Rodenbach Grand Cru

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

12 oz bottle; fresh.

Dark brown with red and amber highlights, near-white fuzzy head of modest scale. Aroma of gentle malt vinegar meeting strawberry-rhubarb pie atop an oaken picnic table; nice, not stinging at all. The flavor is almost sweeter than expected, much less sour than say La Folie, fresh pie cherries with wood, carbonation occasionally lifting it to string the sinuses but usually just going down mellow, sour, but supremely drinkable. I’m having a hard time sipping instead of quaffing. Very nicely balanced. A fascinating sweetness plays along the sides on the tongue late in the flavor profile, just as the sourness is starting to peak but replacing the sourness, leaving cherry cider and wood for the final lingering flavors.

As part of the Naked City sour tasting, this one comes off as good but strongly balsamic (heading toward Duchess but not anything of that magnitude) and sweeter than La Folie. Rating of 3.9 iis about right.

Pours a dark reddish brown with a fairly big head that dissipates quickly and lively carbonation. Aroma is of sour cherries, vinegar and oak. Taste is nicely sour, fruit but not overwhelming. Sticky texture. Long sour finish. Very nice "sit down with a snifter after a long days work" beer.

33 cL bottle. Pours dark amber with a quickly gone head. Aroma is woody, fruity, slight acidic brettish and solid note of acetone (which I don’t enjoy) - seems dry. Flavour is sweet/acidic, with a blend of fruit and sour notes. Shows a strange chemical note into the finish. Otherwise a very controlled flemish sour, nice.

Draft at The Map Room. One of those beers popular in my beer geek circle, but that I kept missing... but NOT on Belgian Beer Monday! A little foam shows around the edge of a reddish brown beer. Smell of red wine and strawberries. Very sippable like a wine. Sourness would come across as intense, but it still manages to go down easily. Like a sour cherry soda. But that, I mean I like it.

750 mL bottle. Dark redish brown, orangy pour. Clear with little head. Strong sour grape taste. Taste is really sour with strong grape taste. Not bad.

12 oz. A dark translucent brown color with a little bit of a reddish hue. Nose of sweet cherries, spices, and a little bit of sour. Some smoked wood in there too. A lot of sour flavor; tart and fruity; strong cherries almost like a kriek lambic. A sticky syrupy body. Not what I expected, but very enjoyable.

Poured from a 750 ml. bottle at Churchills. Minimal whitsh head with a murky brown appearance. Great sour fruit aroma wakes you up. Tart sourness on the palate and mild carbonation. Light. Flavors of vinegar, cherry, sour apple. Great long tastes on your tongue. Superior ale for sure.

750ml bottle. Pours brown/red. Thin off-white head that fades to nothing. Smells of sweet and sour red fruits. Tastes of sour and then sweet cherries. Medium body with crisp carbonation. Awesome brew!