Rodenbach Grand Cru

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

Dark, red-brown, beige head that disappears rather quickly. The sour aroma spread around the table nad I fearfully let the glass meet my lips, as I’m reassured by the name, that tells me this must be good.... I’m very new to this type of beers... The first sips makes my tongue, palate and lips contract, so I must look pretty much has a hen’s butt-hole. But after the first sips of cultural chock my mouth gets used to this beer and the vinegar notes are much friendlier... But then what?? Weeeellll, it’s a very complex flavour wit many notes. I recognize cherries and fruit, and my thoughts go to a slightly sweet/sour kriek. The finish is refreshing, acidic and gueze like. It’s definitely an exciting beer, and I actually liked it a lot more that I expected, going as far as to say it’s really nice!!

Bottle. Small local gathering. Pours a clear red-brown colour with a short fizzy head. Sweetish aroma of vinegar with fruits (mainly cherries) and wood. The flavour is very sour with cherries, nice sweetness, wood (oak), dark fruits and some strawberry in the end. Sour dry well lasting fruity finish.

I bought the bottle in 1986. Aroma: wood, cherries, sherry. Carbonation has partly disappeared. Still sour taste, but the intense sourness has eased away somewhat. Cherries, wood, chocolate and porto in the very complex taste. Almost creamy cherry aftertaste. What a great and very special beer after all those years!! Re-rate "fresh" beer best until 3/04. Creamy head. Oak, apple and cherry aroma. A good deal of sourness. Oak, cherry, some fruity sweetness and creaminess in the flavor. Has this beer become sweeter as it was some 15 years ago? It remains a beer of great depth and high quality, but I'll deduct 0,2 point from the original rating. Another re-rate: most recent Palm-Rodenbach version. Great aroma: caramel, oak, mustard. Rather vinous. Sweetish flavor: cherry, oak. Tart, but not as tart as it was 10 years ago or so. Grapefruit and even banana. Wunderful beer, even now. Not the dominating sours of the past, and I would like it less sweet, but that is partly restored by the complexity. 9 4 8 3 17 = 4.1

Red-brown color, heavy sour light fruity aroma and taste, medium body, heavy sour finish.

A Mes rate: It is one of those love or hate beers. This one was what first got me started on the road to lambics. Pours a deep mahogany red with a good sized tan head which vanishes quickly but the body looks so great I can live with it. Heavy lacing too, you can tell exactly where it has been. Nose is cherry and fruity with balsamic vinegar. Flavour is almost savoury. Finish begins sugary but instantly goes dry, tart and lengthy. Complex and balanced. A regular for me.

Bottle. 33cl. Pours a hazy reddish brown with next-to-nothing head. Aroma is powerful, sour with dried fruits. Flavour is slightly smoky, with a nice balance of sourness and caramel - the end is slightly tart. Good example of the style.

(Bottle) Pours an amber-brown body with purple highlights and a medium-sized off-white head. Has a strong grape bubble gum and cherry aroma. Flavor of sour dark cherry. Lively palate.

How have I not rated this one yet! Notes from tap at Capones. Poured a deeper amberish/brown color with a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of woodiness, vinegar, and sour cherry. Tastes of vinegar and sour dark fruits. If you don’t like vinegar, skip this one for sure.