Pip's Paddle
Funky Buddha Brewery

 

Whoever entered this beer here classified it as a Flanders Red. That's not what I would have guessed just based on having had Duchesse and a couple Rodenbachs and one other. This is milder. I'm not sure what I'd have guessed. FB bills it as a "Tart Belgian ale brewed on oak and cherries." I was expecting more tartness but I felt that was pretty subdued. I thankfully got zero vinegar such as you find in some of these other Flanders Reds. I did get a wood note but not a good one initially. It almost came off more as a bitter unpleasant fruit pit/stone, like cherry pits. And speaking of cherries, I got that more as an aftertaste initially. I was initially disappointed at the restrained tartness and the lack of cherry and the fruit pit notes but the thing kind of came together as I went and got better and more enjoyable. And the fruit came out a bit more. Trying it next a bunch of their really inventive and exciting and flavorful beers, this more classic style came off as kind of a tired letdown. I wanted more flavor. Over time I got a bit more and I also appreciated its subtlety more.

 

Pretty bad overall. Vinegar mostly. Avoid.