Oude Tart - The Bruery

davod23

California

4.63/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

Poured on tap (several times) at the Bruery Reserve Society initiation. Very excited for this one, as I am a huge fan of the Bruery, and this is one of my very favorite beer styles (with a caveat, below).

Appearance is a fairly dark, slightly murky, reddish-brown color. Although the head is not terribly substantial, it is remarkably long-lasting. Carbonation is strong here.

Smell - the unmistakable smell of a Flanders ale. Vinegar, oak, tart cherry, with a slight, but noticeable candy sweetness. This is very good.

Ah, this tastes divine. It follows the nose, but is perhaps more robust than I believed it would be. Big tart cherry, slight woodiness, with a sour vinegar kick. There may be an element of other fruit as well - I think figs - but it's only a trace. I may be wrong. The beer is not a massive, mouth-puckeringly sour beer. Nicely tart. Excellent.

Mouthfeel is only good-ish. It didn't detract from my enjoyment much, or really at all, but I did think that the carbonation was just a bit too vigorous. Of course, that smooths out with a few minutes in the glass, so meh, not such a huge deal. I wonder if the bottled version will be as carbonated as on-tap.

Drinkability is fantastic. I need more of this beer, so that I may chug it by the gallon. OK, not really - but I don't envision there being a problem with finishing a 750ml by myself.

One thing that bugs me. The Bruery classifies this as a Flanders Red. However, The Dissident, by Deschutes, seems to me to be a close sister of Oude Tart - and they class it as a Flanders Oud Bruin. It seems to me that either the line between these two styles of beer is minimal or nonexistent, the brewers aren't following the same style guidelines, or alternatively, my palate blows goats. And I don't know which is the case. I need to find another bottle of Dissident so I can do a side-by-side comparison.

EDIT: Patrick BMed me with some helpful information that has resolved my question re: Flanders Red vs. Oud Bruin. Methinks there are a few reds that are currently misclassified.

Serving type: on-tap

01-22-2010 22:31:27 | More by davod23

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.6/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Apparently I ended up being the first person outside of of Cali to review this one. ig thanks to my trustee for getting to me quickly. I sit here and pour it into a 6oz snifter wearing my new bruery hoodie as its friggin 15 outside! Consumed on 01/26/2010.

The pour is nearly perfect and for the style it was hard for me to ask for anything more. Dark garnet in color with a nice head of white that reached a height of at least an inch before slowly, and effortlessly settling down into a thin veil that covered the entire top of the glass. Nice side glass lacing then creeps in, clogging it up and really showing off some nice depth. Aroma is funky, red wine, vinegar, hints of cherries and sour apples are all readily present and showing their true colors from the very first notes that hit the air. Warming almost brings out a slight sweetness to the tart cherries but it short lived as the barnyard funk returns for an encore.

I take the first sip and it is exactly what I would have imagined it taste like. Tart cherries, light touches of oak, hints of funk and a deep, vinegar flavor that seals it in perfectly. Incredibly complex and sour, it has been a long time since I have had a flanders this good. Warming brings that light touch of tart, almost spice to the cherries before getting smacked around and thrown to the wolves with the vinegar sour funk. Simply stunning.

Overall this was just what it was supposed to be. It is truly a breath of fresh air what the Bruery is doing. So far so good. everything has lived up to and exceed my expectations.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2010 01:33:48 | More by mikesgroove

Fweezle

Nevada

4.6/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Cheers to joerodii for hooking me up with two bottles. Always happy to drink my favorite style of beer.

A: Hazy brown with hints of red, perfect for a Flanders. Cream white head that stayed around for quite sometime.

S: Fresh cherries, oak, vanilla, fresh squeezed lemon juice, leather.

T: Tart, sour cherries, fresh vanilla bean, smooth oakiness, I tasted something akin to chocolate but not as pronounced, some sort of subtle roastiness. Touch of brown sugar

M: Smooth and velvety without being to cloying, little bit of pucker.

D: This is where this beer shines. I'd like to think I've had my fair share of Flanders Reds and this one take the cake with balance. Everything works so well together in this beer. Where La Folie is tongue twisting sour, or The Duchesse is a bit too sweet, this beer is just silly balanced. If you get a chance try this beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2010 13:02:09 | More by Fweezle

antioch

California

4.6/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a nice dark redish brown with a large off white fluffy head. Lots of little bubbles dancing up the glass

S: In order of aroma. Cherries, Oak and Funk. I would've really enjoyed a bit more if there was a bit more funk to this.

T: The taste is amazing. Cherry sweetness, beautiful tartness, slightly sour and a touch of oak. Very yummy.

M: Medium to light mouthfeel which fits very well for this beer during the summer. Carbonated very nicely. Quite refreshing on a warm summer day (or night out here in Southern California).

D: I could drink this all day long!

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2010 22:57:10 | More by antioch

DonDirkA

Arizona

4.6/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours deep brown with a ruby tint and a light brown head that dissipates quickly to nothing but a ring. Nose is sour grapes, tart cherries, grape juice, oak, slight burnt oak notes, dark fruits, plums, apple skins and maybe just a bit of leather. Taste is very tart with grape juice flavors up front that mingle with cherries, plums, a bit of oak, leather, green apples, apple skins and maybe just a hint of pear. The body is very light, the carbonation is sharp but not overpowering, its perfect for this style. This is an awesome sour. The Bruery is 2 for 2 in sours for me (the other being Tart of Darkness).

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2012 08:29:09 | More by DonDirkA

vfgccp

New York

4.6/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A - cranberry juice, hemaglobin, mahogany. Tan head sits low.

S - Granny Smith apples, apple cider vinegar, prune, cranberry cocktail, fig.

T - Lime juice, oak, sour apple warheads, candy sugar, strawberries, peach pits, dry tannins.

M - Unbelievably smooth, with a surprisingly lively carbonation and a razor sharp acidity. Medium frame.

O - A stellar American take on a Flanders Red; aggressively acidic and bracingly sour with an amazingly smooth body.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2012 04:26:08 | More by vfgccp

DoubleJ

California

4.58/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at The Bruery, on to the beer:

It's violet red in color. Not much of a head on this one, but not much was expected for this style. A whiff of the aroma and you know that those 18 months in barrels did this beer good. Tart and oakey at the same time, intense and dreamy.

In taste, it is light on the acid. More woody and oakey than anything, but still moderately tart. Some tart strawberry crawls out. A well balanced tart ale. The long lingering aftertaste of tart berries is extremly pleasant and very difficult to let go of. Like the other sours from The Bruery, it is very easy to drink.

Yum. That is all.

Serving type: on-tap

01-18-2010 03:01:03 | More by DoubleJ

WanderingFool

Massachusetts

4.58/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

Oude Tart pour a flat muddy brown with a tiny head. Only a few spots of lace on the glass.

The aroma is tart with Belgian spice and barrel notes. Cherries, oak, vanilla, and a little coriander.

Each sip of this medium to full bodied beer is soft and smooth with moderate carbonation. The flavor begins tart and acidic with cherry and peach tastes. Oak and vanilla is present along with a little cinnamon. It finishes tart with lingering fruity notes.

This is a full flavored very tasty beer. Lots of tartness with a nice oaky/vanilla barrel notes.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 22:50:32 | More by WanderingFool

yankeepride

New Jersey

4.58/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle shop manager near me, upon hearing that I was going to share this beer, told me "Don't. Drink it with your wife. You'll thank me later." Well, he was dead right. It pours even deeper than ruby, with a mahogany tint to it. Not as much of a tart smell as I've gotten in others, but the oaken notes come right out of the bottle and hit you from a few feet away. You also get the barrel in the taste, and it's not so sour that it curls your eye shut. It has a perfect balance of everything, and even has a bit of alcohol burn that I have never tasted in a sour. It has a clean finish, and doesn't linger past its welcome.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 03:52:57 | More by yankeepride

SShelly

California

4.55/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Thank you Patrick for the sneak peek at the bottled product, poured from an unlabeled bottle.

Pours a cloudy dark cherry read with a finger or two of wispy white head that sticks around for a half a minute or so.

Aroma is light tart cherries with a little bit of woody character to it, very pleasant aroma that lets you know there is some tart to it but not overpowering.

Flavor is VERY well balanced, excellent, light lactic tartness with dark fruit/malt balance, this is the best american flanders red i have had. very well put together beer, cant wait to get a few bottles!

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2010 00:49:48 | More by SShelly

younger35

Minnesota

4.55/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Received this brew from zestar and have been pretty eager to try this bad boy. I enjoy The Bruery's beers quite a bit and hopefully this doesn't disappoint. Drank from my Ithaca Excelsior tulip while watching the Superbowl. Go Colts!

Appearance- Pours a dark crimson brown with a super nice one finger fizzy off-white head. A fairly decent cap and collar is maintained the entire beer but unfortunately no lacing is able to cling to my glass.
Smell- Nice vinegar like tartness just bursts out of the glass. If I didn't know better I'd say it was aged on sour cherry's because it has a nice fruity aspect. Lots of tart green apples and white grapes as there is almost a wine like side to the nose as well. It's fairly earthy as well with some tobacco and toasted wood mixed in for good measure.
Taste- Oh that's all sorts of nice. It's lightly sour with a red wine vinegar aspect as well as plenty of earthy wood and leather. A nice fruity side of the beer is apparent right away with some of that cherry I got in the nose along with rhubarb and green apples. Definitely a bit of funk in the taste as there is a bit of leather and mushroom. The wood is lightly tannic and woody with hints of vanilla and caramel in the finish. The beer isn't boozy or too acidic either. It all works really nice together.
Mouthfeel- Medium to light body with a nice crisp bite of carbonation. I could use just a hair more body.
Drinkability- Pretty damned tasty stuff and EXACTLY what I was hoping it would be. The beer has a nice solid base and the perfect level of sour. Really tasty brew that I'm glad to have the opportunity to try. Thanks much Jeff!

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2010 23:47:03 | More by younger35

johndoe8

California

4.55/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Bottle @ the Bruery event @ KnB.

Didn't take any notes, but I do remember this being ridiculously drinkable for a sour. It was easily my favorite thing we had today.

I wish this was more available than it is... It was served in a pilsner glass which isn't the best glass for getting a good nose on it, but I do remember the very evident sour funk to it (not in a bad way).

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2010 05:54:30 | More by johndoe8

aerozeppl

New York

4.53/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured a nice deep rediish orange color. Quite vibrant for the style. A finger and a half of white head with a touch of lacing. Quite a bit of visible carbonation.

S: The nose was quite nice. A mix of oak cherries and a mild sourness. I did get a little bit of leather is the nose which is always interesting and appreciated. The lactic acid was present throughout but was never overwhelming which I think turns people off from this style.

T: The cherry taste really makes this beer for me. The oak and lactic sourness were there but were never overwhelming. Only got a touch of that big vinegar taste associated with the style. It is there but nice and mellow. A little bit funky and I got a bit of white pepper and some other spiciness as well. Really complex.

M: Medium body a little bit syrupy. They nailed the carbonation on this one. Well carbonation without being abrasive as some wilds can get.

D: A really boring and great beer. It had so much going on but it was drinking like a champ. I would recommend this beer to anyone looking to get into the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2010 01:44:50 | More by aerozeppl

Chizoad

California

4.53/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Deep brown with small hints of red around the edges. Head bubbles up like champagne or a soft drink, hangs on for a few minutes and then tumbles to just a ring with no lacing.

Sour, coffee, cherry, musty aromas that promise extreme happiness.

Amazingly balanced and fantastic sour beer. Cherries, coffee, leather, green apples, slightly funky, even some sweetness that lingers far after the drink is done.

Perfect carbonation and medium body keeps it from bogging down and becoming cloying. Ideal for this style.

Brilliant sour.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 03:26:15 | More by Chizoad

tastybeer

North Carolina

4.53/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Deep brown with a copper glow. Head is a nice tight 1/2 inch. Pretty, but time to stop looking and start sniffing....

S: A whole lot of smells here. Cinnamon, nutmeg, a hint of licorice, woody dusty aromas, bright (almost lemony) floral, and stinky barnyard hay... A nostril pleasure indeed.

T: Deeply sweet and very mouth wateringly tart. Cherries, white wine fruity, leafy woods, and much more. Nice implosive drying through and beyond the finish.

M: Smooth and soft with a sharp edge. Mmmm.

O: Excellent.

Serving type: on-tap

01-19-2013 20:17:16 | More by tastybeer

wedge

North Carolina

4.51/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

@ Tyler's Bottle Shop

Served a deep, auburn colored body with only a slim, bubbly covering on top. Tart, acidic fruity aroma...cherry, vinegar, brown sugar, dry floral notes, and a warm spiciness. Juicy, tart flavor: sour apple, berry, light wood, some wine, and not too much sweetness from the malt. Dry and lightly effervescent making for a super refreshing beverage. Very, very satisfying and delicious.

Serving type: on-tap

01-20-2013 00:14:38 | More by wedge

Overlord

California

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks to Brian and Tyler for giving me a chance to sample this. Apparently it's a brewery only bottle release slated for about a month away. Can't wait.

This is a beer style that's somewhat hit or miss for me. I've loved a few, and hated quite a few. The sweet/sour vibe is real tough to nail.

And nail it the Bruery has. Major props. Pours a brownish reddish ruddy hue, with an inch or two of an off-white head. Seems nice and bubbly.

Smell is slightly woodsy, with some interesting muted tart fruit notes, and a definite vinegar sourness. Smells pretty darned good.

Tastes pretty darned good, too. This beer furnishes the sweet and sour mixture of a Flanders Red/Oud Bruin better than any beer I've had before. Often times the sweet fruit component is sickly or medicinal, or the tart component is too thin or one-note. This has robust, tart cherry/vinous aspects to it along with a wood-sy ... oak??? .... background that blends really well with that tinge of sweetness. I liken it to a cross between a Rodenbach and La Folie wood aged, though it really is pretty unique in its own right.

I predict big things for it. Eminently drinkable, nice lively mouthfeel.

Serving type: on-tap

12-20-2009 07:56:11 | More by Overlord

pmccallum86

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep dark maroon, or maybe what could also be described as a dark copper color. Thin head with bigger bubbles that dissipated quickly.

Smell is tart, sour, acidic and vinegar. Smells damn tasty for the style.

Tart and sour, lots of acidic vingar, leather, oak, and horse blanket. Very tasty, dried fruits seem to come into play here as well. Plums, cherries and raisins.

Bitter, smooth and acidic. Very good.

Very nice beer, good drinkability, terrific example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2010 06:30:32 | More by pmccallum86

brentk56

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Arrives with a cloudy copper color and a nice head that leaves plenty of lacing behind

Smell: Wafts of tart cherry and green apples

Taste: Yeasty phenols, up front, followed by sweet and tart cherry/apple flavors; the tartness persists after the swallow, though there are some earthy and leathery elements underneath

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: Masterfully handled fruit character that is well balanced between the sweet and tart elements

Serving type: on-tap

04-17-2010 18:36:15 | More by brentk56

drabmuh

Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I had this beer twice in about a week. Both times out of a bottle, both times were amazing. Last night at the Bruery dinner at Brasserie Beck it was served in a wine glass.

Beer is brown and cloudy and forms a thin brownish head of small and tiny bubbles that leaves a little lacing on the glass. I don't know what the carbonation level is but it looks great.

Aroma is sour and sweet. Woodsy with a hint of funk. Its not as strong smelling say as a 50 year old Goudenband but it smells great.

Light in body and pretty carbonated on the mouth. Good palate cleansing beer overall. Forward mild sweetness and back a nice tartness. Moderate acetic character with a brightness to it. Some citric and lactic character as well. One of the best bruins out there.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2010 15:43:57 | More by drabmuh

Beerenauslese

California

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Cantillon pint-style glass. This bottle has been in my cellar a year.

The body is reddish brown, with a tan head that easily pours to a half inch. Head dissipates a bit, but retains an eighth inch cap of foam on the beer throughout, with just some small patches of lacing.

Smells of leather, tea, cherries, old wood. Nice complex nose.

First sip transports me to Belgium. First sip is dark cherries, tea and baked apples, then lots of flavors burst forward all over the palate with sweet, sour, and bitter going on. The cherry flavor intensifies into a superbly fresh tartness, that lingers on through the dry and spicy finish. There is some cinnamon spice, and some vanilla and old wood that gives this a nice smoothness and maybe its name. Just a bit of bitterness and tannin, maybe from cherry pits.

Body is on the lighter side, and the carbonation gives this a lovely creamy, mousse-like mouthfeel.

There is not much to fault in this beer. The Belgians sometimes complain that the Bruery is merely imitating their beers, but this sort of imitation is the highest form of flattery. Light in body, high in flavor, and with a nice ABV level, this is a superbly drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2011 01:54:06 | More by Beerenauslese

Arenbeer

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

1rst Release

750ml bottle into a Tulip glass

A- Pours a nice deep dark red with tons of carbonation streaming up making a nice 2 finger fluffy khaki head that sticks around. No retention whatsoever or any legs.

S- Sweet funk and barnyard up front with tons of dark cherries, green apples and vinous grapes. Also getting notes of leather, balsamic, and musty oak. Could live in this glass.

T- Up front the first thing you notice is the strong sour funk from the yeast. To follow some really nice flavors of vinegar, cherries, grapes, leather, and a slight bit of musty sweet oak to top it off.

M- Medium bodied with a good amount of bubbly carbonation and a strong sour dry finish that I love so much.

Overall this is hands down my favorite sour. So well balanced and so flavorful there's nothing bad I can say about this beer.

SkÅL!

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2011 00:14:03 | More by Arenbeer

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Wow, I haven't reviewed this after about a dozen bottles of it over the last two years? Pours a pretty red, sizeable head on it, bigger than most flanders thats for sure. Aroma, nice tartness, cherry, wood, heavy wood, mild leather and earthiness at the same time.

Taste, one of the most sour flanders style beers. Much better than the typical stalwarts I hear mentioned. Great sour and fruit qualities, oak and leather restrained, but existent without forming a search party. Light on its feet for packing so much flavor.

There's a reason why this has won multiple golds at the World Beer Cup. Despite not being from the Flanders region, it is the prototype for the style these days. Takes the traditional style, makes it more lively, puckering, all good things.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2012 21:51:05 | More by Beerandraiderfan

OBeerMeGreatOne

California

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours out a very dark murky red (almost plum) with a half inch of head, no lace.

You can smell this before the cap is completely off, sour cherry, grapes, oak, funk, sugar and earth. Amazing.

Super tart right off the bat. Sour cherry, pear and apple kick me right in the face. A slight sweetness balances it out well. Still an ass-whooping of sour. Nice medium to light body.

Love, love, love it. Need one for the cellar now!

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 01:42:32 | More by OBeerMeGreatOne

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a wine glass.

Appearance
Murky deep brown/red with a short head that quickly dissipates.

Nose
Sour cherry, red wine, vinegar and naked oak.

Taste
Tons of sour pie cherries and vinegar. Notes of red wine and musty basement. Some citric lemon and a hint of leather. Light notes of oak and sawdust.

Mouthfeel
Light-medium bodied and lightly carbonated. Moderate-heavy sourness.

Overall
A fantastic Flanders Red! I enjoyed every second of drinking this and had a frowny face when I ran out. :(

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2012 18:47:27 | More by justintcoons