfold one after the other. The long finish is tart with the flavor of sour cherries.
Another great wild ale from Russian River. I enjoy Temptation a shade more, for no good reason other than personal taste. I was really surprised by the smoky element present throughout this beer, and by the very bracing tartness – this is where the sour cherries really make their contribution. I found Temptation was a bit softer on the palate, a gentler drinking beer that still contained many layers of flavor. All in all, if you have the chance to try any of Russian River’s wild ales, do not hesitate. In fact, on a recent trip out west we went to the Russian River brewery and were able to try the most recent batch of Temptation (very good) and their newest wild ale, Consecration. This is a 10% Belgian strong ale aged in previously used (for wild ales) cabernet sauvignon barrels with currants added for good measure. Very good, and very sneaky. A glass of that turned out to be a very big beer.
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