Rodenbach Grand Cru

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

Bottle (330ml). via trade with Pintbypint. Poured hazy ruby-amber with an average foamy-fizzy diminishing beige head, lots of dark sediment in the bottom of the bottle. Aroma is sour, yeasty and malty - red wine vinegar, sour cherry, cranberry fruitiness, even some brown sugar in the complex mix; I’m finally ready to appreciate this! Taste is very much the same, the sourness is omnipresent but behaved, I get light malt vinegar, some sour red wine, tart fruit, light roast malt and yeast - acidic, lightly carbonated mouthfeel, medium linger - really nice, special - thanks for helping me get another bottle of this, Pintbypint.

Ruby red/brown colour, cloudy. Great tart cherry nose. Flavor of candied sour patch kids and a hint of metal. Metallic taste disappears as this gem warms. Really amazing balance of sweet/sour keeps this ale as a most drinkable speciman. A very intriguing beer in a previously unknown style in my library. Top notch.

Corked and caged 750. Pours a dark reddish amber with a small off white head. Well carbonated. Sour apple, dark fruits, sour grape. Tart flavor, with a very fizzy body. Fruity, a touch of honey flavors after you get past the intense tartness. Leaves a slight burn in the back of the throat after each sip - not alcohol, more acidic. Considering the big, sharp flavor, the finish is only lightly sweet and tart, very crisp. Very interesting, but I sure can’t drink much of this, as much as I like it.

750ml bottle with a best by 13/09/08. Pours a dak garnet tinged brown with a on finger head that fades fairly quickly to a thin soapy cap. The isn’t very sticky, sliding down the sides of the glass when I set it down. Smell; sour apples and tart cherries come out right up front, followed by a bit of vinegar and oak. There’s a touch of some earthy funkiness floating around in the background as well. Taste; the tart cherries a very evident on the first few sips, and then some of the sour apples start to show through a little bit. Vinegar and oak barrels mix with a bit of a woodsy earthiness, and just some faint hints of a barnyard funk, with a bit of an acidic bite in the finish. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a bit of a carbonation tingle that adds a bit of bite to the tartness, and the drinkability is really good, but I really like this style of beer.

Appears a red with a brown hue and a bubbly off white head. Nice amounts of lacing. Smell is of sour cherries, funky yeast, pixie stix, and a touch of vinegar. Taste is yeasty with the same aromas. Delicious though. Mouthfeel is sugary, sour, and lingering with some lip smacking goodness.

Wow. First sour I’ve tried, and i must say, I love the style. Poured deep cherry red, with a great beige head. Aroma’s of cherry and vinegar. When it first hits your tounge, it is a bit sweet, but then it gets tart. very tart. Leaves the mouth with a bitt of woody bitterness. Slightly astringant, but well balenced.

Bottle. Reddish brown, crystal-clear. Very complex aroma with notes of vinegar, redwine, caramel and blackcurrant. Sour and sweet with dry finish and flavour that lasts. Probably the best thirst quencher in the world.

be prepared to pucker up....A dark reddish brown with a fairly big head and good carbonation. Aroma is of sour fruits, vinegar, wood. Taste is sour fruit and vinegar, with an acidic finish. Give me a rolaids! then give me another sip...