Ichtegem's Grand Cru
Brouwerij Strubbe

 

Shared bottle at local tasting. Very dark red colour, off-white head. Nice and "typical Flemish red" aroma, notes of red wine vinegar and oak. Fairly smooth flavour, notes of red wine vinegar again (but not nearly as sour, of course), hints of sour fruits and oak.

L:
-pours a clear copper-red with a small to medium,foamy,offwhite head
-low to medium carbonation visible
S:
-red wine,balsamic vinegar,sour cherries
T:
-very sweet,sugar,syrupy,raspberries,sour cherries,red wine
F:
-medium carbonation
-medium body
-slight alcohol noticeable
O:
-Would be a nice Flanders Red without the massive amounts of Sugar.

 

Brown reddish color with a thin head.
Nice aroma with notes of red wine, oak, acetic acid, grapes and cherries.
Flavor with notes of red wine, a bit of vinegar, oak, lemon drops, nuts, lots of cherries, spices, slightly toast, earth, grapefruit and berries. Dry aftertaste with residual vinous notes.
Light to medium body with perfect carbonation.
Excellent Flanders Red Ale with perfect balance and elegant vinous and dark fruit taste.

A-Pours a hazy amber color with a slight head and lacing
A-Aroma has fruit and spice hints
T-The taste follows the nose with a fruit and spice flavor
M-A medium bodied well carbonated beer
O-A good Belgian Flanders Red Ale

 

Drink by 8/31/2022

Pours a slightly murky, deep cranberry red capped with a bit over a finger of off-white, bubbly foam; solid head retention leaves a dense, soapy collar and a fading, paper-thin cap; sporadic splotches of lacing linger around the glass.

Aromas of big vinegar upfront develop to red berries, boozy apple cider, and cherry wine as it warms; hints of brown sugar contribute a faint sweetness, and a vague tannic quality seems ever-present; fruity sweetness just barely begins to take over the more it warms up.

Taste first brings a solid dose of funky, earthy oak to the mix, immediately welcoming sweeter tones of brown sugar and an interesting charred caramel, along with some tart cherry to round things out; bits of sweet toffee and strawberry develop toward the swallow and linger for an overall sweeter finish.

Mouthfeel sits with a near-perfect lightish-medium body on entry, with an equal medium-level carbonation making an appearance building toward the mid-palate, where it ‘pops’ with a very drying sweetness trending nearly to a sandy quality before being picked up by a tartness once more; only starts to coat on the back end and post-swallow, where it takes on a surprisingly pleasant, lightly gummy weight.

The sweetness that develops can become unbalanced at times, but doesn’t detract from the beer’s immensely enjoyable qualities as a Flanders Red; satisfying flavor and a bold, dynamic mouthfeel really make it easy to savor overall.

best by January of 2020 on the cap

Appearance - cranberry red colored body with tan head

Smell - apple cider vinegar, oak, cherry,

Taste - apple cider, vinegar, cherry, oak, berry

Mouthfeel - medium bodied, lower level of carbonation, vinegary tartness upfront, cider and cherry in the middle, oak and berries on the back end. mix of sweet and sour here

Overall - decent sour ale that I am enjoying. I admit that I am not a big fan of the more aggressive sour ales so this one is in my wheelhouse as far as the style goes. Might be a good starting point for those trying to get into the style.

Price Point - $2.99/11.2 oz bottle

Aged for five years.

L — Pours an amber brown body with a finger of off-white head produced with moderate pour. Some retention and lacing
S — Raspberry, apple cider vinegar, caramel
T — Apple cider vinegar, tart cherry, brown sugar, raspberry jam. Quite acetic
F — Medium- mouthfeel, medium+ carb. Lasting, acetic sourness on the finish
O — Might have been aged for a bit too long, but this one is too vinegary to really appreciate. Masks some of the complexity I like in Flanders reds.

65/100

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is the occasion of Happy New Sour/Sierra/Sara Nevada Nac Sunday (Week 673) & I have chosen to begin by stepping WAY outside of my hophead comfort zone and venture (at least briefly) into the world of sours & tarts. I confess that I took an anti-acid reflux pill earlier in anticipation of this one (& perhaps others). I know that I usually require some water as a side/chaser so I have some at the ready.

From the bottle: "Cuvée 2013"; "Flemish Red Ale matured in oak barrels".

I prised off the cap & began a very slow, gentle pour into my awaiting glass. A vigorous in-glass swirl raised a finger of dense, foamy, deep-tan/light-brown head with very good retention. Color was Deep Amber/Light Copper to Copper (SRM = > 13, < 17) with NE-quality clarity & Deep Amber highlights. I was rather pleased with my pour. Nose had a pronounced vinegar-like sourness, like apple vinegar, but not exactly. There was also a definite fruitiness, like sour cherries, in the mix. It smelled quite tannic, like fermented grape skins, kind of leathery. Phew! Mouthfeel was medium, but I allowed it to roll around on my tongue so as to get a better sense of the flavors present in this beer. It had a woody oakiness along with an unexpected coconut-like flavor followed by the cherry-like tartness that I noted on the nose. I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised as this did not have the puckering tart/sourness for which I had girded myself against. It is perhaps because of this that it is not rated more highly, but for me, it was just fine. Finish was dry, tart, but not really sour, with a lingering oaky-cherry flavor like my uncle's homebrewed Montmorency Cherry wine. Man, I could drink this more often!

Look at the dark mahogany with some ruby red notes.
Smell is a deep dark cherries and slight sour mash. You can also pick you up some alcohol
Taste of deep red ripe cherries with some strawberry and vinius notes as well.
Mouthful overall is good, nice carbonation average body.
Overall I like this beer. I drink it often I think it's a great example of the style. Seems to be a very good beer to drink all year round.

 

Poured from fridge temp. Pours a dark red - almost burgundy. Good head, and nice retention. Nose is red grapes, cherries, raspberries, and some funk. Taste is really interesting. Fruity, slight sweetness, and a bit of funk. Definitely getting the big dark fruits - cherries and blackberries. Grapes are definitely strong. Not really sour - the sweetness and slight funk dominate. Getting some bread and nutty notes after it warms a bit. Mouthfeel is medium bodied.

 

On-draught @ Bull and Bush in Denver, CO.

Low B / GOOD

 

 

This is an amazing Flemish Red. It smells sour, oaky, and with some fruity and sherry notes. The taste is very well balanced between the sweet and the astringent sour. Medium body. Very refreshing and satisfying.

Mfrom a 330 ml single (best by 2019) into a tulip, pours a reddish cola with a good 2 finger head and a little retention and lacing. Nose brings a lot of sweet notes: cherry, plum. Also, a little oak and some sweeter spices. Good but not great. Taste brings a little more depth, with a bit of plummy leather to go with the sweet jammy notes. Not a lot of layers, though. Feel is a little thin, though it does warm you up...and finish is pretty lively and approaches fizzy, which I'm not crazy about. All in all, this one has some real virtues, and a few things that keep it in the good but not great category.

 

 

Draft at De Herren van Liedekerke. Blew RodenBach Alexander's hair back. Best Flemish red/brown I've had.

Pours a nice mahogany with a one finger off white head which reduces to a halo, some lacing

Aromas of tart lime, strawberry, plum, fig, currants, caramel malt, earthy oak, vanilla cake, and raisins.

My immediate reaction to the taste is like strawberry rhubarb jelly on a nice browned toast. But then the oak and tannins kick in. Not super sour but more sweet. Nice dark fruit and berry flavors woven throughout. A little buttery oaky flavor on the tail.

Light to medium bodied, light and bright carbonation, smooth, sweet over dry.

This has a lot going on aroma and flavor wise, and it's a nice looking beer too. I've never had the beer fresh, I imagine it's probably more tart. This definitely cellars well if kept in the right conditions.

 

 

 

I was drinking the 2013, perhaps the newer ones are better. Oak aging flavor came through but the sourness was gone. Aroma was weak and did not leave a long lasting flavor on the palette.

 

 

 

 

 

Deep red-brown/purply-mahogany, depending on how much light is behind it. A deep copper color on the edges. Inch of white-cream head, which is gone fairly quickly save for some bubbles along the glass and an island ring.

Dark cherry tartness, bread crust, and some other vague, sweet aromas. A spiciness creeping in; it's all quite strong. Perhaps slightly vinegar-like.

First impression in taste is of the strong malt ilk- toffee, bread, and perhaps even some white chocolate. The tart cherry is also centre-stage, with some plum and raspberry mixed in as well. The sourness is gentle, never too assertive, but the brew is quite sweet.

Medium-light in body. The finish isn't quite dry enough to zonk out the rather felt residual sweetness. Still- very, very pleasant as a sipper. The somewhat surprisingly mouth-coating quality of the finish certainly keeps you coming back for more.

Refreshing and sweet, spicy and delectable. Tart cherry and malt are very strong, and the sweetness makes it a little heavy handed. Yet the beer is still a treat, a guilty pleasure.