Ichtegems Grand Cru

Brewed by Brouwerij Strubbe
Style: Sour Ale
Ichtegem, Belgium

Bottle, 2009-02-15, AP: Brownish red, wee head AR: Wine with loads of oak aromas F: sour cerry flavour, maltt

Dark amber to med brown, with a low, fine, head. Dry, musty aroma, like an old funky-ass moldy wine cellar. Lots of barrel. Grapes in there, plus a bit of caramel malt. Very dry. Somewhat sherry-like. Surprising; not very nice, though. Flavor a bit less dry, with a bit of caramel and fruit, a touch of sweetness. Still some wine cellar and sherry. Dry, with a bit of sweet and almost no sour. Well, just of touch, like sweet-and-sour cherries. Very different from any other Flemish Red I have tried. Low carbonation. Smooth. In the mouth it is not wholly unpleasant. Could it be too old? There is no date to be found. Weird shit. Tastes pretty good, but smells like ass.

hazy amber, thick smooth offwhite reddish head. very nice sourish, faint red berrish aroma, faint vanila, wood and marcipan, and the fruity sourness. nice. flavor is sour, almost dark fruity, quite sweet, not that dry.

330 ml bottle. Delicious reddish brown body with a big, dense beige head. Aroma is cherry fruity with a slightly acid/vinous hint. Flavor is malt, wood and fruit almost perfect balanced. Relatively mild, but flavorful.

Bottle. Poured a medium brown color with reddish highlights. Not much light came through it. The head was thin and light brown with good retention. A bit of lace was left behind on the glass at the end. Pleasant aroma that included the likes of red wine vinegar, distinct tart cherry, and toffee. There was also a whiff of molasses. Medium to full bodied with mixed malty sweetness and light to moderate acidity. The malt backbone was sturdy. Tart cherry, molasses, toffee, brown sugar, and red wine notes graced the flavor. A bit sweeter than I like, but pretty good stuff.

Bottle.Pours brown with a beige head.Aroma of sour grapes,berries and barnyard.Mildly sour and spicy flavor with some mild funk and wood, a decent amount of residual sugars .Medium body.Oily and vinous texture.Nice one.

Bottle from bottleworks. Deep red-brown pour, nice woody aroma. Quite a drinkable Flemish red, tart but not overly vinegar, well-integrated wood, easy-going and totally enjoyable even though it was lacking the sort of complexity that makes the style shine. I think I prefer this to Duchess, for example.

Deep red color with a small off-white head. Aroma is faint and sour - wood, brown sugar, and plums mostly. Taste is the same - subtle and buttery. Kind of boring, not at all acidic, the sourness is minimal, and there are no vinegar-like notes here. Good body. Drinkable, but uneventful.