2021 Vintage Oak Aged Ale (Barrel No.169)
Brouwerij Rodenbach N.V.

At my lady Pamela's house; bottled and slightly chilled, 750mL in a pint glass. From the Huron Church Rd. LCBO in nearby Windsor. My first beer from the Roeselare, Belgium brewery. Best before 6/20/2028. With Gracie the cat.

I drank this specifically in a toast in memory of one of my heroes not just in sport, but in life: Ken Dryden...

3000th review. 750 ml cork and cage bottle served cold into a tulip. LCBO purchase for around $13 CDN.

Appearance - Dark amber color with lots of reddish hues. Next to no head poured but huge influx of everlasting carbonation. Mostly clear with a suggestion of haze.

Smell - Wood, grape and dark fruit. A bit funky and definitely a sour. Subtle leather and slight creamed fruit aroma. The wood and dark fruit and grape sourness complexity is fully in charge here. Luxurious.

Taste – Very tart and sour. Wood comes through on the back end. Grapes and very sour cherries /cranberries up front with some much more. A bit of pepper at the end. A trail of underlying sweetness nestled in there. Less balsamic than past varietals.

Mouthfeel – Prickly carbonation, medium bodied, covers the longue really way and stays in place for a near eternity. An experience.

Overall – A wonderful sipper that seems to have a little more edge than past vintages, not that that is a bad thing, but the tartness, punches above its weight here and is even more of a focus than past renditions. Excellent brew as always from Rodenbach. Best to be shared but well worth the purchase.

an exceptional vintage of this, spendy but worth it, about as textbook an example as you will ever encounter, sweet yes, but exceedingly complex, woody and mature, softer feeling than others ive had, almost creamy, which is curious in a sour beer like this, but its a delightful texture and flow, and this is something quite special overall, lucky to have scored a bottle! bronze to crimson hued, not clear but still with some shine, very fizzy and well bottle conditioned with a tight white half inch of lather on top, fading slowly. it smells insane, red wine and red wine vinegar, red currants, raisins and figs, youd almost swear this is fruited, heavy oak and vanilla with it, maple and molasses sweetness, dried cherry, pomegranate molasses, toffee, higher order acid making my mouth water but still in nice balance, wildly complex, funky as well as sour. the flavor is even more dynamic than the nose, its quite sweet up front, brown sugar and nice belgian malt depth, with red wine vinegar quite prominent, bacterial but not monotone, seriously interesting, savory while its sweet, an almost balsamic thing, heavy heavy oak which is just brilliant with all this malt fruitiness, cherry and raisin lead, but i get wet whole leaf tobacco, date sugar, and dried cranberry too. high end red wine, light toast and char, puffy mouthfeel carrying vanilla and acid together in a unique synergy, little bubbles make it feel so soft, expansive, and the aftertaste is amazing, total recall in reverse almost. this is outstanding, one of the best beers ive ever had from this brewery, highly recommended for fans of the style and the brand looking for an even more elevated experience. worth every penny, and one to definitely seek out. massively impressive.

 

4 Years from when they started brewing this beer and just over 2 years of sitting in this bottle.
Pours a brown foam head. The color is a red-brown. Smell is of cranberry and oak. Delightful taste, although sour is true. Fruity acidic and sweet with an oak undertone taste. The whole beer screams quality, but that is only if you like sours. Takes some getting used to and I didn't like sour ales a while back but have come to really appreciate them. The price point is pretty good for something like this and was around $12 CAD. Obviously to be savored and not be hammered down quick.