Ichtegems Grand Cru

Brewed by Brouwerij Strubbe
Style: Sour Ale
Ichtegem, Belgium

Very dark (almost black) red color. Very light but pleasing winy aroma. Taste was slightly sour and dry. Was expecting a more aggressive sourness considering it is Flemish. Very little hint of the oak barrels it was matured in. Not a bad beer, but it didn’t fulfill my expectations of a Flemish ale.

Pours a very dark, purple-brown body that appears black on first glance. There’s a small, foamy, light-tan head that settles quickly to a thin film. Minimal sudsy lace noted. The nose is quite vinous. I picked up sweet and sour black cherries, boysenberry jam, dark caramel, and a sharp, funky yeast. The flavor is sweet and sour. The sour cherries dominate the sweet, with scorched caramel providing the bulk of the sweetness. There is an earthy, woodsy quality that is no doubt the result of the Bordeaux barrels used in the brewing process. Oak and vanilla are both prominent. Medium bodied, smooth and easy drinking. I can’t help but think some of the poor recent ratings are the result of bad bottles.

Bottle: Pours dark reddish-brown, light brown head. Strong wine-like aroma, with a strong waft of spoiled meat or stinky-foot cheese. Looks so nice. But the taste. Oh, that taste. First some coarse barley bread flavor, then very woody and kind of astringent, with a strong belt of sour vomit. Down the drain, to the demons of the privy with it.

Draught: Sweet, but also sour aroma. Smelled of cherries, sour milk, funk, and blue cheese. Poured amber in color with a small pinkish head. Hazy. Sparkling. Sour flavor. Tastes of funk, blue cheese, cherries, and sour milk. Medium body. Tingly texture. Lively carbonation. Sour/funk finish. Overall, yuck.

33cl bottle. Poured a deeper and dark orange color witha large sized off white head. Aromas of wood, caramel, and some vinegar. Tastes of cherries, wood, vinegar vanilla, and slightly buttery. Lots of lacing on the glass.

Poured a dark amber color with a small, creamy, light tan head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of caramel, wood, feet, vinegar, and cherries. Taste of sweet cherries, caramel, butter, wood, with some nuts, and more vinegar in the finish. Reminiscent of stomach bile.

33cl. bottle. Cola-like color with some red highlights and a small head. Mild vinous aroma with hints of cherries, oak and some metallic notes. Nose was quite subdued. Flavor starts off sweet and malty, with some caramel and oak before turning mildly tart with a vinegar-like taste. Flavor is kind of muted, with an off aftertaste that reminds me of a copper penny. I get that metallic, copper, blood taste in many Flemish sours, and I normally enjoy it, but not with this one. It isn’t really that bad, but I really like a good sour beer and was hoping this one would fill the bill.

Bottle: Moderate sweet cherry with the slightest hint of tartness in the aroma with some faint caramel and wood. Pours a dark brownish-red that is mostly transparent when held to the light. It has a rather large beige head but minimal retention has it fading to a small film within a minute or so. It has light cherry and caramel up front with a very faint vinegar backbone. There is a strong metallic flavor that is as strong as any other flavor...big time negative points here. Lightly woody and faintly tart in the finish. Light-medium bodied with soft carbonation. Maybe a bad bottle, but one of the worst "sour" ales I’ve ever had. I tried to finish it, but had to pour it down the drain, the metallic flavor was too much.