(Santa Rosa, CA) – Russian River sent out two updates yesterday. The email newsletter confirmed the release of a few barrel-aged beers which we already know are Beatification, Supplication, and Temptation late next month. More interesting is what Vinnie is ‘brewing’ about in his blog…the release of a unique version of Beatification to come in 2009:

From Russian River’s website: “While the rest of us were working in the yard or hiding Easter eggs for the kids, Vinnie was busy crafting his third batch of our spontaneously fermented beer, which we refer to as a “Sonambic”. A couple of years ago Vinnie returned from a visit to Cantillon Brewery in Belgium with a new inspiration- to ferment beer without adding yeast. Why not? Wyeast and White Labs did not exist when people first discovered the intoxicating effects of fermented sugars. This tradition is alive and well in the ultra sour Lambic region in Belgium, as well as at the world renowned historic Cantillon Brewery in Brussels. In the spirit of the Madrid Pact (the one created during Prohibition to designate growing regions like Champagne), we created a new term for the Lambic-style spontaneously beer produced here in Sonoma County. Thank you, Brian Hunt, for coming up with the cool word “Sonambic”. Brian actually owns our local farmhouse brewery, but he doesn’t know that yet…. shhhh!

These photos were taken today in our barrel room at the 4th Street brewery. This beer will eventually become Beatification Batch #3, available in bottles sometime next year.”