Grand River Ploegers Vlaams Rood

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

Brown bottle, 341 ml, purchased at the brewery by my mom on May 18 2008, savoured on November 27 2008; eye: golden, clear, no effervescence, white head that disappears almost completely and turns into a tiny ring, no lacing; nose: lots of malt, dusty hay; mouth: lots of malt, dusty hay, slight sugar, finale in malt with a good presence of dusty hay, thin, average carbonation, lightly sweet, no bitterness, medium-light body; overall: disappointing FRANÇAIS Bouteille brune, 341 ml, achetée à la brasserie par ma maman le 18 mai 2008, savourée le 27 novembre 2008; œil : dorée, claire, pas d’effervescence, mousse blanche qui disparaît presque complètement et se transforme en un petit anneau, pas de dentelle; nez : beaucoup de malt, foin humide; bouche : beaucoup de malt, foin humide, très léger sucre, finale en malt avec beaucoup de foin humide, mince, carbonatation moyenne, légèrement sucrée, aucune amertume, corps moyen-léger; en résumé : décevante

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!

a canadian flemish sour .. weird eh.. . honey and red wine, cherry aromas .. . great lacing, pours a murky rose .. .big tartness, crazy aftertaste and mouth .. . like no other beer i have had .. . mouthcoating .. . weird fuckin stuff, enjoyably odd .. . : add cherries, this could be epic!!

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.

500mL bottle, courtesy of matt7215. Thanks, Matt! Pours a murky, golden-brown color; light tan head with patchy lacing. Loads of piney and mineral hops in the aroma, with overripe red fruits; very interesting sour ale aroma; light acidity; nice twist on the normal spectrum of things. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: oily, red fruits, lightly tart citrus acidity, and funked up core malts; lightly tart, vinous character with light tea and tannins; really interesting, hoppy sour ale. Cool beer. Lengthy finish: red fruits, lightly tannic, and lasting tart citrus note.

Ill hook up from Irish Boy @ RBSG’09 Grand Tasting, 500mL bottle. The appearance is muddy thick red with a sticky khaki head. The beer is light aceto with light earthy vegetal. Not so vegetal in the flavor but more than just musky malts. This is not so different in certain Flanders Red style beers. A bit corny and musky at the same time. Has a nicely thicker body with a tingling carbonation. Works well, nothing spectacular but cool and decent stuff.

Cask at Volo. This is 5 or 6 days old and apparently the flavour changed slightly every day, from a little less sour to more bitter -- after trying it, I definitely believe it! Pours a very murky red-brown, almost prune juice looking -- I liked it. Nice aroma of tart cherries, spices and light hops. Flavour: Wow, that’s bitter! I don’t think I’ve ever tasted a beer like this before? Hard to tell how boozy it is with all those hops in there. Along with said hops there’s sweet malt, fruit and spices but from halfway through it’s all hops. Good stuff and I enjoyed it but a half-pint is definitely enough for me. I’d love to try this on draught to see how it would differ. Kudos to Grand River for doing something different in our dull Ontario market.

Draught. At Volo. Looks great - murky ruby-brick red with a smallish but lasting creamy yellowish head. The aroma was mild, at first -dry resin bitterness, dry wood and a hint of smoke; also sour cherry and serous acidic funk ... perhaps a tad ragged, but oh the potential. The taste was more intensely malty than I expected, loads of thick sweet cherry goodness, but also intensely resiny and what reminded me of long-dried hardwood fencing - earthy, minerally woodiness ... dry yeast and a little boozy lemony acidity that built - odd; for all that, this was extremely drinkable. Thick, acidic, bitter and sour on the palate - only 3/5 for now, but I would love to put bottles away of this for a year or two and see what some blending and mellowing would do to it .... if only they bottled it!! (soon, perhaps?)