Bios Vlaamse Bourgogne

Brewed by Brouwerij Van Steenberge
Style: Sour Ale
Ertvelde, Belgium

Bottle of Monk’s Cafe Flemish Sour Red Ale from a bottle shop in MD. My first sampling of this style and I am... intrigued. Poured a reddish-brown, very effervescent and with a lasting tan head. Aroma is like a deep red wine - mildly fruity, some earthy notes and a strong presence of alcohol. I consumed this with steak tips and the brew complemented the beef nicely - no surprise given it’s burgundy-like aroma and flavors. It’s pleasant on the palate - not too heavy and not sticky at all - and has that sour red wine taste that you get in a nice dark red wine. Sour, but not so much that it’s unpleasant or makes your mouth pucker. Mellow enough flavor that it is pleasant to drink. Overall, just an interesting brew in a new style for me. If this was on the menu at a fine steakhouse, I would certainly order this one.

Bottle as Monks Cafe Flemish Sour Ale - Reddish brown color with off white head. Vinegar and sour aroma. Flavor was quite sour with a dry finish.

On Tap at Hamilton’s. Nice reddish hue with vinegar like aromas. Sour cherry like flavors with a touch of sweetness. Nice thin on the palate with fairly good length. Very drinkable, pleasant and different.

Apple cider, vinegar, apple aromas, some stretching tannins, plus additional texture to the body mostly particulate, still feels good on the tongue and is a good picnic beer qualifier.

From a bottle poured brown with a little head. Nice sour flavor with a lasting aftertaste with hints of spice.

On tap at Stone brewery as Monks Cafe Flemish Sour. I was sitting next to Greg Horton’s daugher (old Quaff president) Amber color with high clarity. Nice sour aroma, like sour cherries. Small bubble head that quickly diminishes. Sourness is mild in flavor. Very refreshing. No off flavors. Leans sweet. Very drinkable. Very good.9,3,8,4,17:4.1 Rerate: Tried from bottle. $3.39 from TipTop? Some acetic aroma initially morphing to buttery lactic acid. Nice aroma. Nice sour level in the beer. Not as good as I remembered. It may that this bottle is a little old. 8,3,6,3,14:3.3

Poured dark brown with a creamy head diminishing to nothing. Smelled like metal and vinegar. The flavor was a bit rich and not sour enough. Almost tasted like it went bad. It was full-bodied and lacked the usual carbonation.

Bottle. Average beige thick head that mostly lasted. Good display of lacework. Muddy looking mahogany color. Lovely sour fruity / cherry notes with almost red wine and vinous aroma. Over the palate, notes of horse blanket and yeast. Medium bodied with an average carbonation. Moderated sour flavor with light sweet notes. Sour fruity finish. 09-11-2007