Rodenbach Alexander

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

Bottle 1998 – Brown body with red shine, huge creamy light brown head, thick laces; Very pleasant, deep and complex nose with perfect balance and lots of interesting notes, perfect sourness with wood, cherry, citrus, ripe grapefruit, ripe orange (the best Flemish sour ale nose I ever smelled); Very pleasant full soft body, very soft carbonation, extremely pleasant; Moving smooth and perfect into a balanced sour finish with cherry, orange, apple etc. This is a close to perfection of a Flemish sour ale, I ever tasted. Simply great, fantastic and amazing. Why did they stop brewing this beer?

Bottle from CaptainCougar. Huge Thanks Tom! I think Tom said he bought this in 2003 or so. I found with some research that it wasn’t produced since 1999 when the brewery was bought by Palm in 1998. I think it was brewed in these huge 5000 gallon wooden barrels with extremely low oxygen absorption rates: http://www.babblebelt.com/newboard/brew_resource/R These large wooden barrels are increasing rare, but still used for great beers, such as La Folie, which is rumored to made by one of Rodenbach’s past brewers.
http://www.brewery.org/brewery/library/Rodnb /> The Alexander is supposed to be a blend of Grand Cru and Cherry juice. http://www.sallys-place.com/beverages/beer/red_bee /> Very nice lactic sweet cherry aroma. Great mouthfeel. Thick, a bit syrupy, with a little bit of a slick mouthfeel, possibly from lactic acid? Amber color. Very easy to drink. Kind of caramel sweetness I associate with aged barleywines, which makes me wonder if the high quality of this beer is partly due to the aging. Clings and coats the glass as I swirl. Some carbonation, but a beer of this magnitude needs none. Heavenly. I could drink this everyday. I’m tempted to give it a perfect 5. Tried at fordest’s tasting with ibrew2or3, fordest, padrefan98, toncatcher, and others.

A deep red color with a thick reddish head. Aromas of cherries are pronounced. There is an immediate cherry sweetness on the palate followed by a tart, somewhat sour cherry flavor, with the tartness lingering on the finish. Very well balanced and a powerhouse in terms of strong flavors coming through. Great as an aperitif or a dessert beer. If you enjoy flavored beers this will be one of your favorites!

1989 bottle and holy mother of sours. This is amazing. Still wonderful after 20 years. Wow. Copperish pour. Aroma is fruity as hell, light fruit vinegar, sweet tarts. Flavor is so clean, so tart and sweet at the same time. Cherry, wood...holy shit is this stuff amazing. Really truly amazing.

Bel rubino-colore ambrato,schiuma cremosa. Profondo aroma di aceto, legno, zucchero, lievemente fruttato.In bocca è vellutato, perfetto equilibrio tra dolcezza e acidità; delicate note di ciliegia.

Huge thanks to Puddintane shared w/John_Adam!! Big things to come in small packages. Holy sh*t this beer rocks! I did not like sour ales before drinking this, but I have to admit this one really changed my mind. Pours maroon color with small amounts of white head. Aroma is cherries and wood, but mostly cherries. Taste is a 15/10 on this one. Loads of cherries and other minor flavors like wood and brown sugar. This beer is one of the best I’ve had so far, will be tough to beat it. Very highly recommended especially to those who bash sours and lambic beers. I did, but now I can’t because this beer was amazing.

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...

Bottle from a very generous and old-school Styles. Pour was clear brown in color, no head and no lacing (shocker). The aroma was musty tart cherries and then sweet cherries. Flavor followed suit, smooth sweet cherries with a light lemon tartness following, only a saw-dusty oak presence, very faint, and then a touch of vanilla beans. Mouthfeel is moderate, smooth. A super soft and gentle Duchesse (my cheap thrill). Wow, not sure I was worthy of this rarity, thanks so much, Chris!