Rodenbach Grand Cru
Brouwerij Rodenbach N.V.

Nose - balsamic vinegar and fruit.
Taste - more vinegar, muddled cherries and raspberries, sweet caramel, oakiness, minerality. Tastes both mature and young, what a beautiful dichotomy of wet wood and briny fruit. Like licking a berry-infused 9-volt battery. Sourness unites it all. Hail Ming!

Much more sour and less malty than the Classic with good mouthfeel; light haze; a big acidic grapey/vinous/slightly cherry flavor and a huge mouthcoating backend.

Maroon in the glass with little magnolia foam and low carbonation. Raspberry, watermelon, and sherbet aroma. These all hit the palate, with more carbonation than expected. What follows is a pulpy sustain, before a tasty sweet and sour release evoking baobab. There’s also a hugely tasty fresh mint character. After a few sips, oak starts to come through in that pulpy quality, and the fruit flavours to which cherry can be added are washed over by balsamic vinegar. Good tannicity to the mouthfeel to match the acidity, with a superb texture to boot.

This is exceptionally tasty and well balanced, stimulating the taste buds every which way.

 

Copenhagen 3/2 2018. 33 cl bottle from Ølhandleren in Give (web-shop). Grey and silver serious looking label with no less than three World beer Awards (two gold and one bronze).

Pours clear dark brown with red hue and small white head. Head disappears completely almost immediately. No lacing.

Aroma is intense, sour, citric and slightly acidic. Some cane sugar lurking modestly in the background.

Soft yet prickly carbonation and slightly thick palate.

Flavor is lightly sweet followed by strong sour bitterness. Aftertaste is sour with hints of sweetness and a little wood. Finish is dry without being extreme.

Fine balance between the sharp and sour and the more rounded, oak which contain a little sweetness.

 

 

At my lady Pamela's house; bottled and slightly chilled, 330mL in a pint glass. From the Huron Church Rd. LCBO in nearby Windsor. No date stamp or lot number. My 2nd beer from the Roeselare, Belgium brewery, and for 2025. Admired from afar by Gracie...

Beer and food tasting on river cruise on the Main river in Germany. Best before September of 2028.
Pours a clear reddish copper colour with a tawny slightly amber coloured head.
Aroma has some sense of wine vinegar, plum, cherries, dark fruit with an oaky note.
Tart and slightly acidic on the palate (but not what I would call sour) - red wine vinegar, plum, again tart cherries and berries, with a woody oaked wine effect.
Crisp and bright light medium body with nice carbonation and a dry acidic finish that pulls you back for more.
Without a doubt the best sour I have ever had.

 

 

 

 

 

Pours a clear reddish-orange shade of amber with plenty of foam in the Strubbe tulip. Fruity, like cherries, and sharp but not really sour. Remarkable aroma of fermenting apples and cherries. Just sweet enough to go with the acidity.

The label calls this "The Belgian Sour Ale." The label even has a "Sour Level" graphic showing 3-1/2 out of 5. But delightfully this is tangy and tart but also sweet and fruity. I am going to stock up on some Rodenbach varieties when I see them— this is too good and moderately priced not to drink more often. From the 11.2 oz bottle purchased at Bine & Vine in San Diego.

Transfer from RB

Pours a reddish brown with a short-lived head and negligible lacing.

Smells of wine vinegar , cherries and oak.

Tastes of tart cherries, red wine vinegar and oak with a salty , sweet finish.

Medium light body with light carbonation. crisp, dry mouthfeel.

I bought this on "make your own six-pack" whim. And I was very pleasantly surprised.

It's complex and delicious!

 

 

Pours a nice brown color with a hint of red tinge. Tart and sweet but also very smooth and easy to drink. I would buy this one again for sure.