La Rouge Flamande
Brasserie Thiriez

Poured in a tulip from a bottle

A - Dark ruby, slight haze
S - Definitely rich, I'd say toffee malt and leafy hop
T - Grilled nuts maybe, autumnal notes stay in mouth for a long time
M - Pretty smooth
O - A really good bière de garde, very expressive despite the low alcohol rate and with a real personality

 

A 330 ml bottle picked up in Cassel, Northern France last summer. Pours a cloudy dark red colour with a beige foamy head. Aromas of caramel, red fruit & malt. Tastes of toasted caramel malt, red fruit & bread. Medium to light bodied. Aftertaste is lightly bitter with caramel & red fruit.

 

 

 

Purchased 2 33cl bottles at La Cave a Bulles in Paris (along with 12 others)
Served in a goblet.
It pours a dark ruby hued cordovan color (way darker than the typical Flanders Rouge) with a frothy khaki/tan head resting on top. Loads of sticky patchy lacing edges the glass all the way down.
Smells of fresh ground barley, brown bread, cut oak and wet hay are upfront. A smell of macerated berries and fruit mingle with a bit of citrus rind and pennies. A slight whiff of Brett yeast peeks through and remains throughout.
The flavors are very well rounded...to the point, at first gulp, seems a bit bland. However, with natural agitation and aeration the different tastes emerge individually. Light brown bread, figs, mild citrus and a hint of a metallic tang mix and mingle. A very slightly sour/acidic bite is noticed but, it's where I prefer it...in the background.
The mouthfeel is slick and velvety. Not too heavy. Not too light. Not too oily. IMHO, it's the best part of this French version of a Flanders Red.
It may miss the original style's mark a bit, but nowadays,with so many style representations, from so many different brewers, what doesn't?

 

 

 

 

From 06/12/13 notes. Had a glass of this on tap at La Fine Mousse in Paris, France. Poured into stemware. I asked if this was a flanders and was told no, but it was.

a - Pours a dark brown, caramel looking color, with moderate lacing on the glass, one finger of fluffy off white head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of brett, caramel malts, dark fruity malts, oak, musty notes, and earthy notes. Very nice nose; some sourness/brett to it which I like a lot.

t - Tastes of brett, dark fruity malts, spice, bready malts, caramel malts, toasted malts, citrus hops, and earthy notes. Very nice taste.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation. Very smooth and easy to drink.

o - Overall a nice flanders, much better than their blonde I had a few weeks ago. Some brett to it and nice caramel and fruit, and super easy to drink. Would have it again.

A - Dark, almost transparent chocolate/brown colour with a minimum of head.

S - Strong caramel aroma with dashes of liquorice & dark chocolate and a heap of liqueur (mainly spiced rum).

T - Very light on the palate with just a touch of bitterness. Flavours seem to match the aroma with plenty of dark chocolate and spiced rum. Some sweeter flavours linger as well such as honey and red wine.

M - As above it's quite light on the palate and actually a little too light. Lack of malt here denies this any real presence in the mouth, however it is partially balanced out by the chocolate.

O - The main problem here is the lack of body. It has all the hallmarks of a classic bock but without the texture it struggles somewhat and the pleasant array of flavours is not quite enough to save this drop.

330mL bottle into a Tripel Karmeliet tuilp with thanks to Beermasons.

Deep amber with a monstrous moderately dense beige head. Lacing is virtually non-existent, however a respectable film remains after it finally recedes.

Nose is impressively nutty and buttery, with shedloads of toffee and honeycomb, and a confronting dose of bready and vegetal yeast. Deeper down are sour cherries and raisins. Really different and intriguing.

Toffee hits first, followed by green apple, dark fruits and brandy-soaked muscatels. These are nicely balanced by an abundnace of savoury malt notes. Good stuff.

Mouthfeel is very thin and a major disappointment. There's absolutely no getting round how watery and diluted it is. The ABV seems way too low to properly showcase such bold flavours.

Despite such a major flaw, it's impossible to discount the charisma in the aroma and flavour. Don't really know what this is trying to be (it tastes nothing like a Flanders Red Ale to me) but as an 8% Dubbel it would be absolutely stellar.

Pours a clouded brown with ruby hues and a thick pinkish head. Nose is cherries, leaf tones, and apples. Flavor is fairly earthy, but not powerfully so. Mild cherry tones, like a mild Flanders. Feel is smooth on liquid. Carbonation is standard, I'd say. An easy drinker with a mild Flanders edge. Nice enough.

A-Bright, clear light red color with a large, foamy pinkish white head. Head hangs around and left nice lacing.

S-Light sour notes with a bit of oak and cherries.

T-Dry oak and sour cherry notes. Very pleasant biscuity malt in the background.

M-Medium-light body with zippy carbonation. Lasting oak dryness.

D-Crisp, light, refreshing. This brew would be perfect for a hot summer day. Lively, dry fruity notes are very tasty.

Bottle courtesy of Phyl21ca poured into a snifter. Thanks Phil!

Pours a deep hazy reddish amber with a huge three finger head that almost came out of the glass. Retention is fantastic and the head hung around for ages leaving some pretty good lacing. Smell is of sour cherries and bready malt with a little sweetness (maybe caramel). Taste is slightly tart with apricots, cherries and a heavy dose of sugar. There are also some spiciness in the taste though it's not easy to determine which ones.

The mouthfeel is fairly light and crisp with a definite pucker of the lips present. This is an interesting beer and I'm glad I tried it, but it's probably an average belgian ale, all in all.

Bottle: Poured a clear light reddish color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and nice lacing. Aroma of lightly sour notes with some oak notes. Taste is also a light mix between some oak and some sourness with some light vinous notes. Body is average for the style with some good carbonation. This beer really reminded me of the Classic Rodenbach and would be perfect for a hot summer day.

Drank that at the latest Mondial in Montreal. Talked with the maitre brasseur while drinking this delectable beverage. Frankly, I hesitate to call this a beer. Where I'm from, this would be refered to as a malted beverage. This is not a negative comment by the way. It's just so different from what I'm used to drink.

Poured out a hazy red color with a good lookin' head that lasted the whole glass.

Unfortunatly, I'm having a serious problem with my nostrils these days. So I could not detect the caramel and all the roasted malts that everyone's talkin' bout.

Taste was a pleasant one. Tastes of cranberry (?!) dominates this beverage. I'm sure this would be a great companion to grilled meat. Unlike other reds that have a roasted and sweet taste, I cannot perceive that caracteristic in that one. Funny thing, while I was there, we were joined by the maitre brasseur from L'Alchimiste. We talked about those different aromas and I think that the Lanaudois was on to something ;-)

All in all, a really pleasent drink and, if I get the chance to taste it again I hope it'll be in front of a great piece of steak :-)

Beer bottle (33cl), tasted in 2006.
Appearance : orange color with white foam head
Smell : roasted malts.
Taste and mouthfeel : Very aromatic beer, a little spicy, and is a remarkable table beer to accompany the meat.
Drinkability : Despite the name, it has nothing to do with style "red flandres", developed in Belgium, because it knows no lightning in the maturation of wood.