Rodenbach Vin de Céréale

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

(bottle - corked 375 ml - 2004 vintage) Yellow pour with no head or carbonation. Aroma is massively sour with tons of estery, appley, and vinegary notes. Flavor is like a blend of a very potent sour ale and a very dry cider. The sour takes over at the beginning but blends well at the middle with some apple notes and a very dry finish. Glad I got a chance to sample this. Thanks again David!

bottle at the Relentless Thirst Gathering in Richmond, VA, 8.29.09. Pours a lemon yellow color with a medium head. Fair head retention and lacing. Aroma is tart and vinegary with citrus and green apple. The taste is very similar with tart and mild vinegar with dry citrus and apple notes. Medium bodied.

bottle at Delerium, Bruxelles. Pours yellow with no head. Aroma is very sour and lactic. Quite acidic. Taste is same as aroma with some hints of peach. Quite fruity. Hints of barrel in aroma. To me it ws better than the grand cru but it is still not my type of beer. Well made though.

courtesy Jan & Charlotte
Bright golden-amber. No head. Rich nose of wood, mirabelle plums, pears and a slight acetic note. Balanced and appetizing. Relatively low carbonation, just a hint of prickle. Rich lactic tang balanced by sticky malt. Quite fruity (plum, peach, pear) with significant wood and acidity to dry it out. The real story is in the mouthfeel, however. It’s near flat, with a slight oily accent, but is fully vibrant, carrying complex flavours across the palate with surprising simplicity. Lively fruits take on a somewhat vinous character. Very refined example - almost lacks the rustic charm I like in sours but is so perfectly structured I can pretty much overlook that.

2004 bottle #5108 graciously opened by psprings and shared with nbutler11... holy crap paul! crystal clear and still. coppery/red orange color. it smells of cherries... big time! also, notes of wood, white wine (burgundy), some minerality and a touch of malty sweetness. a ton of peppery spice and cinnamon flavors make the mouth feel feel like it has bubbles even though this is dead flat... cool. other notes of ripe sweet red cherries, crisp white wine, tart green apples, malt powder, vanilla, mineral funkiness akin to mild bleu cheese and some cereal grain. 10%?... no effen way! full bodied and slick with an awesome texture. unreal... 8/4/9/5/18/4.4

2004 bottle at ’t Brugs Beertje in Brugge, Belgium. Brilliant reddish-copper pour with a small white head. Aroma of sweet malt, vinous notes, wood, funk, and blue cheese. Flavor is both sweet and tart with caramel malt, oak, white wine, muscat, blue cheese, spices, cherries and other fruits. Very complex and great sweet/sour mix. Like a barleywine meets a gueuze with a little fruit thrown in. Alcohol present but not too strong. Smooth, fairly full palate with low carbonation. An excellent beer overall.

Bottle at Atlas courtesy of the massively genrous psprings. Paired amazingly well with hellbilly’s culinary talent. Pours the color of brandy with a minimal head. Smells of yellow cherries and oak. Builds in flavor with notes of chex cereal, further cherries, lemon, and strawberries. Extremely delicate and subtle. Quite a treat.

2004 Bottle, thanks so much to Jan & Charlotte. Rich copper hue is deep, with only a few bubbles present is mostly flat and clear. Aroma is intensely vinous and oaky, a little phenolic but otherwise enticingly sour with lots of white grape and Montrachet white wine character. The palate is flat and easy. The flavors enter one way and leave another. Starts off fruity with lots of fresh guava throughout. The finish exhibits sweet cereal grains. The grain tastes unmalted. Intense, nearly pungent oak. Tartness of unripe strawberry. Does not seem 10% at all...I love the finish, a cool sweetness creeping in and goes pop! I’d drink a lot of this if I could. A very nuanced and pleasurable beer.