Ichtegems Grand Cru

Brewed by Brouwerij Strubbe
Style: Sour Ale
Ichtegem, Belgium

Bottle from Healthy Spirits in S.F. Date of 11/2012 on the cap. Dark mahogany color with a decent off-white head. Aroma is moderately sour cherry. Near medium body with thinnish carbonation. Flavor is woody cherry with touch of sour. Wood is pretty strong. Seems balanced between sweet and sour. It’s really an excellent sour ale. Or mayhap it’s an oak ale. Lot of wood. Good thing.

Bottled. Copper colour, small head. Light vinegary nose. Rather light bodied. Dry, despite some fruity malt sweetness, notes of oak, butter, tart lingonberry and cherry. Lightly citric and vinegary. Pretty good, but not as complex as the best Flemish browns IMO.

Poured a dark hazed brown color with a small off-white head. The aroma was fruity with notes of figs and brown sugar. Some sweetness to it. The flavor was fruity and sweet but dries out. Medium bodied.

From bottle at Zeno’s. Light sour ale aroma, with oaken tang and fruity malt character. Nice sour undertones, with some lactic character. Dark coppery amber clear with thin off-white lacing head. Medium body character with medium-heavy carbonation. Starts with typical sour ale profile. Light oaky start with lactic tang ang mild hoppy profile. Oaky sour finish and lactic tang. Finishes clean with hoppy sour tang. Nice sour ale.

At ZBF 2008, Sint Niklaas, Belgium
Deep brown, hazy body. Subtle aroma of wood and cherries. Moderately bitter, lightly sour initial flavour. Moderately sour, lightly bitter finish. Metallic mouth feel. Bit odd, not that well balanced.

POured from a bottle with a fairly dark brown body. There is also a little hint of ruby coloring with some lights. There is medium khaki colored head. The aroma is nicely perfumed with flowers and cherries. There is also a little bit of leather goods. The taste is funky leather with some lightly sour cherries. There is a medicinal hint in the finish. The body is light with very subtle carbonation. A fairly mild flemish sour, but still interesting.

Draught (ZBF06): Sweet yet balanced. Some nice tart fruits, nuts and berries. Warming and tasty.

Bottled. Pours out in a clear deep red colour with purple hints with a huge frothy white foam. Lactic and fruity aroma of red berries, wood, vinegar, tart cherries. Sweeter flavour of cherries and raspberries with touches of brown sugar and wood. Cherries, mild oak and dark over-riped fruit in the finish. Promising aroma but it’s a bit too sweet for me flavour wise.