Rodenbach Grand Cru

Brewed by Brouwerij Rodenbach (Palm)
Style: Sour Ale
Roeselare, Belgium

Bottle shared with Ronald and Carita in Finland. Shines in the glass a deep, incandescent chestnut brown. Smells of iron fillings and minerals and conserved fruits. Fresh, uplifting acidic taste that dries the throat out, finishing with a stoney acidic finale.

11.2 oz bottle:A wonderfully floral sour apple aroma, cherries, somewhat of a sugar note, and a tartness. Appearance is deep dark red with a medium sized tan head the diminishes into nothing. Taste is an upfront tartness with the carbonation bubbling on your tongue. Then falling off quite quickly and building back up again into a light sour apple taste. Palate is tart, very carbonated on the tongue and a surprisingly clean aftertaste. Overall, This is a really interesting beer in what it does inside your mouth with every sip. Wow, I am really enjoying this one. Worth the 12.99 a 4 pack.

Een zuurzoet wijnaroma. De zuurzoete smaak met lichte hout en azijnzuursmaak. Een lichte toets van kriek en caramel. Een van de sterkhouders van onze Belgische biercultuur

Bottled, dark red color, no head practically.. I knew this is not my type of beer since I prefer Quads, but I knew I’d enjoy this in a different perspective, sour, cherry flavors, but the caramel malt and the complexity of this beer is what helped me to enjoy this beer thoroughly. Great beer even if it isn’t your type... :)

On tap at Busters on 28th in Minneapolis. I wanted to try this before all of it is gone (Rodenbach is no longer distributing in the states). Brown amber pour with a smallish head. Aromas of vinegar, berries, and apple. Assertive sourness, but not extreme. Initially, the vinegar flavor hits, but then is followed by a high level of fruitiness and oak, which I thouroughly enjoyed. One of these was plenty enough for my palate. I feel like I’m starting to get sours. This might be my favorite yet.

Bottled. A nice step up from the Rodenbach Classic, pretty much your standard oak-aged Flanders ale. Dark bronze color, lots of little bubbles, and a good strength aroma with notes of lactic / balsamic tones, wet earth and wood. Oak is more noticeable here, with undertones of cherry and caramel malt. Stingy, sour, tickling finish.

Sampled on tap at Hamilton’s. Clear amber. Huge sweet and sour vinegar aroma, with a hint of berries. Intense sweet and sharp vinegary taste, reminds me of a good balsamic or cider vinegar. Lingering sourness. Intense and quite tasty.

750 - Pours a dark red with a small ring of an off-white head. The nose is assertively sour with rich berries and vinous character. A strong resemblence to grapes is here. Sourness carries into the flavor well with definite malt vinegar going on. A complex, sweet, juicy, vinous finish makes things savory and semi-sweet. I get a bit of cherries, grape, cheese, and some wool. This is a sour ale which is very tasteful, semi-dry, very well balanced, and accessible for the style. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.