Rodenbach Grand Cru

Brewed by Brouwerij Rodenbach (Palm)
Style: Sour Ale
Roeselare, Belgium

I really don’t like this beer. The taste of cherries and currants is far too strong and so is the acidity. The aroma is equally as distasteful as the taste. It looks like coca cola and I personally think coke tastes better I’d rate it lower but I didn’t want to get into the Bud Light territory

smaller bottle. Pours a deep dull mahogany color with some amber highlights. Little to no head, though what is there leaves a decent ring throughout. Aromas of heavy syrupy sweetness and sour acidic cherry notes. Flavor starts with a big smack of fruity tartness- cherries stand out. The tart notes are very heavy, but not as aggressive as lambic sourness. Underlying sweetness works well, ensuring the brew isn’t overpowering on the tart notes. Very full bodied and full flavored on the palate, with a suprisingly clean finish given the body and tartness. A good summertime sipping beer, ideal for those mid afternoon times when one wants a brew but needs to continue with household chores.

Bottle. Heavy dark red wine, light acidic. Really something special. Small white foamy head, fast diminishing. Dark red clear body. Heavy acidic with a hint of sweetness, long duration. Medium body, very dry, soft carbonation. Nice acidic one!

(bottle) Upon opening the bottle, no hiss, and apparently virtually no carbonation. I poured this vigourously and a head did form, although it did not look like a normal beer head. Beautiful dark ruby/mahogany colour. The initial aroma did not appeal to me, reminded me of vinegar and/or some red wine. First taste was incredibly sour, but I grew to like it. The aftertaste reminded me of pineapple juice and had a metallic note that I get with tinned juices. Extremely dry finish, I would not pick this as a 6% ABV beer and due to its uniqueness I rate the flavour highly. Not at all unpleasant the way some Belgians can be to the uninitiated.

Pours a cherry amber color with a light off white head that fades to a layer of foam. Aroma of sour cherries and sweet tarts. Taste is similar to the taste with more sour fruits, a pretty prevalent sweetness and a nice tart dry finish. Very refreshing.

Bottle, Stirchley Wines, Birmingham. Been at least 5 years since I last had this. Poured a dark ruby colour with a medium tan nead which vanished pretty quickly. Aroma was sour, cherry and vinegar. Flavour was very similar with some sweetness and more fruit evident. The finish is sour and lingering. I can understand clearly why this rates so highly, but this isn’t something I could drink a lot of. Definitely worth trying though.

Bottle. Clear, dark brown pour with very little head. Strong sour aroma and flavor. Flavor also has a vinegar tartness.

Wow this sure is one sour bastard! Don’t drink it when it’s too cold. Beautiful color, sharp soury taste. I do love sour ales a lot although I haven’t taste much different kinds. This one was very good. Looking forward to taste new ones.