Alexander - Brouwerij Rodenbach N.V.

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.93/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

huge thanks to dave for opening this with me a while back, review from notes

dark red in color with a light tan head that came up to a height of around two inches before settling back down and leaving tons of lace all over the sides and bottom of the glass while never really falling much below the one inch level. The aroma was lightly tart, sour cherries, hints of earthy and spicy notes and even a touch of what seemed like brown sugar or something along those lines. Really very well done and quite complex. The flavor was a little less tart then what I would have liked but I have to admit was still done very well.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2011 13:39:33 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

3.9/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a cloudy dark amber color with a small off-white head. Much sweeter than I had expected. Lots of caramel and maple syrup. Heavy on the cherries, a bit of Maraschino cherry note to them. Oak and oxidation are also well represented. A moderate tartness, both lactic and acetic, with an almost cherry candy (Lifesavers) flavor. Fairly substantial caramel and maple sweetness on the palate as well. Nice, especially considering the beer is 16 years old.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2012 20:22:06 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.95/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Have had this one several occasions now. Each time it seems to get even better. Top 10 all time beer for me. Most recently served in a Rodenbach goblet.

Pours a nice garnet color with an off white head. Nose is really, really nice with cherry, sherry, balsamic vinegar, and a bit of oaky earth. Taste is definite sour cherry, acetic acid, balsamic, oak, and some light fruitiness. Mouthfeel is quite creamy with good acidity. Drinks quite well. Never thought I would get to try this, and I'm very thrilled that I did.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2010 01:42:56 | More by Thorpe429

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.5/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A terriffic Belgian Red. Look creamy and rich of maroon with a thicker than usual head, also light red. Smells tart and modestly sour with cherry and raspberry sweetness and tartness. Tastes little in the way of malty, but the richness and creaminess comes through. Cherry, raspberry, blackberry, cranberry and currant fruits, tartness, and acidity. Never get to astringent levels. Red wine flavors and alcohol comes into the body and finish. Sweetness comes from the same fruits, only fully ripened. Slight spiciness comes through in light hopping and other added spices. Texture is creamy and rich, never thick or cloying. A good beer for a single. Still a bit sour for regular consuming

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2005 13:01:35 | More by BEERchitect

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bubbly head, and deep, dark cherry red color. Aroma is loud and sweet, projecting a fierce cherry flavor far and wide. Sour cherries! Tantalizing, lively. Not a kriek lambic, but merely a "sour ale" flavored with "cherry essence." And that's just the thing. It's simple and consistent. You get sour, you get cherry. I like it, and I can imagine it as an excellent dessert treat, but it's not the sort of thing you can imagine drinking very often.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2003 21:24:12 | More by feloniousmonk

drabmuh

Maryland

4.43/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks be unto Thorpe for this long time whale want of mine, finally slayed. Served in a snifter. Beer is amber and mostly clear with almost no head, no retention, low carbonation, no lacing.

Aroma is nice, mildly musky, mildly malty.

Beer is nice and musky with a good tartness on the finish, a great cherry experience and I would have loved to try this fresher but I assume that this beer has held up well over time. I'd have it again for sure.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2012 19:56:26 | More by drabmuh

MasterSki

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to ArthurPendragon for acquiring this under somewhat unusual circumstances. Served in a tumbler.

A - Pours with a thin wisp of foam that settles to a ring and haze. Only a few spots of lace are left behind. Transparent red-orange color.

S - More sweet and malt-forward than I expected after all these years. Somehow this still pops, with oaky vanilla, sour cherry, balsamic vinegar, and lactic sour notes. Very well balanced in all the flavor domains.

T - Taste is more tart, with sour and sweet flavors moving to the periphery. There's some tart apple in there as well. Wonderful integration, with no single element becoming overbearing or fatiguing. Some how there isn't any perceptible oxidation in this 12+-year old bottle.

M - Low carbonation, smooth medium body, and a lightly dry finish. Could have used a bit more spritz, but I won't be overly hard due to the age on this one.

D - Why did the stop making this? It's awesome. This would be a superb Belgian session sour if you could actually buy it.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2010 14:04:10 | More by MasterSki

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.53/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Sampled August 2005
Well thanks to some serious begging and pleading, I was given the opportunity to try this beer one more time. The beer pours a brilliantly clear ruby-cherry-red color with barely a wisp of a head. The sediment was so compacted in the bottle that I was able to pour the entire liquid contents out with nary a speck of sediment. The aroma smells strongly of enticing cherry with a mix of sweet cherry meat, tannic cherry skin, and a tart acetic note that melds so well with it all. My first impression, this has lost a lot of the sweetness up front, but quickly gains a rich meaty, malty cherry skin note to it. The finish is lightly tannic with a slightly puckering note to it that is a combination of wood and a tart-sour character.

This beer has held up far better than the Pre-Palm Rodenbach Grand Cru. The cherry, it seems, has acted as a preserving influence. This really grabs the palate towards the end, it is mouth coating and malty with a very nice interplay between rich malt and cherry notes. As it warms up a bit the acetic light vinegar note really starts to come forward. The cherry note almost gets bigger (though not in a cloying or expressive way) and sort of spreads itself throughout the beer. What an incredibly well balanced beer this has turned into. The finish is long and gripping with notes of tannic cherry skin, yet still satisfyingly fruity with lots of cherry meat and a bit of balsamic character. This is quite exquisite, I so would love to have more of this. I find it really hard to not give this beer a really high score, it was very enjoyable, and the sweet cloying cherry character has really dropped out, just the opportunity to try this beer is almost a perfect experience.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2005 16:11:21 | More by Gueuzedude

Gavage

New Jersey

4.72/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I felt it was time to open my last remaining bottle from the early 90's. It pours a reddish / copper color with a thick off white head. The aroma is extremely noticeable before the nose even approaches the glass. A unique sour cherry and mild maltiness sends the nose sensors into overdrive.

The flavor is tough to describe. A slightly tart and sour cherry flavor hits the tongue immediately, but fades to a soft malty finish. The beer seems to put a protective coating on the tongue that last for a few seconds.

The mouthfeel is tingling at the start but smooths out during the finish. The tartness / sourness lingers very softly. This was one of the best aged beers I have ever had. Truely an incredible beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2004 21:31:40 | More by Gavage

Jason

Massachusetts

4.85/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Presentation: 11.2 oz brown bottle with a white foiled top, no freshness date though a tart beer like this will stay for months if not years.

Appearance: Bright mahogany colour with a light tan lace to boot, sediment in the bottle stayed well packed even when the bottle was totally poured out.

Smell: Sweet aroma of bing and black cherries, big fruity tart back ground with an odd yet light tobacco smell.

Taste: Smooth on the palate with a huge puckering tartness, not sour bit tart because as soon as it comes in it leaves to let a flipside of flavours in. Tartness holds the fruit, the fruit of sweet then quickly to sour cherries that bring on the tartness. Hops are belittled and are nearly non-existent but this is par for the style. As soon as the tartness subsides a sweet vanilla flavour sneaks in with a quick flash of malt also within the undertones of earth and wood. Dry without a doubt, especially the finish and the finish is pretty clean.

Notes: This is the in comparison to what wine drinkers would want in a complex top notch wine, guess what it’s a beer. Complex is not the word for this beer, better than wine is bold and fitting.

After an eight day trip to Belgium this beer makes me feel all fuzzy and warm. Then I realize that I am in America and have to pay two to three times the $$$ for the same beer just to drink it at home and not in a warm and inviting cafe or beer bar in Brugge. :-(

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2001 00:35:29 | More by Jason

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.35/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer pours a beautiful deep scarlet red color. A slight tan head dwindles quickly and soon just rims the glass. A sour mash like smell is perceived on the nose. The tartness of this beer can be smelled. This beer has a very light body. Drinking this is almost like drinking a liquid version of the green apple taffy/candy. It's very unique and there are both sweet and sour characteristics. The sour properties seem to win in my mouth. Vinegar like presence is detected although balanced pretty effectively.

I definitely prefer the New Glarus Belgium Red over this brew. (I gave the Belgian Red from NG a 4.9.) I realize that they are a bit different beer styles, but as for the few beers I've tried with cherries in them, NG is outstanding and this one is pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2002 19:42:59 | More by Bighuge

HopHead84

California

4.2/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

8/12/2011

Thanks to Jason for opening this long time want.

A: Reddish brown with a fizzy white head. 

S: Lightly tart with notes of plum and grape. Moderate acetic acidity. Dash of chocolate. The grape is really strong and there's notable vinegar.

T: Lightly tart with a lower level of lactic sourness. Light citrus sweetness. Notes of apricot and vinegar with a low acetic acidity in the finish.

M: Lower medium body with upper moderate carbonation. 

Overall: This has held up quite well. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2011 17:27:41 | More by HopHead84

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

4.47/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Color is a ruby amber. Pours a decent amount of white head. Nice appearance for something so old.

Aroma: Oaky, cherries, caramel, toffee, vanilla. The smell is awesome. It is a bit sweet, but sour. I am already enjoying this one. The cherries are awesome in this beer. The vanilla sticks out a lot as well.

Taste: Sweet cherries. Not really tart or sour, but in a good way. The vanilla shows a lot with oak showing nicely. The spices round things out nicely. It has some caramel malt with a light layer of toffee. A great beer. Reminds me a bit of NG sours, but better.

Mouthfeel: Sweet and creamy. Medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends pretty clean.

Overall, this one is awesome. Very drinkable and very enjoyable. I wish I had more of this around. I am very happy I had a chance to try this one. A very nice offering from Rodenbach.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2010 23:56:10 | More by mothman

Dogbrick

Ohio

3.18/5  rDev -29.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Acquired a couple bottles of this from a trade. Pours a ruddy dark amber with a medium thin light tan head. Thin lacing. Aroma is just waiting to burst like a mob of Saturday morning shoppers waiting at the doors for a store to open during a big sale. Strong sherry, citrus, apple and grapes almost overwhelm. Unfortunately my first impression of the flavor reminded me of a cheap screw-top wine like Boone's. Sour and fruity with a light effervescent character. I am glad I got to try it as this is an interesting and complex beer, but honestly I don't think I would get it again if I had the chance.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2003 08:41:41 | More by Dogbrick

JohnGalt1

Idaho

4.4/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This was the 2nd beer we cracked at Ditmier's weekend tasting.... Wow!! Never thought I would get a chance to try this one... Big Props Eric!!

Very clear Orange/red.... not much of a head.

Aroma is incredibly complex mix of very balanced sweet and sour... cherries come out in full force with some mild acetic character.

Flavor mirrors the nose with again a near perfect balance.... tons of cherries dominate from front to the back where a vinegar note shows and dries out... oak shows on later pours.. I wrote "red apple", but honestly don't remember that much now... maybe something to do with the sweetness and growing tannins as it really opened up.

Not alot of carbonation, but it was there and helped lean the mouthfeel toward a smoothness with just hints of bubbles that get zinged by the acids.

I could drink this stuff by the liter... there was sooo much going on, but my notes failed to get much more... thanks again Eric... Very impressive beer and impressed that you would share such a sought after wonder.

3.5/4.5/4.5/4/4.5

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2010 07:23:07 | More by JohnGalt1

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.58/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Shared by Thorpe429. Thanks a lot Mike! A top want of mine.

The beer is chestnut brown with a touch of crimson, sporting a thin beige collar that leaves some random lacing on the tulip.

The aroma offers a healthy dose of cherries, cherry juice, a bit of oak. Definitely smells like a Rodenbach.

The flavor is a lovely mix of sweet and tart, with cherries shining through beautifully. Age has served this beer well. Mild on the palate and silky smooth. Like drinking fresh cherry juice. It's hard to believe the beer is as old as it is, as it tastes fresh and fruit forward.

Light in body with moderately lo carbonation.

Overall, a delicious treat. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to try this.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 20:43:53 | More by Huhzubendah

largadeer

California

4.13/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks for opening this long-time want, Jason. I don't recall the vintage of this one; was from the '90s I believe.

Appearance: Cloudy reddish brown with a tall head that settles to a collar after a moment.

Smell: Mild nose, malty and bready with a subtle cherry element. A little acetic sourness, but it's more on the malty side. A subtle aroma overall, but pleasant. This has held up surprisingly well, I'm surprised the acetic acid hasn't taken over.

Palate: A nice mix of cherries, toasted malt and mild balsamic vinegar. Grainy, nice fruitiness. Doesn't beat you over the head with cherries, it's nicely integrated. Finishes toasty, fruity, lightly sour. A really nice easy drinking Flanders red with a subtle fruit character.

It's difficult to accurately review a beer like this in the context of a tasting, because it's a rather subtle and mild beer. If not for the rarity, I could see myself putting back a few of these in an evening.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2011 17:47:16 | More by largadeer

TheLongBeachBum

California

4.68/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Presentation: A bottle that was “blindly” purchased at the Stuffed Sandwich, San Gabriel, California for $7.50 during the Stone Brewing Event on the 25th July 2003. It had the new gold edged style white label which the Alexander sported in its latter years of existence.

Appearance: Dark brown copper color that poured with a good inherent carbonation. Full of life. Off-white colored head that was large & rocky in places. Has good staying power. Tremendous levels of dissolved carbon dioxide add vitality to the beer when swirled.

Nose: The odors tell you this beer should be cherry red - such is the fruitiness that the cherry essence adds to this beer.

Taste: Gorgeous cherries drowned in sour red ale that complement each other like sweet and sour, dark & light, up & down. They are opposites, yet this synergistic beer is so much more than the sum of its component parts. Tartness spikes here & there, it comes & goes like the sweetness. A real mish-mash of extreme flavors that just works so well.

Mouthfeel: Above average feel, complicated by the battle between the sweet & sour aspects. Sweet, yet dry & tartly sour at times. A bit of a roller coaster at times. It improves no end with additional aging I find.

Drinkability: Every time I have a bottle of this wonder, I always tipped it upside-down, at least twice to make absolutely sure that I never leave any beer in the bottle. Suffice it to say, I find this Ale extremely drinkable & mourn its passing every time.

Overall: A totally unique blend of cherry essence & sour red ale that just simply works for me. Hard to describe & often loathed by some, hell even ridiculed by some so-called Belgium Beer Experts, but I enjoy it for what it is (was!) – a truly unique beer. The Alexander is the Rodenbach Grand Cru with just cherry essence added. Simply that, a Cherry 'flavored' Flemish Red Ale. It definitely worked well in its time, & many of my drinking friends from England dearly loved this beer, so often we would all order a round whenever we found it on our Easter Trips to Belgium. Alexander Rodenbach only ever represented a low single figure percentage of the Breweries overall production. Whether it was truly an inconvenience to produce, or simply never given the support it so dearly deserved and never properly marketed – whatever the reason; this marvelous one of a kind beer, is so dearly missed by this Belgium beer fan. I so wish I had stashed away a few bottles of this when I had the chance to do so.

Alexander Rodenbach - RIP.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2003 05:59:29 | More by TheLongBeachBum

ZAP

Minnesota

4.47/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

An excellent beer....cranberry red in color with no lace....nice tart cherry/sour apple nose....a real tartness on the buds, but it fades quickly into a subtle sweetness....the tartness is of cherries, sour apples, and cranberries...Very unique..lacks the sweetness of the New Glarus Belgian Red (which may not even be true to style)...I really like this...thirst quenching but a desert beer at the same time...

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2002 22:09:06 | More by ZAP

jrallen34

Illinois

4.7/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2 bottles consumed for our bachelor party whale tasting. My bottle was imported and Sean's was straight from Belgium. No year listed on either, but they were clearly different. I am reviewing my bottle as I favored it. Sean's bottle had a slightly better nose but my bottle was more balanced in taste...A dark brown with amber accents, semi clear. The head is light tan, light, looks oily, like an spoil on the surface of the beer...A strong aroma with a nice super strong cherry base, malty vinegar comes through but a little lighter than I was hoping. The cherries have held up great, strong, complex, full of depth...The taste is a great balance, a continuation of the sweet and flavorful cherries with a great vinegar tartness, almost 50/50 split. Take a Rodenbach Grand Cru, add cherries, age it and you have this wonderful beer.

A rare treat I would recommend anyone trying who can get ahold of. No clue why they stopped making this.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2010 01:59:25 | More by jrallen34

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.38/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle, 1 of 2 to be opened tonight (courtesy of Sean9689 & jrallen34). Big appreciation, for a long time I didn't think I'd actually get to try this, and all at once 2 bottles show up.

It pours a reddish copper, with minimal foam after a vigorous pour. Spotty bits of wet foam on the glass.

The aroma is obscene, sweet and vinegary at the same time. Cherries, maybe other dark fruit, and sweet liqueur.

Excellent taste also, not quite like any Flanders Red I've had before. I heard they last made this in 1998, so maybe the age is slightly responsible for the difference. Nice sweet notes up front with lasting cherry and sherry in the aftertaste. I had a small pour from 2 bottles but I could have easily gone for much more.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2010 23:00:06 | More by TurdFurgison

francisweizen

Australia

5/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Sampled at the Kulminator in Antwerp, BE. This was a 1995 (?) vintage, as this beer is no longer produced. The aromas are that of the familiar regular Rodenbach or Grand Cru, except that this version of good ole' Rodenbach is filled with cherry essence. The taste is like Rodenback with cherries added, and that's exactly what this beer is. The mouthfeel is perfect and the drinkability is excellent!

I recently had a 1997 vintage at the Beer Circus. Damn this shit is good. Rodenbach with a cherry explosion on top. Try some! Now!

Pre-palm vintage is almost opaque brown in colour. Small off-white head that leaves nice lacing. Aromas are more funky, and less cherry-ish, but excellent, none-the-less. The taste is very lactic, sour, acidic, and beautiful. Mouthfeel is sharp and vinous and drinkability is awesome. I'd guess that this is a 93 bottle...still extremely complex and imminenlty drinkable after a good long nap. To bad these run like $25 around here if you can find them these days!

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2003 20:09:21 | More by francisweizen

AgentZero

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Cheers to Sean and Jason for providing this at my Bachelor Weekend tasting.

A - Brown beer with some beautiful red notes. Small, off white head that receded quite quickly to a ring on the sides.

S - Big ripe cherry smell that is not overly sweet, and a distinct carmel sweetness that separates itself from the cherry smell. Little bit of vinegar if you look for it.

T - Carmel sugars, with a great cherry taste. It's a sweet beer, but it's not cherry sweet, which would make it seem artificial. A very candy-like taste that manages to not be cloying at all.

M - Smooth, a little syrupy, but I think it works well for this beer. Not a ton of carbonation, medium bodied, but feels very fleshed out.

D - This is a great sipper, I think some could down this quite easily, but the sweetness in it to me makes it one you should take time with. Very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2010 22:48:56 | More by AgentZero

oline73

Maryland

4.48/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I had this at de heren van liedekerke during our Europe trip. Poured from the bottle into an Alexander Rodenbach goblet. It made me laugh when I saw this bottle said best by 2000

Appearance: Pours a clear mahogany color with a half finger of fluffy off white carbonation that fades to a layer on top of the pour and leaves some lacing. Very good looking beer.

Smell: There is a slight tartness to this beer along with the sweet malt. I'm getting sour cherries.

Taste: This is a really smooth beer. There is a wonderful, natural cherry flavor throughout each sip. Sweet malt with a mild tartness. This beer is so smooth, still wonderful after all these years.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with very smooth carbonation and a finish that is just a bit dry.

Overall: This beer was wonderful. The cherry and the tartness were perfect together. Still holding up after all of this time, I would absolutely have another given the chance.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2012 02:02:47 | More by oline73

Floydster

California

4.78/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Huge thanks to Sam for giving me one of these, 1996 vintage, poured into my Chimay goblet, bottle says 6% ABV, color is cloudy deep orangish red, big one inch off white head that is rather foamy, had good retention that stayed around almost five minutes, nice lacing at times too, aroma is full of fruit, cherries, raspberries, faint sourness, plums, dates, sherry, sweet malt, oak, caramel, vanilla, and mild citrus, flavor profile was amazing with all the fruits packed into one punch, starts off rather sweet with malt and berries, middle is somewhat citrusy and tart, then the finish is both sweet and sour with a variety of fruits, cherry tastes were great, mouthfeel was slightly tart, sweet, and even dry at times, medium bodied, high level of carbonation even after twelve years in the bottle, taste lingers for quite some time, liked the fullness of its flavor, could drink numerous bottles of this, not filling at all, alcohol is hidden well and is low to begin with, great drinkability, this beer had to have improved with age or it was perfect before, everything a Flanders should be, the maturation in oak casks did wonders on the fruity flavors, hope I will get to drink this again but not many bottles seem to be around anymore, highly recommended

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2008 18:15:55 | More by Floydster