Ichtegems Grand Cru

Brewed by Brouwerij Strubbe
Style: Sour Ale
Ichtegem, Belgium

Shared with my buddy Lee. Pours a muddy brownish dark amber with a thick white head. Dry cabernet grape aroma, slightly sour. Taste is slightly sour, dry grapes. Very refreshing, nothing over the top, not too sour. Finishes nice and dry with a hint of apple cherry.

Clear amber body, fast disappering beige head; Some cardboard in a malty nose with a slight fruity acid touch; Thin body with some acid, but not enough; Watery finish little malt aromas and little acid. Bad!

Poured a dark hazed brown color with a small off-white head. The aroma was fruity with notes of figs and brown sugar. Some sweetness to it. The flavor was fruity and sweet but dries out. Medium bodied.

Thanks to beastiefan2k for sharing. Deep brown beer with a thin tan head. Aroma is quite sweet and subtle. Lightly honeyish and candyish with a soft caramelly sweetness. A touch of light spice and woodiness. Sweet and a little bit metallic.

Cloudy brown color with a minimal tan head. Yeast and caramel aroma but mostly yeast. The sour is very faint and the flavor has a bit of wood floating on the back of the palate. Crisp, slightly carbonated palate as well. Not overly exciting and if you are looking for a sour bomb, look someplace else. Need a little more fruit and/or malt backbone.

Thanks to beastiefan2k for sharing - clear amber beer, with a minimal head - the smell is a little metallic up front, some fruity hints, floral notes - fairly soft in the mouth - a little bit grainy - rather mild flavor - some bready character and vegetal notes - a tiny bit of oak and cereal grains through the finish - the finish tastes like a vanilla ice cream cone - wierd.

750mL cork&wire bottle from tytoanderso poured into a Rodenbach GC smaller tulip glass.. The pour is a dark ruby-red color with a small but strong head. Aroma is metallic cherry with no sweetness. Taste is similar but a very fine thirst quencher. It misses the sour and acidity one would naturally look for from this style but the creation is an nice drinking beer with the "spirit" of sourness. 7/3/7/3/14

Re-rate: Had to give this another shot on tap at the Diamond. It is very different than the bottle, starting with the appearance. It has a thick off-white head that never fully fades, just ends up covering the surface. It sits on top of a dark burgundy body. A; has strong aceto coming through with sweet cherry, and a light, earthy balsamic vinegar. Taste is very light cherry juice with some oily,, light aceto characteristics. Its is very easy to drink and took me back to my Belgian trip where I loved all the underrated Flanders Reds on a daily basis. 9/4/7/3/16.

Final comments: was much better on tap, a lot more sour characteristics, particular in the bountiful nose. Seems like the tap is the less industrial version.

Bottle from Bruisin Ales in Asheville. Deep, dark brown pour with slight red tint, but almost too dark to tell. Fizzy off-white head. Aromas of wood, yeast, some sour cherries. Interesting to note the pretty extreme variations that others have described: "reminiscent of a pale lager," "clear, orangey-brown," and "deep dark burgundy." I wonder if some folks are rating the Oud Bruin. Anyway, this was not nearly as sour as expected. A bit musty, woody, and sweet. A bit disappointed b/c I had heard it compared to Duchess de Bourgogne and didn’t find this very similar at all. Not bad, though.