Rodenbach Vin de Céréale

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

Shared by Turdferguson, thanks Sam!. Poured a clear golden apple juice colored brew, thin fizzy golden head. The aroma was very tart and acidic, vinous, white grapes, acetic. The flavor was tart and acidic, light glue, a strange grainy flavor, and what Sam correctly identified as an apple juice flavor. Nice tart crisp mouthfel.

The color was pale yellow with now head. The aroma was tart and honey. The flavor was tart, honey, and lime. The palate was thin-bodied. The finish was tart. The 10% alcohol was very well masked.

Bottle from HeinrikB, via Jeff.

"I know exactly what it is. Basically." - IPFreely

Honey amber, no head. Nose is wonderful cherry woody sourness, balsamic, nearly perfect - a bit of alcohol gets this down to a 9. Flavor is more of that cherry balsamic, really, really acidic and then it takes a sharp turn. All of a sudden it becomes warm cereals - mostly barley and nutty wheat. The acidity lingers but it isn’t at all dominant. Fascinating stuff - I’d love more.

Bottle, bought expensively in the Cracked Kettle. pale orange color. Vinous aroma with muscat grapes, oak and sherry notes. Sour flavors, woody, citric and vinous. Sharp on the edges. Not a sign of the promised 10% ABV. Almost flat. An aftertaste that seems to linger on forever. Without any doubt a classic, I wish I had a crate of this, I would store it for many more years.

From a 330mL Bottle. Transparent, golden apple cider colored pour with a thin head of wispy white. Acetic nose with hints of pear, apple skins, and a squeeze of lemon. A honey sweetness suggests the presence of some remaining malt sugars and blends together with some perfumey esters to create a gardeny honeysuckle bouquet. Medium bodied, lightly carbonated mouthfeel. Grainy, husky malt flavors up front on the palate, bringing to mind Cheerios, along with some elements of honey sweetness. Some moderate mead-like alcohol flavors mid-palate, but not overly offensive. Mild acetic sourness, along with some peark and light apple fruitiness. I like the acid and fruit, but the honey flavored sugars and husky graininess don’t do much for me.

Objectively speaking: 2004 bottle (#904). A very different beer from what I expected. A flat, clear amber liquid that aims for controlled oxidation.
I like: Vinous. Not exagerated sourness. Cerealic indeed. The most fascinating feature is the deep woodiness. Smells like wood, simply. No wateriness and no oiliness despite being flat.
I dislike: Boy, is this lifeless? Very dull appearance. Corky oxidation. It really is an attempt at oxidation kept under control to emphasize the woodiness, but it did not grab me. Lambics seem to at least keep a certain freshness. Here it’s apple and butter.

(2/28/08) Bottle sample at PreZBF@Alvinne in Heule. Clear orange-colored. Vinous acidic aroma with lots of wood and fruits and some malt and caramel. Wonderful and unique sour flavor with oak, sweetish Israeli Petit Beurre biscuits and some fruits. A dry acidic finish. Medium to full bodied. Quite amazing.

Bottled. Deep golden with virtually no head. Sourish, woody aroma with vinegar. Sourish flavour with fine sweetness; some cookies and vinegar.