2017 Vintage Oak Aged Ale (Barrel No. 198)
Brouwerij Rodenbach N.V.

Clear dark red-brown color. No head at all. There were a few bubbles around the edge and a small patch of bubbles in the center, but too dark to see any bubbles rising. No lacing.

The dominant scent is an unusual organic bacterial and/or yeast funk that is like a blend of light soy sauce and orange peel. The longer it breathes in the glass, the more fruit shows up; the fruit is a blend of strong citrus and something I cannot identify. Also some strong floral, but again I cannot identify it. There is a faint oak scent. Swirling the glass kicked up a strong blended apple scent which quickly gave way to the original scents.

Strong fruit flavors: mixed apples, cherry, mixed citrus, and a host of other fruity flavor. The funk that shows so strongly in the scent is also in the flavor, but much reduced. A light hot spice shows up; somewhat peppery, but also hard to place. Very faint soy sauce. There is an overall sweet and sour that balance each other until the aftertaste. The aftertaste is a strong blast of sour with a very sweet middle. The balanced sweet and sour in the fluid seem to separate, and both become more intense. Very fruity, adding a bit of feijoa to the previous fruit. This all fades to a mild bitter that tastes more like it is coming from some fruit peel than from hops.

Light fizz, light foam. A bit of a burn in the nose as well as on the tongue. Light astringency.

Very intense scents and flavors. This is a special occasion beer in a special occasion gold bottle and capsule.

91

 

 

750 ml cork and cage bottle. LCBO purchase for $13 CDN. Served cool into a tasting glass. Best before August 2024. Foeder number not listed here.

Appearance - Pours a mostly clear ruby hued brown with a small half finger of tan head that fizzles out pretty quick. No lacing to speak of.

Smell - Quite vinous with balsamic notes added in as always with the Rodenbach Vintage Ales. A playful nod to sour cherries appears more prominently than others.

Taste - Eminently delicious and sour, plenty of wood, plenty of balsamic, cherries and grapes to a lesser extent come through here and there. Wonderful, wonderful stuff.

Mouthfeel - Dry finish spritzy bubbles just explode on the tongue with the tart flavor. Body is medium but there a richness to this brew as well.

Overall - Probably almost as good as any in the series and a wonderful beer to try and share. Will keep my eyes peeled to compare and contrast with the Foeder 201 2016 vintage sitting in the cellar.

 

Serving: Bottle
Bottled: 2017
Best before: Aug-29-2024
Consumed: Jan-5-2019


It pours fairly clear. Golden brown in the light coming out of the bottle, reddish brown in the glass with a rouseable finger plus of dirty-white head. Nothing too flashy. The nose is sweet balsamic vinegar, leather, baking spices, caramelized sugar, old musty wood and some oxidation. The flavor follows up on this with a light acetic twang right off the bat that descends into brown bread dipped in balsamic and maple syrup, there is a lingering woody, earthy, lightly toasty flavor and then a quick sour cherry-like twinge that sticks to your tongue and is making my mouth tingle and water as I write this. Drinkable with medium body, spritzy carbonation and a lingering pseudo tart tingle that is thoroughly well-placed and ideal for this kind of beer. This is, like the standard version, a world class sour beer. Complex but not overwhelming in any one way, sour but not to the detriment of anything else, complex malt body that is present and in nice balance with the rest. Very good and well worth your time.

4...4.5...4.25...4.5...4.5