Rodenbach

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

Bottle in some small café in Brussels. Clear red-brown with a beige head. Nice fruity aroma with malt and slight acidity. Feels somewhat damp and cellary (probably the effect of the oak casks). Flavor has sweetness, nice acidity and cherries. Medium body. Nice stuff.

25cl bottle, BB 9/14/07. Huge overripe fruit and oak aroma. Crystal clear with quickly dying tannish foam. Flavor just seems to be lacking the complexity it once had, still ever so slightly tart, but very thin and damn near nothing left on the palate after it passes your lips.

Name: Rodenbach Belgian Ale
Date: 03/09/1996

tangy rich belgian ale
-------- /> Name: Rodenbach Belgian Ale
Date: 05/12/2007
Mode: bottle

clear dark ruby red, wispy beige head, sweet and tart aroma with essence of muskidine, creamy body, sweet fruity flavor balanced with a nice tartness, strong winey character with a grape skin characrer, light woody character,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 14/20
Rating: 3.4/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

Poured a dark red color. Smell really hits you with some fruit and vinegar. Taste is sour cherrys, vinegar, distant malt and fruit. Less sour than some sours I have tasted. Nice introduction for someone looking to try a sour.

Bottle @ YNWA.
Well... it is always nice to find a beer, covered in so much dust that you have to rub it away to see what you’re actually holding :o)

So... what did I actually have? A 33cl Rodenbach at 5% (must be this, then). There were even a little cobwebs ’round the bottle cap :o). then I noticed (or my girlfriend did) the expiry date... 23. november 1995!. Wow! But how was it then?

Poured slowly into a snifter glass inside the pub. A very deep red liquid that was surprisingly clear - just about able to see through it (though everything was in a red tinted glow). Head forms as I pour, and ends up as a thin film that stays floating throughout my experience.

Wonderful aroma! A great dash of fresh berries (I wonder how that is possible in a beer that is 12 years past it’s BB date?). There is a lingering background aroma of roasted caramel as well as some raisins and grassy tones.

First sip reveals a low carbonation, but it certainly still is there - but it has a very creamy texture. I’m surprised to say that my first taste experience is a note of smoky malts! Then the more expected notes of cherries, plums and raisins come by - all wrapped in a medium sourness that engulfs all the good things about Flemish Sours. As I continue to sip and enjoy, the mouthfeel turns more clingy, sticking to my teeth, making the wonderful sourness stick around much longer.

This is a wonderful brew that most certainly can survive being properly cellared!

This is the sourdough of beers. Try it cold on a hot day, it’s refreshing and drinks easily.

Tasted 2007-07-21. Fresh bottle, 25cl. Clear brown colour with light brown head. Aroma of a rabbits cage, hay, wee, rust and malt. My first impression was: Ughh! But then it quickly turned to: "Hmm! Nice!". Flavour: Sour, grapefruit, blackberries, vinous - pretty good! This is an odd beer, but it’s good!

on tap @ Pizza Plant Walker. Sour cherry, oak, rich brew. Sours not really my thing but this was drinkable