Kasteel Rouge - Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V.

deadonhisfeet

Kentucky

3.65/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a Leffe goblet. The pour is murky reddish-brown with low carbonation and not much head. The nose is quite nice. Lots of cherries accented by sweet bready notes and a hint of cocoa.

The beer has medium body and firm feel. Nicely balanced on the front of the palate with sweet malt and tart cherries. At mid-palate, some alcohol flavors creep in, mixing with the acidity and giving the beer a wine-like quality on the finish. The sweetness still is present as well as slight chocolate-like notes and an oakiness.

Overall, a good fruit beer, but I prefer fruit beers where the fruit flavor is stronger and isn't competing with too many other flavors. I suppose I should appreciate complexity, but for some reason I don't when it comes to fruit beers. There's something about the exact mix of flavors here that just didn't quite work for me. I'll likely revisit this one again someday.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 12:56:52 | More by deadonhisfeet

drgonzo2k2

California

4/5  rDev +5.5%

05-19-2013 14:55:47 | More by drgonzo2k2

Photekut

Azerbaijan

4/5  rDev +5.5%

05-18-2013 22:47:56 | More by Photekut

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +5.5%

05-16-2013 23:11:46 | More by Slatetank

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3/5  rDev -20.8%

05-13-2013 22:55:45 | More by ThisWangsChung

Stugotzo

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%

05-10-2013 22:23:07 | More by Stugotzo

beernads

Florida

2.5/5  rDev -34%

05-08-2013 08:12:44 | More by beernads

Heavenisbeer

Georgia

3/5  rDev -20.8%

05-08-2013 03:39:37 | More by Heavenisbeer

dalepryor

Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

05-08-2013 03:12:58 | More by dalepryor

wer3w01f

Russian Federation

4.5/5  rDev +18.7%

05-06-2013 08:38:05 | More by wer3w01f

DruRho

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

05-04-2013 17:22:09 | More by DruRho

mportnoy

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +12.1%

04-30-2013 01:52:13 | More by mportnoy

Kerrie

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +18.7%

04-30-2013 00:48:08 | More by Kerrie

TheRicker

New York

4.25/5  rDev +12.1%

04-29-2013 00:58:44 | More by TheRicker

Jason1337

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -14.2%

04-25-2013 17:32:34 | More by Jason1337

mkennedy119

Illinois

4/5  rDev +5.5%

04-24-2013 02:14:43 | More by mkennedy119

klingenator

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

04-22-2013 23:12:44 | More by klingenator

Mervjahn

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +12.1%

04-20-2013 13:40:02 | More by Mervjahn

JerzDevl2000

New Jersey

3.66/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Picked up an 11.2 oz. bottle of this a few weeks back at Top Hops, having never seen or tried this before. My experience with fruit and vegetable beers in the past wasn't the greatest but the one grew on me a bit as I made my way through the contents of my pint glass. While this may be labelled by many as a "sissy" beer, there was enough alcohol in this to remind me otherwise and keep this from going down too fast!

The pour to this was a deep garnet with a hint of brown thrown in for good measure with a nice head that sounded and settled like sea foam after I emptied the bottle out. Not a strong aroma to this and once I gave it a taste, I knew why. The cherry really strong here and on a thinner level, reminded me of a bottle of maraschino that we had in house for ice cream, when I was growing up. There's a lambic-like tartness under all of this too with a hint of dark chocolate and crystalline sugar thrown in for good measure. Thankfully, the "cough medicine" aspect of this beer is not as strong as I first thought, but it's certainly present as the mouthfeel is heavy and the carbonation is light.

Yes, this was strong but it needed the booze to give it some oomph. While not as sour as a Lambic or light as most other beers that fell under this category, this certainly was a fruit beer that was almost good enough to stand up as a dessert unto itself. It fell just a bit short because the artificial aspect was too pronounced here but even with that being said, this can be enjoyed just on its own and would pair nicely with something like a cheesecake that could add some depth and sweetness to this slightly-mild brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 08:26:10 | More by JerzDevl2000

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer was great after having a good meal. Opened a bottle of this as a dessert. The pour was a reddish brown color with a good looking head on it. The smell of the cherries were pretty impressive mixed with a little funk and some yeast. The taste of the beer is sweet and has just a bit of tartness to it from the cherries. The mouthfeel is light and pretty refreshing, has a good amount of lively carbonation. Overall I feel that this beer is quite good. Worthy of checking out.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 18:59:06 | More by Knapp85

justinm4bama

Alabama

4/5  rDev +5.5%

04-18-2013 03:00:28 | More by justinm4bama

crobinso

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +12.1%

04-13-2013 01:20:07 | More by crobinso

GuzzLah

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

An 8% Cherry beer with dark malts. Smells a bit like cherry Sucrets, but not in a bad way.

The taste is dark malts and cherry with some sweetness and a little tartness. Definitely a sissy beer, but I think it tastes pretty good for what it is. Better than Sam Adams Cherry Wheat, but that isn't saying much.

My Grandma would love this.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 21:52:37 | More by GuzzLah

FlatRabbitRed

Arizona

3.23/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This is one of those beers that is hard for me to judge because it's just not a style I personally like.

Smells awesome as a cherry beverage, very strong with a slight undertone of extract alcohol.

Nice color dark red, very strong sweet zippy cherry burst, the feel of real cherries and that slight taste of extract mixed in. The taste overpowers any actual beer flavorings, no malt or hop character comes through.

This beer was a hit with my girlfriend that does not like beer, I gave it to her to finish.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2013 11:50:39 | More by FlatRabbitRed

JSchock7

Kansas

4.5/5  rDev +18.7%

04-09-2013 05:40:50 | More by JSchock7