Barrel House Belgian Red

Brewed by Barrel House Brewing Company
Style: Sour Ale
Cincinnati, Ohio USA

On draught at 69 Taps in Akron. Hazy reddish amber color with a thick and foamy beige head. Thin and sticky lacing. The aroma is both sweet and tart, with malt and sour fruit. Medium-bodied and pretty smooth, with far less sourness than expected for the style. The flavor leans more toward a straight up Amber Ale. Sweet malt and caramel flavors with light sour fruit undertones. There is also a nip of hops here and there. The finish is fruity, tart and short. I am not convinced that a Flemish Sour is the style they were going for. On its own merits the beer is pretty tasty though.

Hey, I gotta give Barrelhouse points for attempting to brew a Belgian Style Red Ale, but they missed the mark here. The Barrelhouse brew is too light, without the richness and "wine-ness" that one expects from the Flemish brews... it's still very drinkable, though.

it’s tough to say how I really felt about this beer. I was thrilled that anyone would attempt a flanders red ale in a beer starved town like Cincinnati. The beer was indeed a red color altough more amber than red. The aroma was a soft malty aroma. The biggest knock on the flavor was the lack of sourness and bite. It had a slight vinious character that reminded me of fresh grape skins and maybe even a bit of the bubblegum flavor I found in the hefe they have. I think this is a beer that would be great to lay down for awhile a let mature. It just seemed to young.