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Russian River Brewing Company Consecration Sour Dark Ale | 5 Gallon Beer Recipe Kit | All-Grain

Russian River Brewing Company Consecration Sour Dark Ale | 5 Gallon Beer Recipe Kit | All-Grain

Please select from the following option(s) to see pricing and availability.
Pre-Milled: 
Description

  • This BrewMaster Series kit was scaled down to a homebrew batch size in collaboration with the brewmasters at Russian River Brewing Company
  • This sour dark ale recipe features an addition of oak chunks broken down from actual Consecration barrels
  • Includes Styrian Goldings and Sterling hops
  • Estimated ABV: 9.5%
  • Estimated IBUs: 15-18
  • Makes 5 gallons of finished beer

Beer lovers rejoice! Vinnie from Russian River Brewing Co. has released his Consecration recipe to us, and we're very proud to be able to offer it to the homebrewing community. Consecration is a sour dark ale aged in a Cabernet Sauvignon barrel. It is aged for 4 to 8 months with currants and brettanomyces. You can look for rich flavors of chocolate truffle, spice, tobacco, currants, and a bit of Cabernet.

Something that makes this kit different and more exciting than any others that we offer is the secret ingredient: Authentic oak chunk(s) from actual Consecration barrels! We will also include two pounds of currants to replicate the original recipe as much as possible.

*NOTE* The dried currants and oak chunk(s) should be stored in a cool dark place until ready to be used.

Vinnie recommends fermenting down to around a 1.016-1.018 with Abbey Ale yeast. He recommends the temperature to be 72°F during the first few days of fermentation, and then lets it free rise to 76°F until the target gravity of 1.016 is reached.

After hitting this target gravity, he'll transfer to barrels to start the aging and souring process (a secondary fermenter will be necessary - a barrel would be preferred!) Currants and Brettanomyces are added at this point.

After approximately 7-8 weeks, you'll want to add your Lactobacillus and Pediococcus. To kill two birds with one stone, we recommend pitching Roeselare (WY3763) which contains both bacterium.

The souring process can take anywhere from four to twelve months. Once the desired sourness level is achieved, you'll want to add the Consecration barrel oak chunk(s) until desired oak character is achieved.

Vinnie uses Belgian bottles when bottling Consecration, and bottle conditions using wine yeast. He mentions that he'll never bottle if the gravity is over 1.008.

We will not always have access to Vinnie's Consecration barrels (and would not substitute the oak cubes with anything other than the real deal), so kit availability will be limited.

  • Makes 5 gallons
  • Estimated Original Gravity: 1.073-77
  • SRM (Color Range): 30
  • IBUs: 15-18
  • Estimated Alcohol Percentage: 9-10%



Please Note: This is our most advanced kit. You will need to purchase a yeast for primary (we recommend Abbey Ale), Brettanomyces for the souring/aging process, and Rockpile wine yeast for bottle conditioning. Please also consider that the timelines provided will not always be accurate, and this beer can take anywhere from 4 months to 12 months to perfect to your liking.
 

Our recipe kits DO NOT include grain bags, yeast or priming sugar. To find our yeast recommendations, choose your preferred kit option above and then select the drop-down menu under “Yeast Options”.  For more info, click on the recommended yeast(s) below in the “You Might Also Need” section below. All grains will come milled, unless you select unmilled base malts.
 

 

Community Q&A

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Browse 9 questions Browse 9 questions and 16 answers
Why did you choose this?
MoreFlavor Store
An amazing beer and to clone it?
Alan S on Mar 6, 2023
I brewed it once before...
Kenneth S on Apr 23, 2022
An amazing beer and to clone it?
Alan S on Mar 6, 2023
planing ahead for for next years octobeer feast. I will have at least 8 different home brews on tap.
William K on Oct 7, 2022
I brewed it once before...
Kenneth S on Apr 23, 2022
Legendary Beer!
Matt C on Jan 22, 2022
I've brewed this kit before and loved it!
Kimberly B on Nov 10, 2021
I like good sours, hopefully this is great
Benjamin M on Sep 11, 2021
dreams
Peter C on Jun 1, 2021
Loved the first one I made, so doing it again!
Jonathan M on Jun 5, 2020
Ordered before
James S on Feb 3, 2020
brewed it before
Gerald F on Dec 30, 2019
I’ve just started brewing sours and this sounds like a good kit to brew.
Donald s on Dec 10, 2019
Because it's among the best beer recipes I've ever made
Greg S on Mar 22, 2019
Requested for a Christmas gift
Kia W on Nov 29, 2018
Gift
Molly H on Aug 17, 2018
I love Russian River and hope this sour turns out amazing
David U on Mar 16, 2018
planing ahead for for next years octobeer feast. I will have at least 8 different home brews on tap.
William K on Oct 7, 2022
Legendary Beer!
Matt C on Jan 22, 2022
I noticed in description is says after primary fermentation is done Vinnie adds Brett and Currants when transferring to barrels. And 7-8 weeks later it says to pitch the Roeselare.
After my primary fermentation is done, and I rack it to secondary should I pitch a Brett strain like WLP650 or WLP645 when I the currants? And then pitch the Roeselare 7-8 weeks later? Or just pitch the Roeselare when I rack to secondary?
Heidi G on Jan 13, 2020
BEST ANSWER: I had the same question and got my buddy who works at RR to ask Vinnie. He said "I'm not 100% sure about the timing (7-8 weeks), but we definitely add Brett a while before adding bugs to let the Brett get most of the added fruit sugar and the bugs just get what's left behind for a softer sourness"
For this beer, what temperature are we shooting to hold at for the duration of the aging and souring process?
Scott C on Jul 23, 2024
The guide says "Vinnie recommends fermenting down to around a 1.016-1.018 with Abbey Ale yeast" and then transferring to secondary after hitting that mark. I have a conical with a trap on the bottom. I was thinking of cold crashing the beer now that it's at 1.017 to get rid of all the trub/abbey ale yeast, and then bringing it back up to temp before adding the brett and currants. Is there any reason to not do this?
Nick L on Jan 23, 2023
BEST ANSWER: My friend got the answer straight from the source (he works at Russian River), totally legit idea to cold crash the abbey ale yeast to stop the yeast from finishing it up.
What is the grain bill? I don't see a downloadable instruction sheet and I'm wondering what the grain bill is and what efficiency is assumed given that this is a high gravity recipe. Similarly, how does this beer get to 10% ABV if it starts at 1.078 (that's from the Russian River website)? Maybe the sugar in the currents ferments out? Otherwise, wouldn't the beer have to ferment down to 1.002 to get to 10% ABV? The description says not to bottle until reaching 1.008, but the Russian River website describes this beer as "full bodied", which seems a little contradictory. (Not questioning Russian River, just trying to understand more about the beer and this kit.)
Andrew J S on Jun 7, 2021
BEST ANSWER: While we cannot publish the grain bill publicly as part of our agreement with Russian River, we are very happy to discuss your other questions. The starting gravity at the time of brewing is 1.078 and it ferments down to 1.008. The last 3/4% of alcohol comes from the secondary fermentation on the fruit and on the used oak staves which hold some alcohol from the wine when used fresh. The body of the beer also comes from the secondary fermentation when using lactobacillus and pediococcus bacteria. The particular acids they produce over long term fermentation can take on a smooth and yogurt-like mouthfeel.
Do the grains come in a single bag or are they separated by type?
Brian S on Jun 24, 2019
BEST ANSWER: Grains came separated. The specially grains came premilled (I ordered unmilled) while the base malt was not milled as requested.
Hello fellow brewers. I brewed this on November 5th 2017. When the gravity reached 1.016, which was on November 14th 2017, I transferred it to the secondary and added the Roeselare 3763 sour blend.

I've taken a couple of samples along the way (last one was Sept 2018) with some noted differences/progression with the exception of sourness. I took a sample today (2/20/19) and this beer tastes fantastic (mildly bretty, nice body, great balance of flavors...) but it is still lacking really any sourness at all. My question is two part.

1) Did I add the 3763 too early, and thereby negating any souring?
2) Is it appropriate to (can I/should I) add a lactobacillus to get the sourness back on track?

Thanks all. It's been almost a year and a half in the secondary, and I expected at least some sourness at this point.
Brendan C on Feb 20, 2019
BEST ANSWER: I had my beer aging for 4.5 months when I tasted it. Added Roeselare after 2 weeks of primary fermentation and also added the 2lbs of black currants at that time. Had it sitting in my basement which was about 60 degrees the whole time. The aroma was complex but the taste just had more of the earthy funky sour, no acidity or tartness. I know 4.5 months was too soon but I expected some. Then I realized the temp range is 65-85. What temp was your beer this whole time? I know Brett can work still even at refrigerated temps, so maybe the other bacteria was inhibited at this temp and the Brett worked? I since moved my beer upstairs where it is high 60's to low 70's and will taste again in several months to see what happens. Figured maybe even at a year and a half if your beer was too cold maybe it never developed acidity/sourness?
Why would you add the oak chunks so late? isn't it typically known that all the wood character has been stripped out before these barrels are used? and this little amount of oak doesn't seem like it adds much oak flavor. I would only think it has some of the bugs and would be best to add once transferred to secondary. Am I missing something?
Dan J on Mar 20, 2024
Does it matter if you crush up the currants vs leaving them whole?
Nick L on Jan 21, 2023
BEST ANSWER: The currants come dried, similar to raisens, so you could chop them but It's likely unnecessary and works just fine to leave them whole.
Head is spinning reading this recipe and I've never made a sour before. Just to make sure I am covered here - I should order this kit with yeast obv. Then also order a Brett at the same time as the kit. Then I will just need to buy the Roeselare after 2 months? Hoping this isn't too stupid a question. Any help appreciated.
Brian H on Feb 28, 2023
BEST ANSWER: I did primary fermentation with SafeAle T-58 for a couple of weeks, then transferred to a glass carboy for secondary with Wyeast 3763 Roeselare Belgian Sour Blend which contains bretts and bacteria for 7 months. I added the currents when iItransferred to secondary as well.
Reviews

5.0 / 5.0
12 Reviews
5 Stars
4 Stars
3 Stars
2 Stars
1 Star
12
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Rated 5 out of 5
Legendary Sour, Great Packaging
I’m not a kit brewer, but this is one of my favorite beers of all time. Really impressed with the packaging of the non-traditional brewing items like the barrel chunk.

Now it just needs some time before I get to taste it!
January 30, 2022
Purchased
over 2 years ago
Rated 5 out of 5
Looks and tastes great
I do however have an issue with my batch after bottling according to directions with 2 packets of rockpile yeast and 5 ounces of corn sugar I have nearly zero carbonation. I have brewed big beers in the past and have had lower carbonation but this is nearly zero after two months in bottles. I will wait a few more months to see if carbonation develops. Other than that I think the beer is great and may just be forced to drink it like a wine.
September 27, 2021
Purchased
over 4 years ago
Rated 5 out of 5
Fantastic!
This is the only kit I buy, and it's because it's worth it. I could cobble together most of the ingredients by shopping around but it wouldn't save much.
The beer comes out fantastic. Best Flemish red out there. I hoard them and enjoy every so often when I need something besides the usual IPA, pils etc.
January 13, 2020
Purchased
over 6 years ago
Rated 5 out of 5
slight confusion/mistake in description
This kit does not come with currants, it comes with "zante currants", AKA Corinthian raisins, which are a grape species, not a currant species.

That is correct for the clone, and is what the actual brewer uses, but the description should be updated to be state this to avoid major confusion

Actual black currants (species Ribes Nigrum) are very different from "zante currants".
October 28, 2016
Rated 5 out of 5
Great Great Kit!
I too, took 1st place in the Specialty Beer Category of a large Homebrew Competition, and 3rd place overal in the Best of Show. This is a great kit, it take a lot of patience and a little nurturing. The beer comes out great. I will make it over and over again! Well worth every penny spent.
October 18, 2016
Rated 5 out of 5
My first sour beer, came out great!
This was my first attempt at making a sour beer and it really came out great. It probably helped that I made it, and then stuck it in a closet and forgot about it for about 16 months. Didn't have it on the oak for very long, maybe a month. Oak characteristic isn't very strong compared to the brett. Would buy it again!
May 7, 2015
Rated 5 out of 5
Great kit, great results
I agree with the other reviews, the instructions are a bit lacking. However, the kit is great. It did come out a touch less sour than Consecration at RRBC, but I'm very pleased with the results. My hubby doesn't care much for Consecration, but he loves the beer I brewed from this kit.
May 1, 2014
Rated 5 out of 5
This a WOW! beer.
Kegged my first batch today. Brewed 9/23/2012 and it's been on the oak for approximately 2 months. The oak is very prominent, but I think it will mellow over a couple more months. Fermented this on with Abbey Ale II, and Roselare. I have a bottle of ECY20 and will use it from the start on my second batch. I have a couple bottles of the RR beer to compare with, and I think mine is similar from tasting it flat today, can't wait!
January 13, 2014
Rated 5 out of 5
Tasty!
Turned out great! I aged it for 7 months (6 on the currants) and it is delicious.
May 29, 2013
Rated 5 out of 5
Great beer, but you are on your own for instructions
The instructions are quite sparse for this kit, you really get to do whatever you want for souring. I went with mostly Bret and a tiny bit of Lacto and Pedio and I like the results better than regular consecration because it is sour but less tart.
May 28, 2013