Rodenbach Classic

Bottle from a store in Ashland, OR. I was plesantly surprised by this beer. Sours have always been too sour for me. This one is a little more toned down and was easy on the palate. Tasted of sour fruit flavor with a hint of sweetness on the aftertaste. Will have to buy again.

Bottle from a store in downtown Ashland, OR. This one reminded me of some Russian River brews I’ve had in the past 6 months. This sour ale is a tame version of those. While not watery, I’ll describe the taste as weak, sweet cranberry. I’ll always love the genre, so I have to pump it up.

Bottle. Wow, very different from other sours. Definitely tell this is not brettanomyces. Very dark, deep reddish brown. Sour apple aroma with background malt. Flavor is very fascinating and mysterious. Mildly sour (compared to Port Isabelle or Cantillon) at first with sort of a musty affect. Then develops into a sweet, dark fruit flavor, sort of like cherries and plums. Has both a sweet and sour after taste that is very lovely. Quite balanced and enjoyable. I like this way more than I expected! Very drinkable.

Bottle. Pours a dark red-brown with creamy beige head. The aroma is sweet and oaky with some chocolate and ripe fruit notes. The flavor begins with a mellow, sour acidity that fades into a pretty strong oak presence with light chocolate and cherry. The finish is crisp and leaves a fruit and oak aftertaste. It’s a little bit lacking in the complexity department, but still a nice sour.

A dense purplish brown body with a pencil-thin white head; intimidating yet beguiling... SOUR--but not sour patch--fresh and flowery... intense... light-bodied but the presence is apparent; clean (no tracing on the glass is proof), so much that the mouth could forget the experience seconds after... WOW: a tartness early, with sugary sweetness throughout--and yet a mellow, fizzy finish! The beer’s as fun as it gets, pleasantly poppy and refreshing, especially on a humid evening such as this...