Rodenbach Grand Cru

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

325 mL bottle at Flatbread, Burlington. Poured reddish brown with terrific white lacing. Terrific sour flavor with notes of cherries, raspberries, raisins and plums. A terrific go-to beer I order when available.

750ml - The nose really put me off. if I didn’t know what I was in for I would of thought the cork had failed. On the palate it was really nice, with a nice red/brown pour and great lace to boot. I served it with pickled beets and maple glazed carrots. The sweet-sour pairing worked nicely.

Bottle, best by 21/02/09. Pours dark reddish brown with a light tan head that dissipates quickly. Aroma is vinous with raspberry/cranberry notes. Very fruity in the mouth, lots of raspberry/cranberry. Vinous, little spicy carbonation, with a sour tangy finish.

Big bottle pours a deep red brown with a nice head with good retention. The aroma is red wine like, cherries, and inviting. The flavor, oh the flavor, sour cherries, wine, citrus, lemon, not too vinegar like, yogurt, and stunning. This is beer. This is fine beer. The palate suits the flavor. This is made to be had with food. Deep, heavy meats with dark pan based gravy, using this to de-glaze. I have to cook with this. But I digress. This is the beer I looked for in my previous rating years, but never found. Here it is several years later and it was worth the wait.

pours brown and burgundy with a little head to speak of.. has dispersed quite fast. smells wine. strong sour smell. beer is lightly carbonated strong sour taste but not enough to pucker. wine comes through alot. malt balances the beer slightly not my cup.

Pours a ruby red color into the snifter with a quick half inch off-white head. The scent was vinegar, sour cherries, flowers and spice. A sour taste hits the palate immediately, but calmed as I got used to it. I was glad to have tried this beer, but I still do not really enjoy sour beers.

Bottle. Pours a grand reddish brown with a small tan head. Aroma is similar to a Red Wine Vinegar on a salad with oranges and grapes. Almost overpowering, but not quite. At first smell I had the unmistakeable urge to dunk a potato chip in it. First sip.... Wow, this is definately a sour beer, the vinegar smell comes through in the flavor, but the citrus and fruit follow along to tame the sour beast. I now had a craving for a fish fry. Later sips are much more docile as you acclimate to the sour, bringing more of a pleasent flavor. The finish is sour, yet sweet, and wet, balancing all the flavors and lingering with the taste of a citrus vinegar. The mouth feel is tangy from the sour, and light and lively with the blend of flavors trying to compete for a presence, but eventually losing to the sour. I think I need to find some salty fried cod with a bit of lemon juice drizzled over it, and sit back and enjoy this devilishly different flavor.

On tap at Blind Tiger. Great beer. Fruity sour aroma. I thought cranberries best described the aroma and taste. Some earthy characteristics as well. One of my first sours. Very good mouthfeel and appearance.