Grand River Ploegers Vlaams Rood

Brewed by Grand River Brewing
Style: Sour Ale
Cambridge, Canada

Orange-copper in colour with a white coloured head and excellent lacing. The aroma is lightly sour, some acidity, yeast and light cherries. The flavour has a mild sweetness from the cherries, must, yeasty with an acidic tartness coming up the back. Lightly sour mouthfeel, medium/light body, moderate carbonation. Finishes lingering with some cherries and peaches.

This is pretty good stuff. Its a bit rough still but a new chapter in Ontario brewing for sure.

Draught at Volo in Toronto, Ontario.
March 22, 2008.

500ml bottle from the brewery. I had it from the growler when it was fresh in February, but now that it’s some time to age, (yes, it’s the exact same batch!) it has really smoothed out the rough edges. The aroma of overripe fruit is fantastic, though I have to admit the murky red appearance makes one take pause. However the amazing combination of sour AND bitter (who knew that was even possible) with the ripe cherry taste between them makes this a great after supper sipper.

Lovely auburn colour with a small tan head. Slightly cloudy. Wonderful nose of fruit (passionfruit? sour cherries?). There are hints of those fruits in the flavour as well, but they -- and the tartness -- are almost overwhelmed by the bitterness of this one. This is a pretty decent effort, but it could be a whole lot better if they’d just tone down the bitterness.

[1210-20080319] Tap. Apricot lychee fruity malt aroma has a bit of sour mango thrown in too. Murky, red brown body with a medium-lasting foamy light tan-green head. Tropical apricot mango continues in flavour with sour malty earth. Medium body is fairly sour. Interesting to try, very fruity.
(@ Volo; Toronto, ON)

Wow! Coppery red with a small head on top, lots of berry (loganberry?) in the nose and citrus, some wood. One would never expect the astringent hop punch that comes from it. A bit of yeast and alcohol, some slight sourness and lots of leafy hops. Amazing quality and very rare.

Bottle at Volo in Toronto. Simply terrific stuff! A really thick, only slightly sourish red ale that’s not very tart. It’s got a lot of roast to it and moderate hoppage. Lots of complexity. Some sweetness here and a touch of sourness. Terrific.

A: Murky, reddish-brown; light-tan/off-white head, some retention & lace. S: Tart fruity aroma with steelie, grassy hops. T: Quite fruity with a tart acidity, steelie-piney hops and grainy bread. A nice bitter-sour balance, and an interesting twist on a Belgian classic. M: Light to moderate body, with a tart, dry, crisp finish. D: A little too acidic for me to session. I tried this fresh from the conditioning tank as well, and the hop flavour was even more pronounced.

Growler from the brewery, courtesy of my sister and bro-in-law - pours an opaque tawny red with lighter highlights at the edges of the glass. Huge dense tan head that slowly diminishes to a surface layer which lasts throughout the glass and laces nicely. Aroma of candied fruit, sour cherry, green plum, and some earthy funk. A hint of alcohol as well. Very, very nice. Flavours are a bit more subdued, but similar to the elements found in the aroma, along with a surprising hop bitterness at the back of the palate. Some brown sugar in the finish as well. Alcohol well hidden, but it does creep up on you as a warming sensation as the growler empties. Certainly a beer to share. This is a masterful brew. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Grand River has been, and continues to be, one of the most consistent and exciting breweries in Ontario. Good show!