Zoetzuur Flemish Reserve Ale

Brewed by De Proefbrouwerij
Style: Sour Ale
Lochristi, Belgium

Dr. Bill is the man for bringing this beer out at the PP Strong Ale Fest. It pours with an amber body topped by a thick head with tons of lacing. The aroma is sweet yet sour and tart with slight horse blanket notes. The flavor is sour and tart with a slight horsebalnket and a nice underlying fuity sweetness. Medium bodied and slightly dry.

Pours a dark and ruddy looking reddish mauve color. A consistent, foamy, light tan settles to a small rim, delicate, sticky lacing marking the glass. The nose gives alot of oak and vanilla overtones to a bed of tart cherries and dark fruit, with lactic yeast and hints of brown sugar malt. Flavors continue this pursuit, lightly tart from the cherry, but well balanced and soft overall from the sweet dark malts and the easy going barrel influence. Lactose plays a big role, as it always seems to in this style, but there seems to be some acidity lacking as it never delivers that "kick" to the underneath of the tongue that the best examples of the style do. Medium bodied and perhaps just a hair overly carbonated, the mouthfeel is otherwise quite nice. Very solid beer, but far from elite within the genre.

750ml. it’s about time I start making my way through these de proef brews. pours dense red with huge off-white head. nose is very fruity, red apples and cherries, with big sourness and subtle oaky notes. flavor has some sour aspects but balances sweet and sour well with other fruity notes of red apples and cherries, along with some subtle funky, oaky, and acidic notes. everything nicely balanced but more on the fruity side than the wild. the body is medium and the carbonation is smooth. a rodenbach grand cru fan should feel at home with this offering.

Pour is amber with a nice fluffy tan head...smell is sour Belgian funk with lots of oak and cherry...taste is a little disappointing...not a whole lot of sour going on...a little sweet and malty, but tons of chewy oak, vinous qualities, and the like...it feels like it is trying so hard to be sour in my mouth, but can’t quite stretch the flavor to the sides of my tongue...finish is a little oaky...

sampled at the pizza port belgian fest 2005. For me, this was the star of the show. Although billed as a sour ale, this beauty had a huge variety of flavors, tart & sweet, fruity & dry. love dit.

Date: 4/29/2007
Event: River’s Bend Belgian Workshop / Abbey Dubbel Brewout
Location: Ken’s House
Serving: 750 ml corked and caged bottle.

Tasting Notes
Aroma: Lots of red wine vinegar.
Appearance: Cloudy amber color with a thin crown.
Flavor: Cherry and berry flavors with oak/wood and a hint of alcohol.
Palate: Medium body. Very smooth.
Overall: This Flemish Sour Ale really plays the sweet and sour paradox quite nicely. Not for the faint of heart!

Bottle. A reddish amber color with a big foamy creamy tan head. A wood, cherry, and sour fruit aroma. Sour cherry and citrus flavors with a slick malty flavor and a hay barnyard finish. I always enjoy a good Flemish Sour Ale.

Medium amber, decent head fades fairly quickly to just a faint trace. Aroma is surprisingly strong of horseblanket and wild critters, with a touch of vinegar and very sour cherry. Flavor is more in line with what you would expect in a Flemish Red - sweet and sour cherry, a bit of vinegar, finishing tart and rather dry. Not bad, but not my favorite version of the style.