Rodenbach

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

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

Bottle. Best before 8/11/06. Pours red brown with an off white head. Tart, funky fruit aroma. Acidic, but not in a harsh way. Nice subtle sourness, with hints of cherry or rhubarb, and musty, oaky, and earthy notes. Well balanced with a dry finish. Quite easy to drink.

Presentation: It was poured from a brown 8.45oz or 250ml bottle into a snifter. Appearance: It had a deep reddish brown color with some visible carbonation. Its head was small and slightly pinkish tan color. The head slowly recedes, leaving some nice lace behind on the glass. Smell: The aroma has sweet and sour fruity notes with some sharp acidic cider vinegar notes. Taste/Mouth feel: Wow very interesting! The range of flavor is amazing. It starts off with sour apple cider vinegar notes over a light malty flavor. This quickly turns to a more sweet/tart fruity flavor with cherry notes and some hints of musty oak. Next up is a slightly dry, mild earthy bitterness. For the finish it turns back to a semi-dry, tart/sour flavor that slowly fades off the tongue. It’s about medium bodied and the carbonation feels light and a bit fizzy. Notes: This is a very complex and interesting beer. It is a slow sipper that is very enjoyable small amounts.

Bottle from a store in Ashland, OR. I was plesantly surprised by this beer. Sours have always been too sour for me. This one is a little more toned down and was easy on the palate. Tasted of sour fruit flavor with a hint of sweetness on the aftertaste. Will have to buy again.

Bottle from a store in downtown Ashland, OR. This one reminded me of some Russian River brews I’ve had in the past 6 months. This sour ale is a tame version of those. While not watery, I’ll describe the taste as weak, sweet cranberry. I’ll always love the genre, so I have to pump it up.

Bottle. Wow, very different from other sours. Definitely tell this is not brettanomyces. Very dark, deep reddish brown. Sour apple aroma with background malt. Flavor is very fascinating and mysterious. Mildly sour (compared to Port Isabelle or Cantillon) at first with sort of a musty affect. Then develops into a sweet, dark fruit flavor, sort of like cherries and plums. Has both a sweet and sour after taste that is very lovely. Quite balanced and enjoyable. I like this way more than I expected! Very drinkable.

Bottle. Pours a dark red-brown with creamy beige head. The aroma is sweet and oaky with some chocolate and ripe fruit notes. The flavor begins with a mellow, sour acidity that fades into a pretty strong oak presence with light chocolate and cherry. The finish is crisp and leaves a fruit and oak aftertaste. It’s a little bit lacking in the complexity department, but still a nice sour.

A dense purplish brown body with a pencil-thin white head; intimidating yet beguiling... SOUR--but not sour patch--fresh and flowery... intense... light-bodied but the presence is apparent; clean (no tracing on the glass is proof), so much that the mouth could forget the experience seconds after... WOW: a tartness early, with sugary sweetness throughout--and yet a mellow, fizzy finish! The beer’s as fun as it gets, pleasantly poppy and refreshing, especially on a humid evening such as this...

Bottle. Deep red beer, off-white head. Aroma of red fruits, tart, yeast. Flavour is sour, yeast, red fruits, cherries, some wood.