Oude Tart
The Bruery

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From:
The Bruery
 
California, United States
Style:
Flanders Red Ale
Ranked #9
ABV:
7.5%
Score:
95
Ranked #1,498
Avg:
4.28 | pDev: 9.58%
Reviews:
428
Ratings:
2,537
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jul 30, 2023
Added:
Dec 20, 2009
Wants:
  566
Gots:
  851
Oude Tart is a Flemish-Style Red Ale aged in red wine barrels for 18 months. It's pleasantly sour with hints of leather, dark fruit and toasty oak. While this is one of the more classic beer styles that we make, it's not a style that you can find too often in the United States. Originating in style from the Flanders region of Belgium, near the French border, this dark, sour ale has roots deep in brewing history and predates most of the ales that have become popular in contemporary culture. We're doing our best to keep the tradition alive by brewing and aging this beer here on the west coast.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by dimitrov:
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Rated by dimitrov from Oregon

4.5/5  rDev +5.1%

Sep 20, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of MutuelsMark
Reviewed by MutuelsMark from Kentucky

4.41/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Very dark in color. Nice tight head. Decent lacing. Cherry on nose. Cherry also on taste, but a bitterness to the backend. Very good Flanders red ale.
Jul 30, 2023
 
Rated: 4.5 by RoyalKaiju from Kentucky

Jul 30, 2023
Photo of 86sportster883
Reviewed by 86sportster883 from Maryland

4.4/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
My Family Rue 2016 ‘Old Tart’ bottled on 08/25/16, apparently cellared very well. This one spent a few yrs. on the liquor store shelf, and for me it was just the price point (at the time) when compared to the available Flemish imports. Then my local store owner brought in a Terreux brewery rep. for a sit-down tasting. I couldn’t leave the event without purchasing a few 750s, and the Oude Tart was one of them. Maybe it was much more aggressively tart when younger, but now this beer presents itself as a more seasoned gentleman with a sharp edge. BA’s linked description of the style and prior thoughtful reviews seem to best depict how this well-crafted ale beautifully evolves into a warming and comforting Flemish-style red ale of wise old tradition.
Mar 20, 2023
 
Rated: 4.24 by McSeal from Connecticut

Aug 23, 2022
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Reviewed by Rug from Massachusetts

4.31/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
2015 vintage

Well BA, I’m at another milestone beer; number 900. Getting real close to 1000, which I should probably set a bottle aside for or grab a new one instead of just pulling randomly from the cellar. So yeah, a nearly 7 year old Flanders Red for beer 900, why not? I’ve had the classics of the style, but it’ll be nice to have a modernized version, albiet with some age on it. It was back at beer 600 that I had Rodenbach Caractère Rouge, the highest rated of the style. Let’s pop it open

Pours a mirky reddish brown with a finger of light tan head that quickly fades to a thin ring and leaves minimal lacing

I think I'm already liking what the age does to this one from the aroma alone. I'm picking up on aromas of tart black cherry, red wine vinegar, old leather, brown sugar, lemon juice, sharp oak, and light dark toast

Oh yeah, age is definitely showing in taste, but probably in the best way possible. It's intensely funky and mature. On the front end of the sip I'm tasting tart cherry, smooth oak, old leather, wet hay, lemon rind, cranberry, and light vinegar. The swallow brings notes of old leather, molasses, tart cherry, brown bread, sharp oak, caramel, raisin, and lemon rind

A medium body pairs with moderate carbonation, resulting in a puckering beer. Finishes a tad sticky but the tartness keeps it from being overbearing

Maybe it's just this one, but I'm starting to think that laying this style down in the cellar for a few years is the way to go. I love the mature funk it shows, especially on the finish, with the juxtaposition of tart Flanders notes against sweeter, Barleywine-esque notes. Great stuff, next goal: 1000
Dec 21, 2021
 
Rated: 4.49 by jstern from California

Mar 07, 2021
 
Rated: 4.25 by robebo44 from Virginia

Mar 03, 2021
Photo of CAMRAhardliner
Reviewed by CAMRAhardliner from Canada (ON)

4.34/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours burgundy with cherry red glints. The small, shortlived, crackly head musters up a lot of lace on the glass. Acidity, cherries, oak in the nose. High tartness and a plethora of funky, oaky notes up front in the taste. Loads of cherries, raspberry, lemon in there too. Some roasty, caramelly malts are in the mix in tiny amounts at the back. The mouthfeel is rather light bodied with a prickly, high carbonation. High sourness in the completely dry finish.

A fantastic, and aggressive, take on a Flanders Red Ale. Very sour and puckering. A must for sour fans.
Jul 08, 2020
Photo of SABERG
Reviewed by SABERG from Massachusetts

4.19/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Poured from a 750 ml bottle 2015 version into a tall goblet.
A - Red cedar colored backdrop, light can penetrate to show the tiniest carbonation very refined. A thin off white cap quickly exits. During the experience tiny islands develope , dissipate, and reform as a ring on the surface, cling to the glass perimeter.
S - Dark cherry, toasted oak, grape skin, roast malt, some balsamic, hazelnut, that funk from the basement stall. Add some warmth and a lovely fig, and tobacco sneak in as well
T - Dark fruit then cherry, add a bit of cider vinegar, cheese rime, grape seed, interestingly hints of bitter bakers chocolate, red wine vinegar, and subtle tannins
M - Tart to start, balanced acidity, softened by the oak treatment, and time in this case. Initial pass on the palate is sweeping then it steps out in waves, sweet, tart, sweet tart, the linger is forever and cherry candy in a good way.
O - A very good offering, so glad to have had the oportunity, the time has treated this one well, at 5 years, the sweet and the tannins are still a match for the tart side. Well done to the team at The Bruery
May 03, 2020
 
Rated: 4.25 by Patches826 from Massachusetts

Apr 02, 2020
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Reviewed by Tsar_Riga from Minnesota

4.35/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A - Dark brown-red body, mostly opaque, no head or lacing.

S - Strong acidity over wine and wood notes.

T - A sharp tart cherry and red wine fruit open, grassy and earthy funkiness, with a powerful abiding acidic finish.

M - Low carbonation, but brisk acidity and moderate body actually remind me of a good bottle of red.

O - This one is pretty superb, a real pleasure to drink.
Mar 14, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by rare_bird from Michigan

Dec 03, 2019
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Reviewed by elNopalero from Michigan

4.72/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Well here’s one I could have sworn I had reviewed before, but I guess not. These are my notes from the Oude Tart 2016 I had at the two year mark.

Pours a ruddy auburn amber. Sour cherry on the nose, bracingly tart on the palate.

Of course it's excellent.
Nov 29, 2019
 
Rated: 4.22 by drstalker from Illinois

Nov 28, 2019
 
Rated: 4.29 by Dharmelink from Wisconsin

Oct 27, 2019
Photo of erk0607
Reviewed by erk0607 from Colorado

4.56/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Bottled on 8/20/2015. Opened on 9/11/2019
Look: Deep, ruby brown hue with a bit of a sudsy lacing around the edge of the glass. Not a lot of carbonation. Dark enough to block light.
Smell: Amazing. Acetic/vinegar notes that are overpowered by ripe, red fruits like cherries and tart raspberries. Exactly how I'd want this style to smell.
Taste: SOUR! Like, woah. Oud Tart really is up there in tartness, or at least after 4 years the bugs had a lot of time to chomp away and make acids. Once you get past that and acquainted with the beer, you get smooth, berry notes and a pleasant balance of malt sweetness to help balance things.
Feel: Smooth and velvety going down. Medium body. The pucker factor is definitely present. No carbonation to speak of.
Overall: Wow. Smell is awesome. Taste, sour, but good. No best by date. Bottle recommends drinking fresh or aging. I am going to have to go find a fresh bottle.
Sep 12, 2019
Photo of RaulMondesi
Reviewed by RaulMondesi from California

4.25/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
On tap at Playground in Downtown Santa Ana, CA.

Sometimes I imagine that the devil himself takes a vacation, you know? He’s like over the sinister life, and every now and then he just wants to kick up his feet at the beach or in a lush green valley - or whatever.

And right here in The Bruery’s Oud Tart, I imagine that the devil himself flew to Belgium and brewed his ass a beer. It’s pure and smooth, but also devilishly intoxicating.

Yep!
Sep 08, 2019
 
Rated: 4.25 by Marvicsin from California

Aug 04, 2019
 
Rated: 4.07 by BarryMFBurton from Indiana

Jul 28, 2019
Oude Tart from The Bruery
Beer rating: 95 out of 100 with 2537 ratings