Rodenbach Alexander

A splendid day it is, the long wait for this beer. Many thanks to a trade from good ratebeerian. 33cl bottle. Pours a dark ruby hued brown color with a small cremay off white head. Nose is tart, raspberries, cherries, vinegar, butter, vanilla, with sweet undertones. Mouth feel like is light to medium body, silky, velvety smooth. Carbonation is slight and almost airy. Initial taste of ever so gentle tart raspberries creeping up which get splashed and turned of sweet caramel. Cherries become more apparent with some citrus lemon in the background. At first the acidity appears to be low, but the acidity is abolutely perfect. It’s so well balanced with the sweet notes that counter play. Mid palate displays some herbal notes possibly freshed brew tea. Oak is definitely present but in a mild manner. Finishing vinously, touch of cocoa, lemon rhine, raspberry and cherries continuing on the palate. Palate duration is above average. Head retention is decent with side swipes of lacing across the glass. Absolutely perfectly balanced, delicate and delicous. Unsure on the date on this one, I would love to find out. I would love to drink this every day. The taste and aroma is absolutely inviting to instantly finish this beer. Thank you for this great treasure.

Finally got a chance to meet up w/ Styles for a few beers. Keep in mind I’ve only met Chris a few weeks ago. Started out w/ a Signature Ale which is a pretty nice beer. What does Chris bring out next….a frickin Alexander. Holy Shit I’ve wanted this beer for so long and I never thought I’d get to try it. I’ve thought about trading for it, but I didn’t want to give up half the cellar. I should have written down a rating when I was drinking it, but I’ll try to remember all the nuances (might be a little tough after all the beers me, Chris, ryan, and Pailhead had at our little tasting). It pours quite nicely in the La Fin tulip. It’s brown w/ some orange and red around the edges. There’s a thin white head that slowly fades as I sip on this beauty……looks better than I’d expect for a 10+ year old beer. Damn, what a nose on this one. Reminds me of a toned down Grand Cru w/ some sweet and sour cherry notes. Maybe a touch of tobacco too. This tastes even better than it smells. The cherries hit you right from the first sip. This is followed by a nice tartness and a few different spices. It’s a little thin, but that’s to be expected for a 10 year old beer. The flavors hang around on the palate for quite a while. I am so glad I got to try this beer. I continue to be amazed by the generosity of the beer community. I actually like to Redbach, but that doesn’t even come close to this one. We can only hope Rodenbach starts brewing this again. It’s just too good a beer to stay retired. Hopefully you get a chance to try this beauty….I’m sure grateful I did. Thanks again Chris

A very special treat, thanks to Ron Raike of Shipyard for sharing this with me! Tart raspberries hints of vanilla, tart caramelly aromas. Pours cloudy red with a thick white head. Tart raspberries, apple skins, very tart yet sweet with hints of a caramel. Vanilla oak with slight hints of balsamic vinegar. Awesome!!! Great beer!!!!!

Bottle. Clear red with tiny off white head. Lovely sweet and sour aroma with natural cherries, wood, toasted malt and wood. Tart flavor with cherries, wood, caramel and malt. Tart finish. Lovely!

Thanks moejuck: Smelled like week-old red sweet tarts; Sweet and sour, but a bit musty. I think we got a very syrupy batch; this was very chewy, thick, and tart. A lot of the intended sour was overshadowed by this quality. No way I could drink more than a sample.

1200!! Pours an amber brown color with a white head. Aroma is cherry, apple, sugar, and tart acidity. Flavor is sugary, cherry, tart acidic fruit, brett, funk, and tart finish.

Thanks for sharing, iowaherkeye as he knew I have been wanting to try this one for a long time. A yellowish khaki head tops a reddish brown body. The aroma was sour lemons with some cherries and bread crust. The taste was initially tart cherries with some light pancake syrup notes. There was also a little bit of caramel as this began to get sweeter. This is definitely a desert beer and best sampled in smaller quantities. I prefer the Grand Cru as it is more sour.

11.2oz bottle, no date. Clear ruby orange with a thick ring of big bubble of off-white head. Smells quite a bit like the regular Grand Cru--not as sour though, and a bit of a syrupy sweetness. The sourness consists of lemony notes and light funky leather, and dry oak. Flavor is still fairly tart with some lemony notes and the leathery funk. A little bit sweeter than the aroma. I think this is a little past its prime as some paper oxidation is present. Dry oaky finish--bitterness peaked around a 2. Medium body with light carbonation. Plenty good--very good, actually--but I don’t think it would be rated as highly if it weren’t rare and retired.