Oude Tart - The Bruery

flagmantho

Washington

4.15/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 750mL bottle into a tulip. This was my wife's Christmas present to me ... really looking forward to this one.

Appearance: rich, deep amber-brown hue with a relatively haze-free body and a strong effervescence. Head is a finger of frothy tan foam. Quite nice.

Smell: sweet malt with a rich caramel character and a bright yet not overpowering tartness. Under this is a woody, vanilla-ey aroma which really fills out the whole thing. Complex and enjoyable.

Taste: caramel malt, vanilla wood and lactic tartness all hit me at once. The light fruitiness works well here. Overall quite good, but the rich complexity of the aroma isn't quite here; tartness takes over and the flavor is a bit imbalanced. Good, but perhaps not great.

Mouthfeel: light body with a light carbonation. There's some nice activity here, but it is neither creamy nor brightly effervescent. Not bad, but could be a lot better.

Overall: this beer could be better in some areas, but overall I am enjoying it a whole helluva lot. I'd love to have it again.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 21:17:10 | More by flagmantho

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First had: on tap at Coffee District, Delray Beach, FL

I'm not one to hump Bruery beers; many of the ones I've had have been lousy. But this one was not too bad. I'm glad I got to try it on tap so I can save my bottle for another time.

Hazy reddish-brown pour into a goblet, capped off with a good inch of foamy eggshell head that retained and laced well. Cherry and apple in the nose, notes of caramel and vanilla, lesser hints of leather and citric and acetic acid. Decent balance of sweet and tart in the taste, cherry, apple, lemon, plum, a good malty base keeping everything in check, some leathery tannins, and some woody dryness. A little bit of souring vinegar, but nothing too puckering. Medium body, moderate carbonation. Overall pretty nice, and from the Bruery, one of the few that hasn't let me down.

Serving type: on-tap

12-31-2012 21:58:52 | More by Rifugium

kojevergas

California

3.48/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

1 pint 9.4 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into an EKU 28 stem-snifter in me gaff in high altitude Castle Rock, Colorado. Reviewed live. Expectations are quite high. 7.5% ABV confirmed.

Served straight from the fridge. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a half finger head of khaki colour, decent cream and thickness, and terrible (<10 second) retention. Colour is a dark caramel. We'll call it mahogany if we're down with pretension. Yeast particles are plainly visible in spite of the beer's lack of transparency. Non-opaque. Appealing, but not typical of the style. Understated but inviting.

Sm: Sour tart fruit; certainly cherries and other bright fruits. Surprisingly clean. Very pleasant and enjoyable. I can't wait to try it. Hints of underlying caramalt. Lacks the depth of many sours, but it is quite appealing. A bit of subtle barnyard funk, but not enough to disturb the dominant sour tartness. An average strength aroma.

T: Lacto-bomb. Tart but not in the fruity sense. Some nice sweet bright fruits, but they don't contribute tartness in and of themselves. Lactose is dominant, to its detriment. Where's the wild yeast/spontaneity? Underlying oak hardly contributes anything. I'm kind of let down, to be honest. Doesn't bring the sourness like I hoped. Balanced but tame. Feels clinically brewed; lacks the wild nature of good Belgian sours. Disappointing, but decently built. No alcohol comes through, but there's plenty of lacto yeast. Not particularly pucker-worthy.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Good carbonation and thickness. Pretty good palate presence.

Dr: Hides its ABV quite well. I like it, but it's $22.00 price tag is rather steep for its relatively disappointing quality. I'd try it aged, but as it is it just isn't the right build for a good beer in the style. None of the sourness or tartness is fruit induced; it's all yeast. A good offering, but highly priced and not satisfactory given my expectations. I'd buy Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge over this.

High B-

As it warms, its simplicity emerges.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 04:11:29 | More by kojevergas

blakelive784

Colorado

3.33/5  rDev -22%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

1 pt 9.4 fl oz brown glass bottle served in a tulip, reviewed live:

A - Pours a deep, non transparent mahogany color with a thin half finger off white head. Retention is terrible though it's got lively carbonation and visible yeast.

S - Tart pie cherries, hints of oak, lacto, sour funk, light spice, caramel and biscuity yeast. Moderate strength. Incredibly inviting.

T - Toasted malt and light oak open to an overwhelming lacto sourness. Missing the fruit component I found on the nose. Well balanced, though. Suffers from simplicity.

M - Prickly and wet. Medium bodied.

D - It's alright as far as sours go, though I wouldn't seek it out again (nor pay the high price). There are much better examples of the style. Entirely too simple.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 04:08:18 | More by blakelive784

BPRichar

1.15/5  rDev -73.1%
look: 3 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

Upon pouring the beer, it looks like you might expect from the description. It has a dark amber color, without much carbonation, which leads you to an initial thought of, "this might be an OK beer."

Then you smell it. It smells a little old and stale, like a leftover solo cup from the night before. It has hints of sulfur (closest smell I could think of would be a sewage plant), and astringency (like a really tart green apple). Now I'm thinking, this had better at least taste OK.

The taste is not good. It has a very sharp bite up front and finishes very flat. It reminds me of cranberries and crab apples. There were four of us tasting it, and none of us could even finish 3 or 4 oz. WE POURED IT OUT!

If this had been a $5 bottle I wouldn't have minded so much, but this is a $20 bottle of beer! Do not waste your money! It is definitely not worth it.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 23:12:36 | More by BPRichar

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4.48/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Very nice example of the style- beautifully tart with just enough sweetness to give it balance, and a lush fruitiness framed beautifully by the sourness. A very pretty pour, dark brown with a slight plum cast and just a little head, though the carbonation is fine. Tart nose of delicate cherry, red currant, damp earth, and leather. The taste is quite tart, with a bit of slightly spicy sweetness, particularly on the finish. More notes of bright fruit, with tastes of blackberries, raspberries, cherries, and currants. A touch of brown sugar and leather rounds it out. Very smooth and quite a great sipper. Well done!

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 20:32:56 | More by Georgiabeer

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle from Rutager, 750ml into a tulip.

Deep opaque mahogany, with a light brown head. Acetic nose, some oak barrel, a whole load of cherry and other berries and a gentle sweetness. Taste is lightly acetic, tart berries and cherries again, some oak and more barrel sweetness. Medium high carbonation, lighter feel. A very nice Flemish red, epitomizes simplicity and subtlety. Quite enjoyed this.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2012 17:05:50 | More by liamt07

LifeTree

Florida

4.3/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

From bottle poured into Saint Somewhere wine glass. Not as much carbonation as I was expecting. Head quickly dissipates. Very dark red with some clarity to it. Pretty beer

Smell is very acidic cherry tart with touch of dark malt

Taste just like how it smells. Sourness of this ale is pretty aggressive without being over the top.You can pick out the malt profile behind the sourness.

Mouthfeel is unique and good. Feels silky and the beer finishes really dry. The one problem I have with this beer is the carbonation. I think some more bubbles in this beer would open it up more.

Overall I really enjoyed this beer. Some more carbonation would make it better. One of the better sours I have had lately.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 18:25:25 | More by LifeTree

fdig23

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2012 bottle.

Appearance: Deep maroon brown with a small off-white head

Nose: Very sour right off the bat. Bitter lemon, cherries, and a hint of oak are present, but the nose-tingling sourness is overwhelming.

Taste: Like biting into a under-ripe lemon that's been doused in vinegar. The sourest of all the beers tasted in a recent wine-barrel aged beer tasting. The oak is very subtle and definitely masked by the tartness and fruity lemon and cherry notes. Some sour candy flavors develop as it warms.

Mouthfeel: Tart, dry, and tannic.

Overall: A really tasty and full-flavored beer, but definitely not a complex one. Maybe if the tartness was dialed down a bit more interesting characteristics would come through.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 20:13:56 | More by fdig23

rlee1390

Indiana

4.33/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Deep brown with a one finger head

S-Oak, funk, dark fruits, caramel, candied sugar. Good balance.

T-Nice and sour. Oak, funk, dark fruits and candied sugar like the nose. Balances well together.

M-Medium bodied, not much carbonation.

O-A great sour, the balance was spot on, a great beer that was worth the price tag.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 19:12:06 | More by rlee1390

beerthulhu

New Jersey

4.13/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: A brickish-orange exit from the bottle yeilds deep brown results in the vessel with hints of ruby highlights around the edges upon backlighting. The khaki colored head is bubbly and soapy, slight and shows little restraint before succumbing to a polished, reflective surface.

S: On the nose were hints of oaky barnyard flair, leathery caramel, with the faintest support of whiskey and dark fruit of plums.

T: The flavor was sour lemon and dark fruit with oaky compliments. Smooth start, the sourness does increase on the swallow like a mule kick but still remains very even toned and polished, Lemon juice like puckering finish, some oaky whiskey hints and sour berries.

M: light and syrupy, light to medium body with a small presence of micro-bubbly carbonation that dances on the tongue. acidic.

O: Overall mouth puckering, eye squinting sourness. Hard to rate a flanders ale due to its lack of range. Ive only managed to have a few thus far but this is very clean and polished in execution. I may not be the biggest fan, but am respectful of its intentions and this is very good at that.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 00:16:11 | More by beerthulhu

YogiBeer

Illinois

1.5/5  rDev -64.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

Appearance: Amber color, looks like hundreds of other beers.

Smell: Vinegar. I'm a chef, I don't smoke, I drink tons of different fantastic beers make and eat lots and lots of great food... and drink lots of sour beers. This beer smells astringent, vinegary, and... wrong.

Taste: 5 of us drank this together out of different glasses, passing them around. None of us made it past five sips, we all poured it down the toilet. more than half the bottle is left. The worst. If you pay $20 dollars for this, you WILL be mad... unless you're delusional.

Overall: Please, PLEASE don't buy this beer. I'm not trolling in any way.

Also, I really like sour beers.

How can I be constructive if a product makes me this sad?

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 01:39:16 | More by YogiBeer

spoony

Colorado

4.48/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

From a 750 ml (bottled 6/2012) into a tulip.

A-Dark, cola brown in color with a short-lived, light tan head. The foam was maybe a half-finger at first, but quickly dissipated.

S-You know from the smell that this thing is gonna be sour. I picked up some cherry, some vinegar, and a sweet malty component that balanced out the pucker. Also a little bit of oaky funk.

T-This brew was quite sour in taste as you would expect from the smell. Flavor-wise, I got sour cherry, some sour apple, and vinegar. All the flavors were quite concentrated and supported by a sweet malty baseline. What surprised me was how clean the flavors were....nicely integrated with one another.

M-Medium body (maybe a touch light for the style) with a nice hit of prickly carbonation that counter-acted the sour flavors. Drying finish.

O-This may beat out La Folie as my favorite New World oud bruin/Flanders red. The flavors were intense (this thing was SOUR) but so cleanly meshed with one another. This is not a funky, earthy, barnyard lambic, but a nice drinking sour brew with great balance between sweet and sour, and a drinkable feel that would work well with dinner or (as I had it) with a soft cheese and crackers.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 06:00:10 | More by spoony

mactrail

California

3.03/5  rDev -29%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A cloudy amber brown with some pink highlights. Nice enough foam and plenty of lacing in the wine glass. Modest foam but sudsy on the tongue. Really tart.

Vinegar aroma with a touch of fruit in the nose. The first sip has an appealing hint of sour cherries. Scratchy bitterness fills the rest of the taste. Authentic apparently to the style. Pleasant tangy and spritzy mouthfeel. You could say this is actually close to drinkable.

On tap at Bottleworks in San Diego.

Serving type: on-tap

12-06-2012 06:58:17 | More by mactrail

GJ40

North Carolina

4/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Purchased at Apex Beer Dispensary. Sampled from a 750ml bottle in a chalice.

Brown with enough light that it appears to be clear. Very little head. A nice rise of bubbles that dies out early. Aroma is sour with lemon and cherries. A strong oak and vinous character in general. Taste is very tart and sour with a nice lingering effect. It's dryer than sweet with a firm oaky, woody impression. I started at 50 degrees but it still got better as it warmed. Carbonation is pretty low after the initial sips.

This is a tasty sour but at $20+, I'd rather go with something from Rodenbach.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 10:36:09 | More by GJ40

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

2.98/5  rDev -30.2%
look: 2 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

750ml bottle into a wide flute, 2012 vintage

A: Pours a muddy brown with not quite a finger of head that quickly recedes to a ring. Certainly not the prettiest beer I've ever seen.

S: Intense and complex. The beer starts out with sour cherries up front balanced by caramel and bourbon. I get lots of dark fruit - plum and raisin as well as leather.

T: Lactic and acetic acid are followed quickly by plum, leather, and tobacco. Sour cherries are there, but not nearly as strong as in the aroma. The acetic nature of this beer is a bit strong for me. I get some spicy oak in the finish as well.

M: A bit thin and undercarbonated.

O: This beer smells amazing - so complex. The flavor does not quite live up to the aroma, though. I remember this tasting better in past years, too.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 22:19:23 | More by coreyfmcdonald

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

4.7/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

750 ml bottle poured into a Bruery tulip.
7.5% ABV,

A - Deep ruby highlights show through the rich mahogany beer only when held to light. It's loose warn tusk-colored head has quite a bit of retention considering the acidity that comes from the nose but no real lacing is left behind.

S - Not barnyard-like, but barn like, this woody, rustic aroma has a certain rugged manly earthiness to it while remaining smooth. Sour acidity, damp wood, and toasted amber malt blend with distressed leather jacket for an enticing nose lined with mildly sweet dark candi sugar.

T - While just as complex as the aroma, this beer seems to taste considerably less so, focusing solely on tart acidity. Planks of moisture-starved oak and dried dark fruit enter through undertones of Belgian candi sugar and toast.

M - Despite effervescent, dancing carbonation, this beer's medium body has a smooth feel and light chewiness that finishes out intensely bone dry and considerably more sour than Belgium's red ales. If you want you're eyes to twich, give this a good swish in the mouth.

O - The Bruery Oude Tart is like a Flanders on steroids but they manage to ramp the beer up while hitting the nail right on the head. Completely reminiscent of Monk's Cafe, Rodenbock, etc., this powerhouse of a tart beer is quite an experience to behold.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 00:08:03 | More by BeerFMAndy

brystmar

Texas

3.28/5  rDev -23.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

On tap at Blind Tiger for VSK.

Fruity notes seem to jump out at random points, leading to an incoherent flavor profile. Slightly medicinal with an unrefined overall structure.

I've given Oude Tart a number of chances from various bottled batches, and having it on tap again at Blind Tiger the other day confirms: I'm not a fan of this beer.

This is a very tough style to nail -- even moreso than fruit lambics IMO. Oude Tart is a great example of a brewery with a well-regarded sour program struggling with the Oude Bruin style.

Serving type: on-tap

11-30-2012 16:09:37 | More by brystmar

ColForbinBC

New Jersey

4.2/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750mL bomber poured into a snifter

The body sits a russet brown with some ruby/purplish hues. Some bubbles pop up to form a thin layer, but quickly fade away. No lacing whatsoever.

Tart cherries greet the nose on first whiff. Oak tannins, granny smith apples, prunes, tobacco, and leather notes round out the nose.

A rush of tart fruit, tart cherries, granny smith apples, and cranberries, up front before oak, tobacco, vinegar, and prunes take over mid palate. The finish is of tart fruit and dry oak tannins.

Medium body with low carbonation. Extremely dry finish with loads of tartness.

A very enjoyable flanders that delivers a wealth of complexity and loads of tartness. This guy works on all levels. Enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2012 02:43:00 | More by ColForbinBC

cfrances33

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle poured into a HF stem.

Pour: Muddy maroon body with a finger of burnt white head. Recedes to a rim and leaves barely any lacing.

Smell: Tart cherries up front, followed by some pears. Some caramel malts come in next. Thats about it.

Taste: Incredibly sour cherries up front, followed by some tart pear and green apples. A pretty hefty caramel backbone supports, and goes along with a distinct vinegar acidity.

Mouthfeel: Holy sour! Hands down the most sour beer I've had yet, and too much so. Puckering. A sipper for this reason.

Overall: A nice flanders, but this is a bit too 'in your face' for me.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2012 00:17:17 | More by cfrances33

madtrixter787

Virginia

4.33/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Picked up the last three bottles at a store in downtown f-burg. Poured into my DFH tulip. Wonderful dark ruby/brown in color with very little head, but decent lacing remains around the edge. Nose is nice and fruity with some dark notes and funk at the end. Taste is wonderful, hints of cherry sweetness that give way to delicious sour/funk with the oak gently permeating the whole process. Very well done, glad I have two more bottles for the cellar. I love the bruery, but maybe time for a few 375ml releases? 750 is a lot to drink (and purchase) for one man! But all in all, excellent beer for the style.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2012 03:07:17 | More by madtrixter787

ThePorterSorter

New York

4.05/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks ward for this lovely provision
The beer pours like syrupy black cherries with thin tan head that fades before your eyes and has absolutely no retention. The nose is tart and sweet, reminiscent of cherries, with additional notes of oak and a slight acetone. The taste is reserved with subtle hints of wood, cherries, and an almost negligible vinegar. The mouthfeel is sweet and then tart, finishing exceedingly dry. It's very drinkable and refreshing with my duck, venison, and veggie medley...yeah that's how I roll the day after thanksgiving. Definitely worth trying, but considering the price and availability (none), it's probably not a repeat..

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 01:24:46 | More by ThePorterSorter

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a Duvel tulip

A- pours a very dark reddish/brown with a three finger tan head that quickly wisps away to a thin lever. Darker than I thought actually, but not a big deal

S- tons of cherries come through in the nose...almost sickly sweet, and they smell delicious

T- tartness is very light, but still there. Lots of black cherry comes through, with a low level of acidity as well

M- body is actually very, very thin...real disappointing IMO

O- when you buy a bottle of beer for $22, you expect it to be out of this world, especially when it's one you've heard about for so long. This was a disappointment, but still good. Just not worth that price tag

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 00:01:38 | More by bigfnjoe

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -18%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured a reddish/brown color ale with a medium size foamy head with average retention and some minimal lacing. Aroma of tart notes with some light cherries and some wood with light vinous feels. Taste is a good mix between some tart cherries notes with clear oak notes and some wood with limited acidity level. Funky notes are clearly distinguishable. Body is about average with medium carbonation. Not bad but still quite a way behind other Flanders Red such as Rodenbach.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2012 20:00:26 | More by Phyl21ca

lordofstarside

Nevada

4.43/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle of the '12 batch to a snifter

Pours a deep dark red with a finger of foam which receded quickly. Good lacing, no real visible carbonation.

Smells of sour cherry, tart apple and grape. Caramal malts, and hints of oak, leather, citrus, and some apricot. Alcohol well present but well concealed

Taste of tart cherry, apple, grape, and vinegar. Follows the nose pretty well here. Citrus, leather, and oak shine through with a modest malt

Feel is a bit light with moderate carbonation. Some sweet followed by a blast of face twisting sour. Balanced much more towards the sour, but no complaints here

Overall a very well done beer, went great with thanksgiving. If I can save up another extra $20 before they sell out I'll be sure to add one to my cellar

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2012 06:21:23 | More by lordofstarside