Rodenbach Alexander

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

Bottle, thanks to Styles!! 1996, I believe. Poured crystal clear medium garnet with just a few loose bubbles of head sticking around. The aroma was sublime.. sweet, softer cherries and berries pair with light vinegary skins, some oak, and dusty funk.. everything blended perfectly. The flavor had a seductive moderate cherry and berry skin sourness running through it.. the oak presence was well-integrated.. mild deep cherry meat and oxidation on the back-end.. slowly rolled off the finish and left a long impression. Lower carbonation on the palate with ideal balance.. I can’t believe how well this held up!

To bad it’s history... Reddish brown color, small head. The typical vinous taste of a Belgian Reds. There is a slight cherry taste to this beer. Not sweet but very complimentary to the sourness. Aftertaste is slightly vinous, no bitterness slight hoppyness. NICE BEER.

2008-03-06. 1992 Vintage. Ruby tinged brown body with a decent bubbly beige head that fades a bit (3+). Aroma of increasingly sweet cherries, brief tart cherries, evolves into a musty fruit character accented by malt. (7+) Flavour is largely cherries, sweet with fluctuating degrees of sour accents ranging from light to medium. (7+) Average palate feels lighter but also smoother because of the light carbonation - it floats across the tongue delicately. (3+) Very nice. I enjoyed this much better than the Rodenbach Grand Cru, I found it much smoother and well rounded. +1 or 2 overall simply for the experience of a 16 year old beer that has held up remarkably well.
Bottle at De Heeren van Liedekercke, Liedekercke

This bottled brew poured a large sized head of fine to medium sized mostly lasting light brown colored bubbles that left behind a poor lacing. The body was a softly carbonated transparent brown color. The aroma was quite nice with scents of sour cherries. The mouth feel was initially very tingly with a sour dry finish that soon faded away. The flavor contained notes of sour cherry tart tangy and dry. Very tasty and an excellent example of a good sour ale without being too sour or too dry.

Bottle, vintage tasting @ Den Tatoverede Enke, Copenhagen. What a beer and defiantly one of the evening’s big experiences I thought. Initially I thought this had similarities with a soft drink or “fruit syrup” that I had as a child. Head was spare, white and mostly diminishing. Spare lacing. Color was ruby red and extremely pleasant to look at. Aroma was very complex with notes of berries. Assisting notes of cherry, bubble gum, apple, pear, peach, raspberry, toffee and light notes of sweet flower and citrus. Also able to detect some champagne / vinous and vinegar like notes. What a lovely sniff and mouthful. Medium to full bodied with a sticky texture and a flat carbonation. Flavor was well balanced between the moderated acidic and light sweet notes. Quit pleasant and average lasting finish. Wow what a beer, one more please!

Bottle at DTE - Ratebeer night (06-01-07). Deep red - white edges. Cherry, winegum, sweetcandy, "bike-glue", vinegar, dry. Fantastic combination of sweetness and sourness - very complex. Too hard to explain - i can just claim this: I Love It !!!

dark red with lttle white head. Average carbonation.- Sweetness and sourness goes great together. Cherries/Vinegar. good and pleasant finish. Funky fresh & quite easy drinkable! Too bad this is no longer brewed! Rerate June 09. After several vintages. Wonderful. Refreshing, dusty, cherries, wood vague balsamic vinegar.

Two bottles, one on display, graciously shared by EDA, thank you mike! Pours an amber brown body with a big tan head. Sweet dry woody tannins. Light oak, sour and tart but not mouth puckering. Balsamic, grapes and some light cherries. Awesome!!