Flanders Red
Forked River Brewing Company

500 mL wax-sealed bottle from the LCBO; no date, but this is the 2017 vintage (released in fall 2019) so it has been resting in my cellar for a little over a year. Served slightly chilled.

Its body is a deep reddish burgundy hue with a fair bit of haziness; a deliberately rough pour produced nearly an inch of foamy, cream-coloured head that dissipated within three minutes or so. A soapy collar of froth lives on, surrounding a bubbly islet of film; decent lace generation, too. I'm getting lots of cherry on the nose, as well as red wine vinegar - a little vinous, with some lacto funk and a woodsy, dirty herbal note that I'm not in love with.

It tastes alright; faint hints of caramelized sugars are swiftly brushed aside in favour of tart cherries, oak wood and red wine tannins. That dirty, herbal aspect mentioned earlier carries itself into the flavour profile, being most noticeable at the back end of the sip and into the aftertaste - this does hurt the brew's appeal for me, though in the end, it's outlasted by suggestions of balsamic vinegar, red wine booziness and cherry pit. Medium in body, with moderately light carbonation that gently nudges the surface of the palate, giving a little bit of crispness to this brew's otherwise smooth, fulfilling texture. Limited drinkability, so the serving size is about right.

Final Grade: 3.56, a B grade. Forked River was one of the first SW Ontario breweries to really have a go at barrel aged sours, and I respect them for that pioneering spirit. To be honest, I mildly disliked Flanders Red at first, but it did grow on me after a few sips, and I've concluded that it's at the very least an admirable emulation of the style - though it's not even close to being on par with any of the Flemish reds (from Belgium) that the LCBO brings in these days.

[Updated Nov 16 2020]

This time it's the 2016 vintage. Looks exactly the same as the '17, but the nose is a little more tart and vinegar-y, as is the overall flavour profile. It was a little harder to get down, to be honest, but I managed to polish off the glass eventually. I see no need to alter its grade, given how old this bottle was, but based on the experience I'd say it's not worth cellaring for more than a year or two.

500 mL Bottle. ABV 7.3%.
Appearance: Dark purple, Under half a finger of off-white head, Collar remains, Slight carbonation.
Aroma: Bready/Caramel malt, Cherry, Oak, Sweet balsamic vinegar, Slight Lactobacillus,
Mouthfeel: Under medium body, Mouth-coating, Soft carbonation.
Flavour: Cherry, Barnyard funk (Brett?), Balsamic vinegar, Red wine vinegar, Caramel sweetness, Slight oak.
Overall: Sure, try it, but there's no way you're convincing me to take this over a Rodenbach, Duchesse, Jacobins... It's nowhere even close to the kind of complexity you can find elsewhere (and at a less expensive price tag)... It's more like a dark sour anyway. I don't like remembering what I paid for this. I tried pushing any category to a 3.75 but I just couldn't do it.

Review: 112

Poured into a pint glass. A thin tan head on a dark amber body. The head quickly diminished to a ring. Subdued woody floral notes in the nose. Wood up front Goes through a few changes. Old fruit. Sour cherry at the end. Nice long finish. A worthy example of the style.

 

 

Dark brown with a ruby tinge, lots of carbonation and a finger of beige head.

Smells sour of red wine, vinegar, balsamic, slight floral notes like cherry blossoms, and a bit like Coke. A bit of gravel as well.

Tastes very sour without any noticeable sweetness. I get the balsamic, red wine vinegar, dry floral notes, and the background woody barrel accent reminding me of Cantillon Brewery in Belgium. Hints of macaroni and dusty cellar too.

Medium, acidic body, with a dry, puckering finish.

Got at LCBO. This by far is the best Flanders red I've had from Canada, and is in close runnings with Red Poppy, and the other tops in the style. This hidden gem must be found as it could be a world top player.

Really good. Bottle is impossible to open. Not as complex as ritual madness from indie ale house

500 ml wax sealed bottle for $8.95 CDN. Served at cellar temperature into a pint glass. This rendition is advertised at 7.3% ABV.

Appearance - clear, dark ruby coloured beer with a small half finger of tan head. Minimal retention and lacing.

Smell - cherries, hints of balsamic vinegars, oak is prevalent. A touch more Carmel like sweetness than is standard but still an inviting offering.

Taste - sour with cherries, lots of balsamic as well. Oak shows nicely too. A little Mir tart initially than some, but doesn't quite have the long lasting and well rounded flavor that the Belgian legends have. Still pretty decent.

Mouthfeel - a touch thin and taste is fleeting, body is a little light and carbonation quite soft.

Overall - pretty tasty barrel aged sour, with lots of flavor. A little more well rounded ness and lasting flavor good elevate an already tasty beer into something even more. Quite good, but can be hard to justify the price when rodenbach grand cur is still available for significantly less.