Ichtegems Grand Cru

Brewed by Brouwerij Strubbe
Style: Sour Ale
Ichtegem, Belgium

From bottle at Zeno’s. Light sour ale aroma, with oaken tang and fruity malt character. Nice sour undertones, with some lactic character. Dark coppery amber clear with thin off-white lacing head. Medium body character with medium-heavy carbonation. Starts with typical sour ale profile. Light oaky start with lactic tang ang mild hoppy profile. Oaky sour finish and lactic tang. Finishes clean with hoppy sour tang. Nice sour ale.

11.2 oz bottle, via jbrus. Pours a dark garnet body under a very fizzy off-white head that faded to a whispy partial covering quickly. Nice tart and slightly sour nose with a hint of balsamic vinegar. Cherry skins, light oak, and dark fruits round it out. The flavor is lightly acidic with an herbal component, kinda like the aftertaste of spaghetti sauce. Just lightly sour with some oak tannins, sour cherry, and almond on the finish. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a slight stickiness and a little dryness on the finish. Overall, this was decent, kinda what I expect from these middle of the road slightly obscure Oud Bruins.

Bottled. Clear redbrown color, medium off-white head. Aroma of caramel malt, some soft cherry, oak wood, bit dusty. Slight sour taste, quite malty, bit fruity. Decent.

Chestnut coloured with a nice Belgian off-white head that lasts. Toasty maltiness works hand in hand with the cherry like, yogurty lactic juicy acidity. A very authentic example. Oakiness comes through with vanilla hints while the sour level remains moderate and frankly fitting, enhancing the ensemble more than stealing the show. A very good one, though not going further than the definition of the oud bruin.

Bottle… Cloudy, dark crimson ale with orange highlights and a mid-sized, fizzy, khaki-colored head. Decent retention. Black cherry, lemon juice and sharp cheese aroma with earthy, woodsy notes as well. The flavor is sour, but not overbearingly so; sweet, but only mildly. Praline, buttered popcorn Jelly Belly® and wood. Medium-bodied and spritzy. Tart, buttered popcorn Jelly Belly® finish. Odd combos here, but tasty and appealing.

Bottled. A deep red beer with a tan head. The aroma is sweet malty with notes of berries and wood, with a slight acidity in the back ground. The flavor is sweet as well as acidic with notes of malt as well as strong notes of berries, and light notes of wood, which lends a dryness to the finish.

Bottle (330ml). Very deep clear ruby with a small fizzy beige head (3+). Rich sour cherry aroma, hints of grape juice or very full-bodied cheap red wine. The taste has some serious sourness to it, lemon juice, sour yeast (is it bret? hell if I know), and much less cherry character - decent, but thin. Weak body, slightly sticky, decent acidity and carbonation - enjoyable, but fades a little too fast - and it’s a tad sweeter than I like in sour ales.

Bottle. Pours dark red brown with moderate khaki head. The aroma is rather vinous, with a mild sour oakiness and light fruit. The flavor is mild; oak and milk chocolate start, then some sour berryish tones and a distant fruit basket. The finish is caramel and red wine, with a slightly dry, sour aftertaste. Not bad.