Ichtegems Grand Cru

Brewed by Brouwerij Strubbe
Style: Sour Ale
Ichtegem, Belgium

[9/8/08] Bottle at my hostel in Brussels. Deep red-burghundy color with a pinkish-beige head. Aroma has some slightly caramelly malt and light acidic woody notes. Sweet flavor with malt, brown sugar, some dark bread, fruitiness and subdued wood notes. A decent beer but not as a Sour Ale.

Brown witht a note of red. Has an off-white head, fully lasting. Aroma of wood, acid, lactic. Candis too. Flavor starts sweet and acidic, finish light bitter. Dry, syrupy texture.

Dark purple to brown body and no lacing. Aroma is a very nice sweet red fruit and a bit of tartness. Lightly sweet cherry flavor, candy sugar body, cream in the middle, faint hint of oak in the finish and a slight tartness. Nice creamy body.

Bottle. Dark mahogany pour with light white head.When i read that it was a red flemish sour, i expected less of a vingear ish sour flavor than i received. Flavor was light, dark fruits, oak, but the vinegar tinge killed it for me.

Bottle from keg Liquor. Poured clear brown color with a large fizzy brown head that mostly lasted with good lacing. Moderate to heavy dark fruit and yeast aroma. Medium body with a smooth texture and lively carbonation. Medium to heavy fruity sour flavor with a medium sweet & sour finish of moderate duration. My expectations where met with a complex beer.

Pours a very dark brown color, almost black with deep mahogany edges when held to a light source. Creamy .5 off-white head that quickly fades into the thinnest of rings leaving very small specks of lacing. Tart funky aroma with a nice oak vanilla presence from the barrel aging. Also a bit of a vinegar and dark fruit notes. Lighter end of medium bodied and a bit watered down. I was expecting a fuller mouthfeel. Tart and puckering but much more of a vinegary sourness than expected. Lots of oak and vanilla character with a pleasant dark fruit flavor. Dark cherries, plum and raisin notes with a dry finish.

Bottle from the Sam’s in Downers Grove, Illinois: It pours a deep chestnut body, clear around the edges, with a decent beige head that collapses quickly. The aroma is venegar and tart cherries with oak and dark caramel. The flavor is a tad more sourwith less cherries but a bit woodier. It finishes tart and dry with a lingering acidity. Very nice.

I had this beer on tap at Beachwood BBQ’s sour beer fest. The fruity nose was very nice. Overall, the beer had a nice balance between tart and fruit.