Russian River Supplication

Thanks to Adam, a friendly trader in California, I received a Russian River Supplication as an extra (he also gave me two other amazing extras including Blind Pig, also a top notch RR offering). Kyle and I popped it open tonight. It pours a deep honey red with a minimal head that remains present for some time. The nose offers oak, vanilla, motor oil - Kyle called it burnt rubber - and sweetness. The first taste hits you with a sour cherry tang, the burnt rubber and pinot noir notes. A green apple peel sourness is also very present. Kyle found notes of Vanilla from the oak. I loved this brew, absolutely amazing. I am not a huge wine nut - there is just to much beer to sample to ever get there - but new world Pinot noir is my favorite style of wine. What I find most appealing about a brew like this, is that it is both tasty and unique. As an example take Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Cherry Stout, it's good, it's dominated by cherries. But it's not unique, why pay $50.00 for a flavor that I can get from a Cherry Pie or a $1.50 ice cream cone. It's nice but it's nothing special. Supplication on the other hand is just not a flavor that you can pick up at the local grocer. It's complex, it's balanced, it presents two sides, the sweet and sour, and it does it through exquisite means using the earthy, leathery dryness of the oak Pinot noir barrel. Overall very impressive, more impressive that my stupid Kodak camera which has a habit of corrupting photos, like the one of Supplication in a glass.