Big Rock Chop House Flanders Red

Brewed by Big Rock Chop House & Brewery
Style: Sour Ale/Wild Ale
Birmingham, Michigan USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

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Sampled December 2009
This is a bit of a gusher, but only slowly such that I was never in danger of losing beer. A careful pour results in an almost four finger thick, tan colored head in my 25cl tulip glass. The beer is a dark red color that shows a lightly hazed, red-gold color when held up to the light. The aroma smells like oak, toasted / caramelized malt, a musty woodiness, a touch of fruitiness (raisin, maybe a hint of cherry and currants), woody black pepper, cinnamon bark that is heavy on the bark. If you really dig around here for a focused period of time a toasty, whole grain note and some plank-like woodiness comes to dominate the nose. As the beer warms up a touch of overly ripe, farmhouse cheese character becomes noticeable.

My first sip is nicely tart, quite fruity (more like currants and a fruity-red wine than I was expecting) and there is a solid back drop of oak that provides a light astringency and spiciness to play the balancing role to the first two flavors. Teh beer has quite a bit of oak character, and with the fruitiness, really reminds me in many ways of a tannic, though fruity red-wine. The sourness here is definitely lactic more than anything, in fact I can’t really taste a noticeable amount of acetic acid. Other, secondary flavors of leather, dates, a touch of mustiness, . The ample carbonation provides lots of fizz, but somehow this beer does not come off as being overly carbonated. This has a lightness and a quaffibility, but still is note too light. There is just enough soft sweetness here (some of this seems just percieved from the sourness some how) to accentuate the nice fruitiness and a caramelized, slightly savory, maltines that comes towards the middle end and finish of each sip. There is a peppery oak note here that is almost more nasal than oral, but is still noticeable in the flavor a bit.

This is an exceedingly easy 22oz bottle to finish. It is perhaps not the most complex version of the style, and it is a bit heavy on the oak when compared to most of the old-world examples (but still not over-whelmingly so), and I wish the malt character was a bit more substantial, but damn is this a tasty beer. Actually the main component that keeps this from being world class is the lack of malt character; much of it has been fermented away as a rich caramelized malt character is definitely missing. On the up side this has an interesting fruitiness (and with the oak really evokes thoughts fo a fruity oaky red wine) that is a result of the dry finishing fermentation.

Bottle shared by emacgee - thanks, Ethan! Nice pour, a translucent ruby with fairly minimal carbonation. Pretty nice nose, slight cereal grains but mostly muted cherry, wet wood, and acetic notes. Mouthfeel is medium, not too puckering. Taste is often understated, plenty of wood and cherry along with traces of chocolate, popcorn, and brine.

22oz bottle. Despite the warnings, I still managed to forget that some of these were a gusher. Lost only a couple of ounces though. Pours a cloudy reddish with medium head. Aroma has nice tart notes of sour apple and grapes and cherries. Flavor has a nice combination of tart fruits including apple, grapes and cherries. The overall tartness was medium in strength. This was good, but nothing too memorable.

tasting on 3/15/12. ruby pour with a big 3+ finger off white head - foamed out of the bottle upon opening. off nose with light sour notes and light fruit notes - not the true flanders red aroma I’m looking for. med soft body with light sourness, grape skins and an astringent finish with light band-aid and light tartness... not the best example.

Thanks for this one, Steve. The pour is red in color with a fizzy off-white head. A nice aroma to this one. I get some hints of cherry as well as mild vinegar to with some slight funk of straw, grass, and oak. A touch of fruit, too. The flavor has a little raspberry and strawberry along with some sweet malt. A moderate tartness with only a touch of vinegar. Medium bodied with high carbonation.

Bottle received as a trade bonus, thanks! Brownish red pour, with off white head. Fruit, biscuit, cherry, acidic, & vinegar. Pretty nice actually, but not knock your socks off.

Bottle shared by emacgee. Pours a cloudy amber-red. Moderate beige head. Aromas of cherries, some cherry skins, acetic notes as well as some nail polish. Taste is cherry and chocolate up front with weird toasted nuts and popcorn (diacetyl) on the finish. Salty. Weird but still good enough.

Thanks emacgee for sharing. Murky red amber with a small white-ish head. Nose is cereal grains, cherry, lightly acetic with some nail polish notes. Flavor is more cereal, cherry skins, balsamic vinegar.

[Bottle] Old rating. Pours cola-brown with a nice light tan head. Nice sour aroma with a good deal of cherry blended into it. Taste is also quite sour, but not over-the-top, with underlying fruitiness again. Medium mouthfeel, long finish. Very solid. Hopefully I get to try this one again in a non-tasting setting.

Thanks mikem09. Deep ruby red pour with one finger of sandstone tan head. Nose is acidic with lots of chocolate cherry notes and caramel. Extremely interesting flavor, popcorn jelly bellies and toasted nuts with some black cherry and a great acidity. Medium body and dry with a lasting tartness.

22 oz. bottle from deyholla. Thanks Derek! This one gushed a little on me. Not a violent gusher, but persistent. Once in the glass, it looks very dark red/brown with a lasting half inch of cream colored foam. Nice looking. The aroma is mildly musty funk with some lacto and mild cherry. Not much hinting at an overly fruity sour. The flavor is very lactic and frothy in the mouth with some over active phenolics in the finish. There is some nice cherry tartness in there as well balanced with a hint of malt sweetness. Overall, a pretty nice effort.