Rodenbach Grand Cru - Brouwerij Rodenbach N.V.

DrJay

Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Clear, deep orange/amber colour topped by a full tan head that quickly receeded to a thin lace. Good stickage and retention.

Smell: Very prominent aroma of sour cherries was released as soon as the bottle cap was removed. Vinous grape and roasted (almost smoky) aromas appear when the beer is agitated. Hints of biscuity malts are also hiding in there along with a bit of alcohol and oak. This beer has one of the most interesting aroma profiles of those that I've tried.

Taste: Acidic tartness is present (and dominant) from beginning to end. Much of this is due to green apple, grape, and subdued sour cherry flavours. Sweetness shows up mid-sip, but disappears just as fast. The finish is long, dry, and tart.

Mouthfeel: Medium/light body and moderate carbonation. Texture is dry, but not grainy. Quite refreshing.

Drinkability: This beer has one of the most interesting aroma profiles of any beer I've tried, which makes it very enjoyable. The finish keeps the palate quite clean and the complexity keeps things interesting. This is a very enjoyable beer.

330mL brown bottle with best before date clearly printed on rear label.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2005 20:02:24 | More by DrJay

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.7/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This 11.2 Fluid Ounce bottle lost its labeling at some point and it was only the cap that allowed me to identify it. My cellar has been out of control for some time and this summer seems like the perfect opportunity to clear it out.

I used a very gentle pour so as not to stir up any lees that may have been in the bottom of the bottle, resulting in just a little bit of light-tan head that quickly fell to wisps. Color was a gorgeous mahogany with NE-quality clarity. Nose was both wood-like (oak?) and vinegar, causing my mouth to pucker. Mouthfeel was medium and my initial reaction was TART! on the tongue. Once I recovered, I tasted what reminded me of my uncle's sour cherry wine, along with the vinegar/wood combination I had noted on the nose. Each successive sip became more palatable and as it warmed, I really got the oakiness more prevalently. Finish was tart and dry, perfect for this sweltering afternoon in my A/C-less house. I am celebrating just having hung a mesh curtain across the back doorway that is allowing a nice breeze to blow through without giving access to flies and other pests. One Beer Pest in the house is enough!

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2011 21:57:51 | More by woodychandler

HopHead84

California

4.33/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Consumed on 9/16/2009 at the Taproom in a Chimay glass. The beer appears dark crimson with a huge light brown frothy head. Great retention.

The nose is of sour cherries, raspberries, ripe red grapes, and other dark fruits that I'm not at liberty to mention. There's a touch of sweetness in there, as well as oak and some vanilla. Vinegar is evident, as well as tannins.

Holy hell, this is tannic. It's tart, with a lot of vinegar. I can't get over how tannic this is. The dark fruit component in the nose is also in the flavor: grapes, sour cherries, and raspberries. A little sweetness sneaks in midpalate. The dry finish is fruity and tannic with moderate tartness.

Though I've heard much about it, this is the first time I've tried this beer. It's excellent and very unique.

Serving type: on-tap

09-17-2009 02:45:20 | More by HopHead84

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at La Trappe, in San Francisco.

The creation of Rodenbach Grand Cru involved a process of blending young beer with older beer that spent upwards of two (or more) years inside a great big wooden vat, the result of which is reflected in its appearance: a brilliant reddish hue coalesced into a darkish, slumbering complexion. You can see why they call these beers the 'Burgundy of Belgium'.

By the way, those giant oak vats contain a bunch of distinct bacterias (and often yeasts) that impart a tremendously distinct sourness to the beer, something you could definitely call "terroir". The beer develops a complex fruitiness somewhat like a deep red wine, except is far more acidic, with musty malts and a balsamic vinegar-like overtone.

Sometimes tasting notes can be a little misleading - the presence of 'banana' flavour in a wheat beer may be illusive to those lacking the palate or familiarity to find it. But when it comes to Flanders Red Ales, the comparison to (perhaps fruit infused, namely cherry) balsamic vinegar is very real. Even their production processes are almost identical.

This taste certainly mimics that of an authentic artisan Italian balsamic vinegar, with notes of oak wood eclipsing a good portion of the vinegar-y acidity. Crowning the finish is a brief but intense flavour, simply more strong than sweet, of cherry brandy. It has stiff competition with the mildewed oak flavours and dark balsamic, but tart fruit definitely weighs in.

Rodenbach Grand Cru may no longer be the most sour, complex or even most elegant ale on the market, but let's not forget it is precisely because of Rodenbach that we even have these other beers around in the first place. This is still a beer of great beauty and sophistication and, above all, one that is bound to open up some doors for any individual first trying it.

Serving type: on-tap

07-17-2011 16:39:27 | More by biegaman

kojevergas

California

3.43/5  rDev -20%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle served in a Rodenbach Grand Cru goblet in a bar in Ghent, Belgium. Reviewed from notes.

A: 2.5 finger head of nice cream and thickness. Black colour. Good retention.

Sm: Dark fruit, hops, a bit of caramel. Complex, and featuring some wonderful esters that me broken nose can't quite identify.

T: Dark fruit body with a sourish finish. Very hoppy, particularly in terms of esters. Fairly simple for the style. The souring notes are nicely balanced against the fruit body, but still strange in the beer, even considering the style.

Mf: Relatively coarse and wet. Matches the style but not the beer per se.

Dr: Too sour to drink repeatedly, but overall a good beer, and an affordable one in Belgium.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2011 04:04:33 | More by kojevergas

Brad007

Vermont

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

Pours a mild ruby/brown ale with a one-finger head. Aroma is a decent sourness upfront that is reminiscent of cherries. Very tart, much more than Rodenbach Classic. Taste is very tart and nice with the mouthfeel taking on the essence of cherries. Not too sour at the back of the throat. A second sip brings about that wonderful tartness that I'm starting to develop an affinity for. Excellent! Drinkable as well.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2007 03:46:17 | More by Brad007

stakem

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750ml bottle split with friends. I decided to do a side by side tasting and open this along with the clasdic red and also the caractere rogue to analyze the differences in each. Poured into a cervoise, the brew appears a murky brown with a yellowish clarity around the edges and ruby through the body. A figner of tan head appears across the top and fades leaving spotty lace.

The smell is tangy with alcohol. Much more bright and less sweet smelling than the normal red rodenbach offering. It displays fruity esters, oak and vinegar in a more bright way. The barrel character impats some mild burnt sugar quality like caramel and toffee that does a good job contrasting the alcohol an tangy aspects of the nose. As it warms up, some vanilla comes through with lots of fruity tones.

The taste is fruity almost like raisins. Lotd of tart cherry and mild apple cidar vinegar. Some barrel presence like caramel/vanilla contrasts the mildly acidic nature. A touch of oxidation in the aftertaste has a bit of focus shifting towards the woody and almost cardboard quality mingled with earthy components.

This is a medium bodied brew with a modest amount of carbonation. There is a light effervescence and it is overall very easy drinking with low alcohol impact. I really enjoy how well blended and flavorful this beer is without being face crushing/puckering sour. It has just a bit more tartness and is overall more dry than the base. Nicely done and even more enjoyable than the rodenbach red.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 13:05:03 | More by stakem

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4.33/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a cloudy dark reddish brown. Moderate head.

Very acetic smell with a touch of sweetness at the end. The whole is supported by earthy, yeasty undernotes.

The taste is like no other- spicy, sour and sweet. Starts with a slight candy sugar sweetness, then stingingly sour, and then a cinnamon spiciness and more sweetness at the very end. A really complex beer that may be an acquired taste, but once you've acquired it, nothing refreshes quite the same. The only down note is that the current incarnation doesn't seem quite as complex or integrated as the earlier incarnation. Still very good, though.

Mouthfeel is quite carbonated and crisp.

Very drinkable, extremely refreshing and different.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2006 18:11:48 | More by Georgiabeer

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to kbutler1 for cracking this one.

Poured into great lakes snifter.

Pours 1/4 finger of fizzy white/light brown head. Light lace left. Color is a dark brown hued ruby red.

Aroma: Grape candy sticks out the most. Some cherry flavors with oak. Slightly sour. Lots of grape flavors.

Taste: Cherries and sweet grapes. Candy like grape flavors. Oak, flavors, but very sweet. Sugar flavors. It has some sugar flavors. Also has some funk to it.

Mouthfeel: Sour, but sweet. Medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends fairly clean, but leaves the mouth watering a bit.

Overall, a very sweet tasting sour. Decent drinkability but too sweet for me and I just can't stress this enough. I enjoyed it, but one glass was enough for me.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2010 04:44:26 | More by mothman

Dogbrick

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark reddish-amber color with a medium thick eggshell white head that lasts fairly long. Thick sheets of lacing. Aroma of sour cherry and grape, with a touch of sweet malt too. Medium-bodied and super tart and vinous and first, but smoother as it warms. Sour fruit is the name of the game here, with cherry and apple being dominant. Some light spices and malts are there as well. The finish is dry and fruity. Admittedly I usually struggle with this style but this is a complex and well-crafted beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2006 21:33:40 | More by Dogbrick

tavernjef

Minnesota

4.05/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Beautifully bold and shiny dark brown color with a fine, bright ruby glow within and around the edges when strongly back lit. Much like if it were an interchangeable stage light. Starchy topping of parchment paper colored foam builds up gracefully after the pour to about a finger high and slowly fades to a light skim and a few light specks and strings of lacing.

Aroma is sweet and mostly sour with vineous grapes and cherry vinegar and a whole lot of earthly woodish notes that are very high ended and nose hair pullingly sour.

Taste is a towering inferno of souring stuff that is quite complex and uniquely snappy on the palate. Instant tongue cleansing and cheek parching with super sweet, tart cherries, souring vinegar, and vineous quailties that scream dry wine. Lots of superb surroundings to earth, wood, and leaves. Dare I say raisin seems to drift around with some currant skins and a bit of plum too. The texture of sourness is incredibly complex. Acidicly sublime and balanced with just enough sweet to help keep it a bit more in check then it probably could be. The oak aging has done wonders here with all sorts of unique notes that remind me of being in a deeply wooded forest on a hot day as the heat rises from the forest floor and sifts through the thick tree foilage. Wonderful in that regards.

Mouthfeel is like a swig of vinegar balanced with souring fruits and sweetened fruity malt. Crisp, tangy, full on oaky tinged heat and character, vineous dryness, and tones of well-handled sour is the beast of each sip. If sour patch candies were oak aged and pulled from the ground this would be the liquid form of that.

Now as much as I enjoy these types of beers, I have always had a tremendously hard time drinking them with any ease. The sourness is beyond me and my capacity to handle them like a pro Lambic drinker is not something I can keep up with. So on that note I unfortunately have a hard time attributing a nubmer to the drinkability of such a beer. So since this took me a very, very long time to finish, I guess its my average? Damn good stuff though.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2007 23:44:08 | More by tavernjef

JohnGalt1

Idaho

4.13/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I received this in the beat down Czoch75 gave me in the 2nd Round of the Fight Club.... Clint put a hurtin' on my wants list... seriously.

Edit.. this is an '06!! Thanks again Clint!!

Shared this with inflatablechair.. Sam brought over some doozies.. so I had to reciprocate..

Poured into my New Belgium goblet.. reddish orange.. a little cloudy and a lite foamy head.

Nose is acetic with a bunch of fruity notes... sour cherries with a lite apple butter element.

Palate is much sweeter than the nose... a sweet apple cider vinegar combines with a bit of peachy fruitiness.. red wine vinegar is drying on the finish... A bunch more tannic oak arrives at room temperature.

the body is lite/medium with a lighter than expected carbonation.. very complex...

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2009 08:44:12 | More by JohnGalt1

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.95/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served from tap into a Rodenbach Grand Cru tulip. Poured a deep dark ruby red with a one finger off-white head that subsided to half a finger slowly. Maintained excellent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, fruit, wood, vinegar, and sour. The flavor was of sweet malt, vinegar, fruit, wood, and tart. It had a light feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a fairly good brew. I have had this one before out of the bottle and I have to say that It carries over quite well on-tap as well. The vinegar touch on this brew is what keeps me coming back to it over and over. This also includes the various Vintage versions that I have had in the past as well. Really enjoyable and definitely brings the pucker along for the ride to keep you on your toes. An absolute must try as Rodenbach is doing good things with this one.

Serving type: on-tap

09-27-2012 10:45:00 | More by thagr81us

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.33/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by matt9875. Thanks Matt!

A: This Flanders brew is reddish brown in color and appears slightly hazy. The head is about an eighth inch thick, and leaves a fair amount of lacing.

S: The aroma is fruity, funky, slightly musty...very enticing scents.

T: A fabulous tasting brew. Rodenbach Grand Cru exhibits the ideal marriage or relationship between sweet and sour flavors. The beer has a nice funky, musty aspect about it. Cherries are the dominant fruit flavor. Wonderfully balanced and delicious.

M: Medium bodied, nice feel, good carbonation level, lingering aftertaste of cherries and funk.

D: A terrific example of the style, I definitely recommend this beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2011 20:09:50 | More by Huhzubendah

RoyalT

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance – This is a deep, deep red in color that's borderline brown. The head was moderate and went down rather quickly, which is typical of the style.

Smell – The tart cherry sweetness comes out way before the malt. The malt does eventually make itself known, but it’s quite wimpy here, much afraid of the big bad sour wolf. There’s an earthy character to this FRA as well, giving the bouquet some real substance.

Taste – Mother pucker! This is one sour, uh, Sour Ale. It’s not so much sour like a lemon as it is just super tart like an early-picked cherry. There are a lot of simple sugars here no doubt, but it’s the tartness that really sticks out. It’s not cheap-tasting though like a lot of pretenders of the style. This is the real deal.

Mouthfeel – This is a bit bigger than light-bodied with some saliva-activating mouth-puckering sourness that will send a shiver down your spine.

Drinkability – This is a very intense FRA that begs to be shared.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2006 23:39:24 | More by RoyalT

largadeer

California

3.88/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I've had this one several times, so it's about time I got around to writing a review.

Appearance: A dark but clear ruby red. The two finger head slowly settles to a thin cap, leaving sheets of lace as it recedes. The color is exceptional.

Smell: Simultaneously sour and sweet. Tart cherries, vanilla, balsamic vinegar and a hint of buttery oak.

Taste/mouthfeel: Initially sweet, though it's quickly cut by an acetic fruity sourness (raspberries, black cherries). Notes of oak appear, dry and slightly tannic with a caramel undertone. The finish is tart and fruity, leaving a hint of vanilla on the tongue after the sourness fades.

Drinkability: Fairly easy to drink, but the acetic acid catches up with you after a while.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2008 01:50:12 | More by largadeer

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Rodenbach Grand Cru

Pours a reddish brown in color, off white head forms and crackles away. Aroma of balsamic vinegar, very tart fruit, some sweetness. In the flavor profile, a nice pronounced sour. Acidic and alittle lemony, sour, lip puckering goodness. Alittle oak influence with some woodsy tannins showing late. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, well carbonated and slightly dry. Overall, a sophisticated sipper, nice sour, worth revisiting.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2011 17:31:32 | More by Stinkypuss

avalon07

South Carolina

4.53/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured from a bottle to a tulip glass. Had a bright ruby color and a somewhat hazy consistency. There was an inch and a half of foamy, long-lasting head. OK lacing.

S: A big, fruity aroma of cherries, citrus and a hint of malt. A bit sour, but definitely appealing.

T: Taste was dominated by the cherries (not a bad thing), with some citrus, malt and a sugary element as well. Not as sour as I would have thought, but definitely tart. A well balanced, extremely focused and quite tasty beer.

M: A highly carbonated beer with a silky smooth finish. Medium-bodied.

O: This is a well made, easy drink and vibrant brew. Well worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2011 12:07:34 | More by avalon07

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a deep amber color with a nice light tan head. It has the aromas of sweet dark cherries. In the taste, sour cherries, a nice malt and a tad yeasty. It is a smooth beer, well the sourness leaves a small sweetness behind. It has a great body nice and complex.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2007 20:36:55 | More by OWSLEY069

stcules

Italy

3.93/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Burgundy colour, compact head.
The smell is acetic, but fresh and with some notes of fruity.
The taste is sparkling, fruity (it seems "fragolino"). Cherry, sour black cherry, lime, apple.
Notes of tannin.
Good aftertaste acid and woody.
Well rounded body.
The result of ageing in wood barrel is manifest in the complexity of the smell and taste.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2002 12:10:29 | More by stcules

TheLongBeachBum

California

4.83/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Presentation: Tall slim brown glass 33cl bottle, the usual dispensing method for Rodenbach. The label wasn’t the usual modern day one, but an older style from a time past that I was used to when I visited Belgium years ago, there was even some foil surrounding the crown cap. Myself and fellow BA Davo each enjoyed a bottle each of this masterful beer during a recent visit to the Stuffed Sandwich in San Gabriel – in fact we both spotted it in the Cooler at the same time and told each other in unison that this would be our next beer sampled. Great minds think alike.

Appearance: Beautiful transient body that alters with light. A brown beer with red hints, or is it red with brown hints, hmmm. I know that the many Grand Cru’s that I have had ALL exhibit a crystal ruby red shine when backlit. The head was limited in size but always returned when swirled thanks to the carbonation, or it was replenished when more beer was poured from the bottle into our tasting receptacles. The light tan head is smooth and ever present.

Nose: Oh yes. One smell can immediately send you back into the past to the last time you drank this Ale, such is its distinctive character. Vinous, sour and acerbically minded. Wooden casks soaked in Acetic Malt vinegars pungently invade your nostrils. Damn this smells good.

Taste: The hairs on the back of my neck always stand up when I drink this beer; it just has that effect on me. It is without doubt one of the finest. The cask aged Flemish Red is demonstrated in all its sheer mature brilliance in this offering from Rodenbach. Sourness dries the tip of the tongue and pulls the cheeks; acetic malt vinegar traits layer the tip of the tongue whilst the lactic malts mingle in the back-end of the beer. It finishes sour with an oxidized mouth puckering quality – it never fails to impress with its complexity. Amazing.

Mouthfeel: Silky smooth in the mouth, oak aging lends this Flanders Red a rich, smooth, deeply enticing and quaffable feel. Swirling this beer and letting it soak in the mouth for a few seconds it has chance to reveal all of its character gained whilst aging.

Drinkability: Gimme an old crate of this someone please! I dearly, dearly, dearly miss it.

Overall: It was great to visit the Stuffed Sandwich again and even better to have BA Davo’s company – but it was simply fucking awesome to have this World Classic beer on our table whilst we chatted beer.
**Highly Recommended**

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2003 06:47:26 | More by TheLongBeachBum

jrallen34

Illinois

4.8/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I drank this from a bottle into a chalice.

This is the best flemsih red brown going.

It pours dark amber, a reddish brown color with a very light tan head and with minimal lacing.

It smells vinegary but sweet, a touch of cherry.

It starts out tasting sweet notes of cherry and oak and finishes with great vinegar bite. A wonderful surprising end.

If you want something sour with bite this is your beer. Great every once in awhile.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2009 15:40:29 | More by jrallen34

cokes

Wisconsin

4.03/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I've had this bottle for quite some time. I'm not sure when it was produced, but the bottom has a best before date of: 09 08 07.

Pours a shimmering and lightly hazy auburn-brown body with a firm rise of tan suds.
The nose is heavy on balsamic vinegar, and backed with oak, old sneakers, mentholated cherry coughdrops, and mildew.
It begins with lightly sugared brown raisin fruitiness, as it morphs towards cherry, and then begins an exponentially sour descent. From this sour cherry, it turns towards cider. From the cider, it turns towards lime juice. From lime juice, it becomes a well aged balsamic vinegar with the requisite oaky nuances. It stay bracingly tart as it hits the back of the mouth and explodes into splinters of cinnamon.
The tartness is generally autocratic, but some funkier yeast flourishes pop up from time to time, mostly via pungent cheese and wet basement impressions.
It carries a medium body, with a small amount of sweettart tackiness, but a fluffy carbonation keeps it from gumming up too much.
In some ways, the tartness makes this a bit of a one trick pony. It's not refreshing like a gueuze; more like liquid heartburn.
That said, this still has plenty of charm, and I like it quite a bit more than their Classic.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2008 06:49:35 | More by cokes

beertunes

Washington

4.15/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into crystal tulip. The beer poured a reddish mahogany color with a thin cap of dark khaki color that had low retention and lacing.

The aroma was a sharp vinegary, sour scent some slight fruit notes blended in. I didn't really get much oak aroma. There was a bit more fruitiness in the taste than in the nose and the oak was subtly noticeable.

The body was fairly typical for the style, perhaps a touch on the thin side. Drinkability was good for the style, although I shared the bottle with 2 others, i could have easily drank the whole 750 by myself. As with all sours, drinkabilty is going to very with individual tolerances for the sourness.

Overall, a very fine example of the style, grab a bottle when you see it.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2010 20:42:36 | More by beertunes

DefenCorps

Oregon

4.38/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

25.4oz bottle, best before 20th June 2008

A: Deep ruby red with a dense 1 finger off-white head. Lots of carbonation. Pretty.

S: Combination of vinegary sourness and complex sweetness. Some oak, a little vanilla.

T: Delicious with a pleasant sourness to start things off followed by a sweetness that I'd describe as a combination of honey, lactose, raspberries and jaggery. A strong woody character comes in following the sweetness. The finish is pleasantly light, tart and yet sweet. Excellent stuff - complex and refreshing

M: Spritzy with a great drying finish

D: This goes down very easily

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2008 03:16:20 | More by DefenCorps