The Flanders Giant
The Bruery Terreux

Let's talk about a totally unnecessary beer: this one. 14% flanders? Jurassicpark.could.should.meme. Dafuq man. We used to be a proper society. Anyways, here's another beer drank at March Madness 2023.

Pours black. Ugh. Why? Thin off white head 1/5" at its height, quickly recedes. The aroma was a giant amount of acetic vinegar like acid burning the nostrils. Yudodis?

The taste was way too sour, way too boozy, too acidic. It literally tastes like burning. Go banana. It stings. Stop dragging my heart(burn) around is what Stevie Nicks would say. There is a little hint of bourbon beneath the burn. Its disjointed. There are element of bitter, boozy dark fruit, toffee, prune, dark cherry, battery acid.

I think I want to fight the creator of this beer. I'm not sure whether I like the Metallica or Primus version of The Thing That Should Not Be, but this beer would walk out to that song. I just can't understand why someone would think this beer was a good idea.

Copper coloured, slightly hazy, good foam during pour and afterwards. I smell sour cherries, oak, grapefruit, more dark fruits. Taste seems to push the grapefruit citrus to the forefront with bitter notes, sour cherries and the oak flavours are about even. I find that the citrus distracts somewhat for the style but not enough to make me dislike the beer. A repurchase is iffy.

 

A: Poured into a snifter to a deep brown topped by a finger and a half of dense light tan head that fades quickly to a small collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing
S: Smells of sour cherries, leather, musty oak, caramel and vanilla with some heat from the alcohol.
T: Taste is caramel and tart cherries with some nice acidity, funk and oak with some vanilla and more acidity. Swallow is toffee and oak with lingering sourness and funk.
M: This beer has a moderate mouthfeel with soft carbonation and a dry finish.
O: Overall this isn't a bad beer at all. A little funky and very big for an Oud Bruin but in the end it works. I'm looking forward to how this one develops since I have a few more.

Split with JLindros.

A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip a nice crystal clear dark chestnut hue with a thin mocha head.

S - Aromas of fair amount of booze, light tartness, oak, vanilla. Very nice Flanders notes.

T - Taste is similar to the nose nice oak and vanilla. Good tart and vinegar, light flemmy tartness. Very straightforward.

M - Mouthfeel is nicely carbonated, creamy, alcohol hidden scary well, a bit flemmy and syrupy though.

O - Overall this was a very nice Flanders red. The tartness is pleasant, good oak, only knock is a bit flemmy and overly acidic.

Serving Type: bottle

Split with rudzud

Light fizzy head fades quickly, little lacing, long thick legs, semi clear dark ruby mahogany color

Nose is pretty nice, big bright fruit, tart sour cranberry like, sweet reddish malt, candy sugary, toffee caramel, little biscuity, tart flemmy sour notes, candy.

Taste little tart, sour funk notes but not a lot, big sweet malts, caramel toffee candy, candi sugar like, reddish malt candy little syrup, chewy nougat like chewy syrup thing, nice combo of mild tart and sweet reddish malt. Finish little sticky slight flemmy tart malt, little acidity

Mouth is med bod, hint warming booze, little syrupy, decent carb, light acidity

Overall pretty good, good malt and tart combo, booze hidden very well

2015 vintage

L - Pours a muddled brown and red toned body with a fizzy one finger khaki head. No real lacing or retention to the head. It's not pretty to look at, but what flanders beer is?

S - Notes of bourbon all throughout with a tartness to it as well. After that, I'm getting dark fruits, sweet malts and acidity.

T - The taste is much the same, but with less acidity than I was expecting. Brown sugar and oak come into the fold along with a hit of cherry tartness.

F - Medium bodied and low carbonation. For the abv, it's WELL hidden. I mean this is clocking in at 14.2%. Smooth body with a dry finish.

O - I was really expecting to not like this. But, it's not overly sour or bourbon heavy and strikes a great balance here.

 

 

 

 

 

750ml capped bottle into a Grrrz teku. Shared with schen9303.

Pours like dirty fruit juice. If this was categorized as a Wild Ale, I'd be excited. As a Flanders, I'm just moderately enthused. Nose is actually pretty good. Smokey with some char, peat, oak and a juicy tartness. Taste is pretty spot on for the style. Lightly tart with hints of raspberry, strawberry and cherry. Dark and smokey with a big dose of char and peat. There's a nice vanilla smoothness here also. Actually kind of nice.

Oily and slick feel complement the flavor decently. There's a missing pucker that I wish was present for the style but this goes down pretty easy. I don't know why it needs to be 14.2% though.

Worth having. This is pretty representative of the style but don't expect anything more than what you'd get out of an off-the-shelf Oud Bruin.

 

Pours dark brown color with white cloud mixed in with little to no head. Smells like sour bourbon, booze. Taste is much less intimidating than it smells. Bourbon contributes more on the nose than to the flavor. Well balanced, and doesnt taste at all boozy compared with the smell. Really nice, enjoyed this one. Drink 'em now, will only get worse with age.

 

 

 

 

750ml poured into a matching Bruery taster glass. The brew appears a hazy brown color with a khaki head.

This smells like vinegar...then caramel, vanilla and bourbon. Quite tangy across the nose but also displays lots of barrel character.

The taste is tangy with boozy bourbon, caramel, vanilla, oak and solvent booze that becomes somewhat vinous as it warms. Honestly, the first series of sips of this I absolutely hated and contemplated drainpouring it. However, after a couple sips it became tolerable (or matbe it just numbed my taste buds?)

This is full bodied and modestly carbobated. It is boozy and strange which I guess fits the bill perfectly for the Bruery. Overall im not a fan...big booze character and sour dont play nice together and while this beer wasnt actually sour, it still didnt work. It feels like a barrel of anniversary beer that went horribly wrong.