2010 Vintage Oak Aged Ale (Barrel No. 144) - Brouwerij Rodenbach N.V.

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

2010 Vintage from Barrel No. 144. Split into Rodenbach Grand Cru tulips.

Good clarity with a dark garnet hue. Nearly solidified inch of bone white head. Minimal lace. An otherwise pretty Flanders Ale.

Fruity and oaky aroma. Lots of oak, sour cherry, red currant, and a hint of lactic acid. A simpler aroma than Grand Cru. Still very pleasant.

Remarkable blackberry and strawberry flavors with a much more pronounced, but lighter, fruitiness than any of the other standard Rodenbach offerings. Nice and acidic with spicy balsamic vinegar notes and mouth-drying oak and tannins. Essences include cranberry, raspberry, cherry, ginger ale, and hints of pepper in the finish. I'm a Rodenbach nut, and this Vintage Ale is fascinatingly different than the Grand Cru or regular Rodenbach or the 2007 Vintage Ale that I've had. For as bold as the acidity is in the vinegar and how it creates a spiciness in the end-flavor with the oak from the barrel, it tastes relatively young and full of aging potential.

Very tannic and bittering feel makes it a sipper. Carbonation is a little low, specifically for the acidity. The body is cidery in viscosity with some light stickiness.

Just another amazing Flanders Red from Rodenbach, in my opinion, one of the greatest traditional Belgian breweries.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2012 03:43:16 | More by thecheapies

WynnO

Florida

5/5  rDev +19.3%

05-19-2013 14:38:22 | More by WynnO

bvermilion

California

3.75/5  rDev -10.5%

05-09-2013 01:35:35 | More by bvermilion

strongaf

Washington

4/5  rDev -4.5%

05-05-2013 07:09:31 | More by strongaf

Jonada

New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: Pours brownish red in color with a finger of a soapy off white/tan head. Body is dark but relatively clear with some visible carbonation streaming throughout.

Smell: Balsamic vinegar, oak, leather, green apple, tart cherries, lactic sourness, and caramel. Smells very inviting.

Taste: Similar to the nose. Tart stone fruits, vinegar, red grape, oaky tannins, hints of vanilla and a slight breadiness. Nice balance of sourness and sweet malt.

Mouthfeel: Light side of medium bodied with a slightly creamy mouthfeel. Medium soft carbonation.

Overall: This is a real treat, and noticeably improves on the Grand Cru. The $20 price tag is a bit steep, but worth it IMO. One of the best of the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 05:09:02 | More by Jonada

oldp0rt

Quebec (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +7.4%

05-04-2013 16:38:35 | More by oldp0rt

cnbrown313

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

04-30-2013 14:24:07 | More by cnbrown313

smartassboiler

Illinois

4/5  rDev -4.5%

04-28-2013 13:26:46 | More by smartassboiler

seplo

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev -10.5%

04-27-2013 23:16:24 | More by seplo

Steve_Oldrati

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -4.5%

04-24-2013 01:06:25 | More by Steve_Oldrati

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

04-22-2013 21:01:33 | More by Thorpe429

yourefragile

District of Columbia

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

04-21-2013 00:51:37 | More by yourefragile

dbrauneis

New Jersey

4.41/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: Pours a clear dark reddish brown in color with some light amounts of visible carbonation and some garnet red highlights along with light amounts of dark yeast sediment in the bottom of the glass. The beer has a half finger tall soapy off-white head that reduces to a very thin film covering the entire surface of the beer with a thick ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate to heavy amounts of lacing

S: Moderate aromas of vinegar, oak, with light to moderate aromas of sour cherries. The sourness/tartness of the beer really becomes more pronounced as the beer warms up.

T: Moderate to strong flavors of oak along with vinegar and sour cherries along with some light notes of both sweetness and sourness.

M: Light to medium bodied with low to moderate amounts of carbonation. Light amounts of acidic prickliness but still smooth.

O: While I enjoy the Rodenbach Classic quite a bit, this beer is substantially better with the increased flavor of oak and sour cherries. Nice amounts of complexity and really one I like - I would definitely have another of these.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 22:10:12 | More by dbrauneis

CDW

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

04-20-2013 13:37:08 | More by CDW

trevorpost

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

04-15-2013 00:56:39 | More by trevorpost

StaveHooks

Oklahoma

4.54/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle split with my awesome wife.
Served in a Duvel trulip

A - Pours reddish browm with a small off-white head, speckled lacing down the side of the glass. A collar forms around an island of thin foam.

S - Sour lactic fruits, tart plumbs, cherries, sour apples, orchard fruit, bruised strawberry fruit, lemons, old dank wood, sweet/tart candy aroma, day old dried up wine like in the bottom of glass the next morning.

T - Sour fruit smacks the taste buds, granny smith apples, vinous green grapes, lemons, sweet tart candy, unripened strawberries, pixie candy, woody, old sour wine, the lactic sourness clings to the tongue, in the background is old shoe leather, basement wood, creamy and sweet aged malt, brown sugar and vinegar mix in to the sourness creating a sublime sweet a sour character. Finishes lactic and dry with dried fruit on the aftertaste.

M - Light feel with effervescent carbonation, tart and tongue wickingly dry.

This exceeded my expectations. This is the cream of the crop for the style. It has precise lacto sourness backed by an old and deep malt background, sublime yeast character creating a beautifully melded Flanders. This should be opened on special occasions. A rare treat.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 01:59:57 | More by StaveHooks

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Appearance. Pours amber-brown with a little haze and a finger of khaki head that doesn't last long turning in to a thick collar.

Smell. Nicely sweet caramel malts, red wine vinegar and funky old barrel wood and a bit of sweet citrus fruit.

Taste. Sour citrus, cherry and a little mixed berry, red wine vinegar and dank old wood, some nice light funk and a bit of caramel and possibly chocolate.

Mouthfeel. Medium body, medium fine carbonation.

Overall. A great example of the style. Not as sweet as many and that's a good thing.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 00:18:19 | More by Rutager

CrookedStill

Alabama

4.75/5  rDev +13.4%

03-25-2013 04:53:28 | More by CrookedStill

smakawhat

Maryland

4.9/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured from the bottle into an official Rodenbach Grand Cru glass and a regular tulip as well.

It's the perfect shade of brown and red in the glass. First glass pour makes a billowing creamy off tan head, with a hint of pink. It stays and stays with clumpy merringue top. A later pour produces less of a head but always a 3mm collar of the same. As dark as the body is, it is exceptionally clear, with slow crawling pin head tan bubbles on the sides. It's just perfection and why I love this brewery so much.

Nose is so wonderful. Mellow oak with hints of cream vanilla. Cherry fruit and nice tartness that isn't overpowering. It's mellow and subtle, not incredibly complex, but it's much more noticeable than older vintages and incredibly balanced. Sweet malts round out the tartness nicely.

On the palate this just sings. Cherries everywhere and a huge supporting mouthfeel. Large feel but moderately bodied and a good hint of carbonation, it hints at very noticeable but quickly disappears and lets the palate expand.. Large fruit and balanced tartness in the mid palate. It's not as vinous and thin as previous vintages either. Wonderful sweet mix of faint toffee and caramel sensing like malts and sweetness, and a perfect vanilla sweet aromatics to match.

This is just wonderful stuff, it might be my favorite Rodenbach to date. The perfect balance between sweet and sour, and the benchmark. Pure magic. Splitting hairs on the nose but really? honestly, I don't know how this gets any better...

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 01:34:22 | More by smakawhat

Hugonaut13

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

03-23-2013 00:47:39 | More by Hugonaut13

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.95/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours reddy brown with a quickly fading head.
Nose shows funky brett, acidic balsamic notes, oak, raspberries. Enticing.
Flavours are a mix of sweet and acidic. Tart berries, sweet malt and some confectionery notes. Addictive.
Spritzy carbonation works well.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 05:02:42 | More by CrazyDavros

UWBadgerFan4Life

Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev +7.4%

03-21-2013 02:43:07 | More by UWBadgerFan4Life

tripledbrew

Kentucky

4/5  rDev -4.5%

03-19-2013 23:49:37 | More by tripledbrew

IPAchris

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -4.5%

03-12-2013 15:45:44 | More by IPAchris

oldedog

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -16.5%

03-01-2013 23:56:50 | More by oldedog