Kasteel Rouge
Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V.

330 cl. bottle in Vientiane Laos. Pours a deep reddish brown with a small white head. Aroma of black cherry, tastes of sour black cherry. A nice amalgamation of the donker and cherry but rather artificially sweet.

 

Basic mass produced rouge. Cherry is more black cherry than sour cherry. Many evolve past this quickly. Cherry lovers will enjoy it, but there are better versions brewed.

 

 

 

 

I poured this one into a tulip-shaped glass. The half-inch head dissipated quickly. As a result of the cherries, its color was a deep red, almost like a Merlot. The cherry taste was balanced, though slightly more sweet than tart. I first sampled this in Belgium and the bottle I brought home did not disappoint. I haven’t seen this available in the States, but would eagerly buy it again!

 

 

Somewhat liking drinking carbonated cherry juice but with enough Belgian Strong Dark of a foundation to make exceptionally worthwhile. For some reason has become hard to find, if not completely unavailable in the metro Atlanta area as of early 2022.

 

Just another ridiculous artificial flavor and taste. It looks it was created for people who dislike real beer. A pity and a waste of time.

This should not even be called beer or ale. It contains artificial sweetener (Stevia) and tastes more like cherry Kool-Aid than beer. Synthetic, cloying and lacking in quality. Truly one of the worst "beers" I've ever had the displeasure of pouring down the sink.

Pours a clear ruby color with a small fluffy head with no lacing.

Smells and tastes of cherries.

Medium light body. Brut mouthfeel.

I was expecting a strong pale ale. Had no clue this was a fruit beer. Otherwise no complaints. Serendipity can work out well!

One of my favorite beers. And definitely my favorite fruit beer. Strong and bitterly sweet with notes of dark cherry.

Bottle, at the Manneke Pis, Tenerife, as Kasteel Rouge. Served with correct glass. ABV 8%. Dark red colour, nearly black in the glass. Low and short-lived pink head. Strong aroma of preserved cherries. Lovely flavour of preserved cherries and malts.

 

Smells heavily of cherries and tastes just like a sweet cherry soda with cough drop added. When you approach this one knowing that, it is rather enjoyable.

 

 

 

 

90,5

 

 

L- A vivid deep ruby red with zero sediment in pour+bottle, plus a pale pink-tan head.
S- Sweet cherry perfume, almost synthetic given it's pungency. [Bracing rather for my first sip...]
T- Woah! Alcoholic cherryade? Then I notice a greater depth to the cherry, a mildly sour facet, a distinct taste of real vs synthetic cherry plus quite a strident almond note.
F- Seriously different! The cherry/almond is so prominent it renders the usually very meaty 8% ABV almost invisible.
O- My suggestion; don't give up after the first sip! I nearly did, but persevering I soon found my palate could handle this one as seriously off-piste as it it. This is a GREAT beer to blind-taste on someone else (evil cackle) , so I did so on my wife, with 0 clues on beer/labelling/anything, just handed her the glass. She had the same experience too, 1st sip = eyes + tongue out on stalks, sip 2-3+on 'hmmm/interesting' -> stick with it a bit.
A real swerve-ball of a beer this one, but from a respected brewery you know it's not some kind of youthful alco-pop, there is a history behind the style. Now I shan't be buying it again but I'm quite pleased to say I'll finish it and have found it a learning experience.
330ml bottle BB: 01-2022. Bought from BelgiumInABox for direct import to the UK.

p.s. Only NOW do I see this contains 'Stevia' artificial sweetener - No way! That has no place in any beer full stop. I'm going to amend my rating above while I still can. Wow, shocking!!!

Poured from a 500 ml can into a wine glass.

L - Deep garnet color and crystal clear. Initially some light tan head, but it quickly disappears, except for a ring of single bubbles around the glass. There are also streams of minuscule bubbles constantly rising to the top of the beer.

S - Strong dark cherry aroma reminds me of a cherry cough drop, although it has a fresh impression, not a medicinal one. No beer-like aromas come through.

T - The flavor is also like a cherry cough drop. Although marketed as a Belgian quad, there are no flavors reminiscent of such a beer. No malt, no Belgian yeast. Yet it is still oddly pleasant. It has the strong fruit juice character of one of the mass-market fruit lambics, but without the lambic tartness.

F - Thin to medium body with low carbonation. Hops bitterness is not noticeable, but something keeps it from becoming too cloying, yielding a moderately sweet palate leading to an off-sweet finish. Low alcohol presence.

O - This beer has an amazing cherry flavor, but it is disappointing as a Belgian Quad.

 

 

Kasteel Rouge 8° Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck ,Belgium . Strong beer/Fruit beer. Pours a deep red, red wine colour with a pink head that disappears quickly. A robust smell of sweet cherry's and crushed cherry stones . First sip is sweet cherry juice, bitter almonds and some delicate sour cherry taste, moderate tannins. Long lasting clean sweet finish.

 

 

 

This is from a stubby bottle. There doesn't appear to be an import or bottle date listed.

Appearance: The body is a dark reddish-brown color with a hint of deep purple around the edges. It has good clarity where light shines through. The beer forms a short purple-pink fizzy head that quickly dissipates leaving nothing behind. No lacing.

Aroma: It has a gentle cherry aroma. It smells a bit like cherry candy or a cherry lollipop.

Taste: Up front there is a sweet cherry candy flavor. It gets a little bit tart as it passes across the tongue. There is a hint of caramel flavor that comes through in the middle. Towards the end there is a bit of alcohol flavor.

Mouthfeel: It feels medium-light and effervescent. The beer is very clean and drinkable.

Overall: If you enjoy cherries then you will like this beer. There isn't any Belgian yeast character but the beer does taste very clean. I could drink it from time to time and I would recommend it to those who enjoy cherries and sweeter beers. The label does say that this is a "Malt beverage with natural flavors and Stevia" so the Stevia could be what is contributing to the sweetness.

Poured from a 11.2 oz bottle into a chalice glass.

Pours a deep cherry cola color with a half finger of off-white head. The head is gone instantly, leaving no lacing as it settles into a thin ring.

The aroma is straight cough syrup. That's it.

The flavor has more depth, but not much. There's notes of cherry cough drops and booze, followed by some caramel and dark malt. Finishes subtly tart. Just not a lot going on here.

The feel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Relatively soft and smooth with some slight alcohol warming.

Overall, this just isn't a good Quad. The cherry flavor is entirely medicinal, the malt is just...there, and any other notes are overpowered by the cherry "flavor". Not worth your time.

 

Splendid, exquisite execution. Delightful taste, sovereign taste, best brewers ever: Castle

Pours a dark red-brown color with a medium top off pink-white head that dissolves quickly.
Aroma is of cherries with some malt notes.
The flavour is tart and sour cherry and candy notes with some maly notes in the back. Alcohol is hidden very well in the flavour, and it goes down very easy. Mouthfeel is soft and smooth with a medium carbonation and a medium body.
An interesting and enjoyable take on a quadruple, but not my type of beer.