Name – Consecration
Country – United States
Type – American Wild Ale

You deserve to treat yourself to something nice every once and a while.  And last night I did exactly that.

With work taking it’s toll on me lately I felt I needed to reach into my mini beer fridge and pull out something special.  So I reached for something that we don’t get in South Florida and is widely considered a treat to most beer geeks out there.  I grabbed my bottle of Russian River Consecration Batch 003.

Never one to lie to my fans, I’ve had this beer before in a small sample and absolutely loved it.  I got this bottle in a trade and was comping at the bit to pop the cork off of it.  I’m surprised by my actual patience that I have had this for a number of months now and have not opened it until now.  But again I felt I deserved it.

I carefully opened the cage and popped the cork in the sink just in case this one decided to do it’s best Old Faithful impersonation.  Luckily there was no gushing so I poured it into my Bruery tulip glass.  The color is a very clear, deep ruby red.  There is a thin tan head but it is gone before I can even take a picture.  My dad mentioned it fizzed away like soda.

I didn’t get a whole lot in the nose to be honest.  The main things I picked up were vinegar and alcohol.

Now the taste was much more bold.  Sour cherries are the primary taste in there.  I get a rather acidic feeling in the taste as well.  Slight oxidation but not bad at all.  The taste got even better as it warmed up.

This beer is one of those that you just wish you could save and have anytime you want but you know if you only have one bottle you can’t do that.  I don’t regret opening this one and savoring it.  It is a magnificent brew.

If you find yourself in California or Philadelphia (the places Russian River distributes to) and you see a bottle of this and you like sour beers then get it.  Trust me you will not be disappointed.

Grade – A