Ichtegems Grand Cru

Brewed by Brouwerij Strubbe
Style: Sour Ale
Ichtegem, Belgium

Poured a dark amber color with a small, creamy, light tan head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of caramel, wood, feet, vinegar, and cherries. Taste of sweet cherries, caramel, butter, wood, with some nuts, and more vinegar in the finish. Reminiscent of stomach bile.

33cl. bottle. Cola-like color with some red highlights and a small head. Mild vinous aroma with hints of cherries, oak and some metallic notes. Nose was quite subdued. Flavor starts off sweet and malty, with some caramel and oak before turning mildly tart with a vinegar-like taste. Flavor is kind of muted, with an off aftertaste that reminds me of a copper penny. I get that metallic, copper, blood taste in many Flemish sours, and I normally enjoy it, but not with this one. It isn’t really that bad, but I really like a good sour beer and was hoping this one would fill the bill.

Bottle: Moderate sweet cherry with the slightest hint of tartness in the aroma with some faint caramel and wood. Pours a dark brownish-red that is mostly transparent when held to the light. It has a rather large beige head but minimal retention has it fading to a small film within a minute or so. It has light cherry and caramel up front with a very faint vinegar backbone. There is a strong metallic flavor that is as strong as any other flavor...big time negative points here. Lightly woody and faintly tart in the finish. Light-medium bodied with soft carbonation. Maybe a bad bottle, but one of the worst "sour" ales I’ve ever had. I tried to finish it, but had to pour it down the drain, the metallic flavor was too much.

11.2 Bottle. Dated 03-09. Pours a very deep garnet color, almost brown. It foams briefly but their really isn’t any head or lacing. Vinegar and fruit aroma with heavy cherry notes. Big cherry flavors going into a balsamic vinegar flavor and finishes with a combination of the two and a wood note. Good flavor but it seems to lack a lot of the complexity of some of my favorite Flemish Sours.

Pours dark brown with little fluffy off white head. Aroma of sour fruit. Light flavor of sour fruit with some hops. More fruit than anything. Nice crisp sour flavor.

(Bottle, BB 03/09) Pours a dark burgundy body with a medium beige head. Aroma of sour cherry, earthiness, faint oak, and chocolate. Flavor of cherry sourness, caramel, and oak with a dry finish.

(bottle) Pours a dark brown with a light tan head. Aroma is sour and tart with some notes of apple and some funk. A crisp sour taste, with some tart cherry, and a finish of oak.

[Bottle] Pours brown with a light tan head. Aroma is sweet, almost peppery I think. There was also a smell in here that reminded me of something in a good tequila that I smelled once--very strange. Taste was sour up front. Little thin.