Rodenbach Alexander

Sampled at Oakes’ ’05 Xmas Party
94: Amber ruby color, light head, light lacing. Nose of sweet complex rasp/straw berry. The flavor is equally tart and sweet. My god, this is good and fresh AND it’s 11 years old?! Wow, awesome. The Belgian characteristics are still robust and fresh. How much longer could this go?

Bottle. Phil L pretty much pulled this one out of his backside, who knows how the hell he got this one, apparently the last one at Kulminator(????). Big props to Phil L, nice score! Sweet and sour characters, lots of cherry fruit, tart juicy and slightly puckery, typical Rodenbach balsamic characters. Beautiful wild characters. I’m so glad i got to try this one, its been on my most wanted list for as long as i can remember.

Bottle thanks to EDA. Brownish orange, thin head. Sweet sour cherry aroma. Explosive juicy cherry flavors, with a pleasant amount of tart balance. Lingering sour cherry finish. Could this be that first Kriek that I had in a Belgian cafe back when I was 19?

Bottle. Thanks Mike. Deep ruby red in color with a nice fluffy red head. Lots of nice lacing. Sweet oaky fruity like aroma. Tart sour cherries. Sweet cherry flavor Very tart. Sour. Smooth tasting. Velvety body. Enjoyable.

Hazy brick red with a 4" mountain of a head. Active ale that gasses off loudly. Tart sour cherry horse blanket aroma. Sharp sour and acidic. Not as dry or palate cleansing as some. It has lots of lucious fruit that lingers on the tongue.

Mostly clear, orange-amber body with a minimal, sparse off-white head. Pungent and mature aroma with elements of fruity vinegar, prominent wood, young plums, and red wine. Very lively tartness and velvety sweetness with flavors of ripe cherries, fresh figs, and apparent vinegar. Body has some sugary texture and is quite velvety and smooth. Very nice. A million thanks to goldtwins for the opportunity to try this excellent beer.

Sampled August 2005
Well thanks to some serious begging and pleading, I was given the opportunity to try this beer one more time. The beer pours a brilliantly clear ruby-cherry-red color with barely a wisp of a head. The sediment was so compacted in the bottle that I was able to pour the entire liquid contents out with nary a speck of sediment. The aroma smells strongly of enticing cherry with a mix of sweet cherry meat, tannic cherry skin, and a tart acetic note that melds so well with it all. My first impression, this has lost a lot of the sweetness up front, but quickly gains a rich meaty, malty cherry skin note to it. The finish is lightly tannic with a slightly puckering note to it that is a combination of wood and a tart-sour character.

This beer has held up far better than the Pre-Palm Rodenbach Grand Cru. The cherry, it seems, has acted as a preserving influence. This really grabs the palate towards the end, it is mouth coating and malty with a very nice interplay between rich malt and cherry notes. As it warms up a bit the acetic light vinegar note really starts to come forward. The cherry note almost gets bigger (though not in a cloying or expressive way) and sort of spreads itself throughout the beer. What an incredibly well balanced beer this has turned into. The finish is long and gripping with notes of tannic cherry skin, yet still satisfyingly fruity with lots of cherry meat and a bit of balsamic character. This is quite exquisite, I so would love to have more of this. I find it really hard to not give this beer a really high score, it was very enjoyable, and the sweet cloying cherry character has really dropped out, just the opportunity to try this beer is almost a perfect experience.

<font size=-4>Purchased: <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp?PlaceID=420>Stuffed Sandwich, San Gabriel, CA<font size=-1>

wow!! pours a fairly cloudy dark amber color with lots of lacing. strong cherry aroma, flavor and taste through-out this beer. the aroma also has hints of oak and slight vinous notes. I love the contrast of the bitterness with the strong fruit flavors. Hits the palate and makes you smile, pucker and sigh all at the same time.