Flemish Red Ale Grand Cru
Brouwerij Strubbe

Flemish Red Ale Grand CruFlemish Red Ale Grand Cru
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From:
Brouwerij Strubbe
 
Belgium
Style:
Flanders Red Ale
ABV:
6.5%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.77 | pDev: 15.12%
Reviews:
67
Ratings:
187
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 02, 2022
Added:
Feb 18, 2006
Wants:
  15
Gots:
  22
No description / notes.
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Ratings by UCLABrewN84:
Photo of UCLABrewN84
Reviewed by UCLABrewN84 from California

3.65/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
On tap at Churchill’s Pub & Grille in San Marcos, CA.

Pours a clear dark brown with a foamy khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. A foamy latticework of lace forms on the glass on the drink down. Smell is sour and tart with some fruity grape juice and grape jelly aromas. Taste is much the same along with a slight vinegar flavor as well. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that is drinkable but I think it smells better than it tastes.
Aug 07, 2012
More User Ratings:
Photo of Ozzylizard
Reviewed by Ozzylizard from Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Flemish Red Ale Grand Cru from Brouwerij Strubbe. Picked up at Shangy’s, Emmaus, PA. $ 4.76 (Including tax)/11.2 oz (330 mL) bottle ($ 0.425/oz) on 18/09/21. On room temperature shelf at store, stored at 37 degrees at home. Reviewed 02/07/22. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Stamped on cap “36A4 14:56 31AUGST2022”. Served at 56.4 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King Snifter. Final temperature 59.1 degrees.
Appearance – 3.25.
First pour – Medium Amber (SRM 12), slight haze.
Body – Deep Amber (SRM 15), muddy and opaque. When rear-lite, partially translucent and reddish.
Head – Small (Maximum 0.7 cm, aggressive center pour), wheat, high-density, short retention, diminishing to a 0.1 to 0.2 cm bubble ring and no cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 3.25 – Slightly sour with weak rotting fruit. No hops, no yeast.
Flavor – 3.5 – Begins slightly sour with fruity malt. Extremely weak oak tannins and no vanillin. No ethanol (6.5 % ABV, as marked on label) aroma or taste. Weak and transitory gastric warming. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 3.25 – Medium, just short of creamy, light carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.5 Meh.
Jul 02, 2022
Photo of PaulyMcBee
Rated by PaulyMcBee from California

3.83/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
A blend of beer and flemmish red ale which makes for a less sour drink. Clean and delicious.
Jul 18, 2021
 
Rated: 4.13 by wc94wc from California

Dec 07, 2020
Photo of elNopalero
Reviewed by elNopalero from Michigan

4.29/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Update:
No date stamp on cap, and I’ve forgotten how long I’ve had this. Opens without erupting, however, which is a good sign.
This pours a ruddy ruby-brown with thin foaming. I get some dark cherries on the nose, and a lightly tart cherry kick with each sip. Unknown age meant this could have been paint thinner or vinegar, but it’s held up nicely.


Grand cru
Bottle code 030 2017, so Jan 2017?
Enjoyed October 2019
There’s still a lot of life in this, with a creamy cap of foam atop the ruddy amber crimson ale.
Tart sour cherry notes on the nose, with some leather on the back. Flatly tart, with a cherry character dominating the palate. Flavor drops off quickly. Thin body for style.
May 18, 2020
Photo of MrBoz21
Reviewed by MrBoz21 from Colorado

3.07/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3
L - Gorgeous. Ruby Red, nice effervescence, creamy head that quickly dissipates.
A: - something going on here. Strong phenolics (rubber), cherry, oak/wood.
T: Yep, phenolics. Bandaid, tobacco, cherry. Starts sweet but smooths out a bit and finishes crisp. No hops, barely tart.
F: Light, decent carbonation, no astringency.
O: Meh. Medicinal/bandaid notes were hard to get past.
Jan 09, 2020
Photo of BIGPOPPAS
Reviewed by BIGPOPPAS from New Jersey

4.23/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
First time I've tried this Flemish sour red and I am most definitely impressed :)
Beautiful color, nice head with plenty of lacing , wonderful smell of oak aged cherry red ale. Cuvée 2012

Can't wait to buy some more next time I'm at this particular store as I haven't seen this anywhere else .
Highly recommended if this is your style ;)
Dec 05, 2016
 
Rated: 4.12 by Avatar113 from California

Aug 06, 2016
Photo of Mantooth
Reviewed by Mantooth from North Carolina

3.52/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
I think a lot of folks would like this brew, nice entry into the style. Problem is, for folks familiar with the style, there's not much tartness to be had, the cherries are barely present, and it's noticeably malty. Like I say, enjoyable brew but not quite to style. Cheers!
Jun 26, 2016
 
Rated: 3.86 by Beer21 from Florida

Nov 04, 2015
 
Rated: 5 by karenbeer from California

Oct 24, 2015
 
Rated: 4.5 by Luiz0930 from California

Sep 24, 2015
Photo of Radome
Reviewed by Radome from Florida

4.2/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 330 ml bottle into a goblet.

L - Medium brown with strong red highlights; lightly cloudy. Light tan head is not overly active or persistent, but strong sheets of lacing stay on the glass along with a few wisps on the surface of the beer.

S - Deep aromas of oak, brown sugar, dark berries, graham crackers. There is a low vinegar note that blends deliciously with the other aromas. No hops or obvious yeast notes.

T - The vinegar-like sour note is more prominent in flavor than it was in aroma. Fruit is the next most prominent, with cherries and blackberries. Malt is represented by graham cracker and molasses. Oak is in the background along with a low spice note that reminds me of a gingersnap cookie.

F - Medium body. Low to moderate carbonation. Just enough bitterness to break up the sweet malt. No alcohol presence.

O - This is a delicious Flemish red that is restrained and clean but very complex.
Sep 12, 2015
 
Rated: 3 by aanth from District of Columbia

Sep 01, 2015
 
Rated: 3.77 by Beernoobie from California

Jul 26, 2015
 
Rated: 3.77 by Hunter from Arizona

Jul 09, 2015
Photo of Tucquan
Reviewed by Tucquan from Pennsylvania

3.67/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Had this on 2015-06-24 in Reno, NV from a 750ml bottle

Nice Flemish red aroma. Taste is cracker malt, moderate sour cherry, wine barrel and earthy/medicinal spice. Dry. Decent aroma and flavor but not mind blowing.
Jun 25, 2015
 
Rated: 3.51 by breadwinner from California

Jun 16, 2015
Photo of MrJolly
Rated by MrJolly from Arizona

4.57/5  rDev +21.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
No. You've got it wrong. This is the stuff.
May 28, 2015
 
Rated: 3.79 by JackDempsy from Arizona

May 24, 2015
Flemish Red Ale Grand Cru from Brouwerij Strubbe
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 187 ratings