Ichtegems Grand Cru

Brewed by Brouwerij Strubbe
Style: Sour Ale
Ichtegem, Belgium

Thanks to beastiefan2k for sharing - clear amber beer, with a minimal head - the smell is a little metallic up front, some fruity hints, floral notes - fairly soft in the mouth - a little bit grainy - rather mild flavor - some bready character and vegetal notes - a tiny bit of oak and cereal grains through the finish - the finish tastes like a vanilla ice cream cone - wierd.

750mL cork&wire bottle from tytoanderso poured into a Rodenbach GC smaller tulip glass.. The pour is a dark ruby-red color with a small but strong head. Aroma is metallic cherry with no sweetness. Taste is similar but a very fine thirst quencher. It misses the sour and acidity one would naturally look for from this style but the creation is an nice drinking beer with the "spirit" of sourness. 7/3/7/3/14

Re-rate: Had to give this another shot on tap at the Diamond. It is very different than the bottle, starting with the appearance. It has a thick off-white head that never fully fades, just ends up covering the surface. It sits on top of a dark burgundy body. A; has strong aceto coming through with sweet cherry, and a light, earthy balsamic vinegar. Taste is very light cherry juice with some oily,, light aceto characteristics. Its is very easy to drink and took me back to my Belgian trip where I loved all the underrated Flanders Reds on a daily basis. 9/4/7/3/16.

Final comments: was much better on tap, a lot more sour characteristics, particular in the bountiful nose. Seems like the tap is the less industrial version.

Bottle from Bruisin Ales in Asheville. Deep, dark brown pour with slight red tint, but almost too dark to tell. Fizzy off-white head. Aromas of wood, yeast, some sour cherries. Interesting to note the pretty extreme variations that others have described: "reminiscent of a pale lager," "clear, orangey-brown," and "deep dark burgundy." I wonder if some folks are rating the Oud Bruin. Anyway, this was not nearly as sour as expected. A bit musty, woody, and sweet. A bit disappointed b/c I had heard it compared to Duchess de Bourgogne and didn’t find this very similar at all. Not bad, though.

Red, brown colored brew. Fruity (cherry), yeasty aroma. cherry, fruity flavor with modest sourness. Enjoyable.

Deep ruby-red / brown colour, small off-white head. Aroma is fruity (a lot of cherries) and yeasty. Flavour has cherries and berries. Finishes with a nice sourness. Ok beer.

Bottle shared by BeastieFan2k. Aroma is distinctly lacking, vegetal and thin, very reminiscent of a pale lager. Wtf? Flavor is a little better, a slight touch of sour cherries, but mostly just pissy, catty, cactus kind of stuff.

Had on tap at Brasserie Beck in Washington DC. Nice smooth beer with some good sour notes. A hint of cherries and fruit.. Good beer and just sour enough to tease.

Clear brown of color with a nice off-white head. An aroma of fruit, weak sweets and sour notes. A flavor of caramel, sour, fruit and weak sweets.