Rodenbach Grand Cru

Pours a crimson red with slight white head. Aroma is awesome, fruity and lots of alcohol. Flavor is sweet with esters. Just a bit of sour. Not too much. But really nice. Good balance.

750ml $7.99 Binny’s Orland Rodenbach Grand Cru pours a murky, somewhat hazed rust with lively carbonation rising to the surface. A minimal head of one finger showed up on the pour and left fingers of lace as it fell to a respectable cap. A good looking beer without a doubt and just what would be expected from the style. Each swirl brings about a sticky head and great aromas. Cherry Sweet Tarts start things of and quickly lead into a tart cherry character. A great sweet and sour (vinegar) character punctuate this brew. Slight acidity tickles the nose and light waves of oak weave in and out of the sweet and sour. The smell of this beer makes my mouth water uncontrollably. The flavor mimics the aroma. A sweetened candy-like cherry flashes through upfront before tart cherry and cider vinegar wash over the taste buds mid palate. Ghost-like oakiness pokes its head out occasionally but just as quickly disappears. The slight sweetness shows up again on the finish to combine with the sour and oak to create a blast of flavor. Grand Cru is an exceptional beer and a true benchmark of the style that I never tire of. The body is on the lighter side of medium and shows off a great silkiness. Carbonation is lively and awakens the tongue a bit but is very soft and natural. Extremely thirst quenching but gives that slight pucker as well. Rodenbach’s Grand Cru is an incredibly easy drinking beer. All at once deep in flavor and complexity with a great ability to quench the thirst this beer leaves. This bottle is a pleasure to put away. This, to me, is the benchmark of the style. A truly great beer for the ages and one I always try to keep on hand. I just can’t get enough of the Grand Cru. 5/26/08

I had this on tap at the Blind Pig in Champaign, Illinois. I have been meaning to try a sour for quite some time, but just got around to it recently. This poured a dark red color with a small tan head that disappeared quickly. The aroma consists of a lot of cherries and dried fruit. If I hadn’t of known better I would have thought I was smelling a red wine. The taste was also very wine-like. There was a lot of dried fruit on the front of the mouth with a somewhat strange bitter taste in the back of my mouth. Overall, this was a nice experience. I would definitely not drink this regularly, but was happy that I had the chance to try it!

Deep copper-red, big effervescent tan coloured head leaving generous lace down my tulip glass. Pronounced sour cherry and red currant aroma, with tea-like undertones. Puckeringly sour palate filled with sour cherry-berry fruit, softened somewhat by a complex underlying sweetness that is married to the acidity reminiscent of balsamic vinegar, but not quite. Yogurty lactic tartness in the finish. Truly excellent, with much to ponder and discuss.

330ml Bottle at The Malt House. Good colour, nice dark red with a deep head. Aroma was nice with a hint of sour fruits. Got a hit of sour citrus fruit and berries on the first taste and a definite sourness all the way to the throat. Went down well and wasn’t too sour an after taste. Full in the mouth although not as thick as some. Not my favorite style of beer, but a very good example of the style. Would have another if I was in the mood.

On tap at Ginger Man in New York. When I gave the bartender my order, I choose a random beer without the knowlegde this was a Sour Ale. While I have never liked a Sour Ale before, I thuroughly enjoyed Rodenbach Grand Cru. Flavorful, light and intriguing with notes of sour cabbage and soy sauce. Deep red color with a small, but bigger than average head for the category. While I will still stay away from full bodied Sour Ales, this experience will force me to try a few brews I had previously dismissed.

Bottle. Pours deep red with a fizzy head. The aroma is very strong and has cherry and wood. Nice tart fruit flavor, not nearly as intense as the aroma initially was. Cherry, rhubarb, and oak. Very drinkable, but I like original Rodenbach a bit better.

Bottled. Pours amber with a little, beige head. Nose of vinegar, acid and light fruity. Sour flavour with grape and citrus. Medium bodied. Heavy sour finish with some spicyness. Just not for my taste - this style of beer.