Zoetzuur Flemish Reserve Ale

Brewed by De Proefbrouwerij
Style: Sour Ale
Lochristi, Belgium

My second gift to myself for defending my Ph. D. hazy amber colour, thin off-white lace. Beautiful oaky aroma, vanilla notes over a prominent sweet/sour cherry flavour. Good lactic/acetic balance. Woody complexity overlying a sweet malty backbone. Flavour is a bit less bright than the aroma would suggest, but still has a good sour cherry flavour, light plummy malts as well. A bit of peppery flavour in back. Some nice funky wildness about the beer as well. Quite a stylish brew.

Brilliant copper with off-white head, fades to film. Sour aroma, very musty and dry. Seems like it has a few years on it already. Flavor again very musty-woodsy, with some sourness, but nothing like you would expect. Sour cherries turn to sweet candied cherries near the finish. Very dry finish. Have another bottle to try here shortly, hopefully it fares better.

This Flemish sour pours a deep red color from a 750ml bottle. Freakishly large sized beige foamy head, good lacing. Aroma is cherries (sweet and tart) some must and some wood. Medium bodied Flemish Sour. Malts are sweet with lot of cherry tartness. Nice fruity flavors are balanced by the must, barnyard and funk. A little sweeter and a little less funky than say a Rodenbach or a Duchess or other Flemish sours, but its still a very enjoyable beer. Nice carbonation Mouthfeel is full. Finish is crisp and dry. Aftertaste is slightly sweet with some residual tartness.

Bottle: Courtesy of Styles. Aroma is creamy and yeasty along with some moderate sour/tartness. Pours a bright transparent reddish-orange with a small off-white head. Initial yeastiness quickly mixes with a moderate sour cherry tartness. Sweeter than the Flemish Sours that I prefer, but decent.

Poured bright ruby with a short lived white head. Light aroma of cherries, fruit. Flavor was pretty much the same not much sour flavor for my taste.

Bottled. Pours a brilliant garnet color with a lingering ivory head. The aroma consists of yeast, cinnamon, cherries, bubble gum and soil. Sharp, astringent flavor with some cherry and cinnamon notes. Oaky and musty. Somewhat thick on the tongue. Kind of a cherry/ bubble gum aftertaste. A very enjoyable beer.

Aroma:Alcohol,flower.... Appearance:Amber-orange, head... Flavor:sour,floral,malt....

Leather, blood, iron, 9 volt, soft, velvety, extraordinary depth. I was deeply surprised at the quality here. Reminds of Kriek de Ranke a little bit. Delicious.