Rodenbach Alexander

Formerly brewed at Brouwerij Rodenbach (Palm)
Style: Sour Ale
Roeselare, Belgium

bouteille, j’adore cette bière tout comme la grand cru, je suis allé en Belgique en 1993 juste pour la boire, rien de mieux à l’horizon...

Note: I had a dream about this beer...First rating from bottle at Bier Circus in Brussles: Well-integrated sourness in this baby: ghosts of cherry and hops. One of those fine treats you will never forget. Re-rating from Oakes’ cellar: Clear red-orange, vibrant fiery joy. Aroma of cherry tarts and sherry barrels. Some candied elements. Almost flat in mouthfeel. Sweet, sour, complex and nuanced. Some watermelon, some biscuit in finish, some raspberry balsamic vinegar in the start. The balance of sweet and sour is perfect here. So frickin gorgeous they better pull a Lazarus on this baby.

The best beer ever, if you can get hold of one. They stopped brewing it.\ It’s a shame.... I only drink one if the tempature is above 30 degrees Celcius in Den Helder (The Netherlands)... I still have three of them left.

Bottle, 1999 Vintage, courtesy of EDA. Thanks Mike! I drink this on the night before I begin my job at Duck Rabbit. Pours a vinous, multi-layered black cherry red with a spritzy, small bubbled off white head that holds an inch thick. Beaiutiful to look at, especially under the light. Nose has a lot of oak, vinegar, and cherries, and blended together exceptionally well. Could sniff this one for hours, i think i say that a lot, but its true. Flavor is sharp and acidic with more vinegar notes, but this is all very well balanced with the cherries and malt sweetness. Cherry and Raspberry vinegar lingers in the finish. This is wonderfully tart and sour and just what I needed tonight. Drank this overt the course of about an hour and a half and I think it got better with every sip, especially as it warmed. For me, this lived up to the hype and it was everything I wanted it to be. I know this may be the only bottle I will ever own of this amazing beer, but what the fuck, you only live once.

Date: 07/11/1998
Mode: Bottle
Source: Sam’s, Chicago

red, sweet tart malt aroma, flavor starts tart, followed by fruity cherry sweetness, then finishing with a wincing tartness

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 17/20
Rating: 3.9/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: ***4

Big thanks to Springslicker for sharing this. It looks a bit like iced tea. Aroma is winey, even a bit sugary, and only mildly fruity. Very tart, with some earthy, leathery undertones. Maybe even a touch of champagne. Very tasty, insanely drinkable. They should make this again.

Bottle, split with SpringsLicker, Suttree, and decaturstevo. Pours a dark amber with some whitish head (and quite a bit of cloudiness since I got the bottom of the bottle). The aroma is bread with raisin, cherry, and a healthy dose of sourness. The flavor has a good sour bite to it, but in a smooth way if that makes sense. It is bready with orange and cherry notes throughout. The finish is dry, toasty, and still a bit sour. Very refreshing. Excellent beer.

A light, subtly cherry aroma. This is amazing. Just amazing. Sweet cherries, slightly coating, flavor is just top notch. Not too frutiy, just wonderful.