Vondel - Brouwerij Riva S.A.

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

2.6/5  rDev -33.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Fancy labelled 330ml Bottle, poured into a Forbidden Fruit challice glass. Now owned/brewed by Liefmans.

Deep Ruby Red with a huge biege head sat on top, looked great.

Rich molasses and malty aroma, very sickly sweet smell really.

Too sweet, the strong alcohol feel is all wrong too. Fizzy and malty, but an unsuspecting tourist beer to me (check out the front label).

Just not 'my cup of tea', it is just a sweet brew, well packaged and playing on the Belgian beer scene like more and more beers seem too.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2008 08:53:28 | More by BlackHaddock

Admiraldinty

Massachusetts

3.1/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I really didn't enjoy this beer too much. Poured a brown with a huge amount of chunky sediment. So much, it was actually a little disgusting. Nose was yeasty (obviously), alchol, and some brown sugar. Taste was somewhat malty, with some hops, and definite brown sugar, also nutty. Medium carbonation. Very warming. This beer definitely has few redeeming qualities, and I don't plan on having it again anytime soon.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2003 14:44:17 | More by Admiraldinty

francisweizen

Australia

3.15/5  rDev -19%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

On tap in Quebec city. rusty, muddy brown with a small, almost non-existant head. The aromas are of sweet malts, sugar, and a bit of oud bruin lactic funk. The taste is way too sweet up front, and not funky enough for an oud bruin. Their are also some slight fruit flavors in this brew making it seem like an oud bruin flemish red hybrid. The mouthfeel was sugary and sticky, and the drinkability was blah. Why even try this if you can have Goudenband?

Serving type: on-tap

09-14-2004 22:01:05 | More by francisweizen

cokes

Wisconsin

3.28/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Beautiful burnt bronze under a stack of buttery yellow foam.
Maple aromatics with a vinous undercurrent. Blackberry brandy and raisin. Topped off with some yeasty dough, pepper and mustiness.
Had the aroma only held through to the flavor, I would have had no complaints. Claims to be a Flemish brown. While correct in color and geography, it certainly falls short in product. This is all brown sugar all the time. Well, maybe not all the time. There is some maple here too and some grapey alcohol. But mostly, its brown sugar. I would have appreciated a bit of tartness here. Yeast pour makes things doughier and (maybe) brings a peppercorn note. Some hidden chocolate appears as this warms. No significant hopping is noticed. The end result is an overly sweet, off-balanced, cloying brew.
Medium-light bodied with dampened carbonation following the pour. A bit thin and sticky.
Uninspiring.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2003 09:02:41 | More by cokes

SeanChouffe

New Mexico

3.4/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

A deep red color with a rocky head and copious effervescence. The head diminishes to a respectable thin layer and the lace is somewhat sticky. The aroma is like a wine with an earthy freshness, a strong presence of caramel, and spicy (anise?) undertones. The flavor is sweet at the start with a spicy dry finish and a resilient bitterness. The feel is smooth and creamy ? well balanced with carbonation.
IMHO: Vondel looks good, smells good, and feels good, but the taste was one that I was not looking forward to even after the first few sips. The dryness and lasting bitterness overshadows the other, more subtle, characteristics.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2003 14:18:18 | More by SeanChouffe

beergurujr

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750 ml cork-finished brown bottle. cork states "2001".

sort of a murky dark copper colour; this is a bottle-conditioned brew.

aroma of dark fruit, semisweet chocolate and lightly roasted malt. there is a certain buttery component here, perhaps due to the age of the sample. it, however, is not distracting.

flavour is bready, sweet malt, a bit of dark and dry demarera sugar. i cannot detect hops (which is just what i expected).

finish is of dry malt and semibitter chocolate. the alcohol is not detectable in the flavour, but it certainly is in your head! overall an interesting beer, which has (apparently) aged well.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2003 01:18:22 | More by beergurujr

rousee

Massachusetts

3.45/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours the color of a strong concentrated brown tea. Forms a quick 1/2 figer head and disappears quickly into a wisp on top.

Smell is slightly leathery-vinegar with malt coming through pretty strong also.

Taste is musty and malty. It has some of that characteristic Belgian complexity, but the smell is more complex than the taste.
Mouthfeel is really nothing special-a little chalky and dry.
Drinkability is average too.
This beer was disappointing. A great bottle design and expensive too- not a good value for the $$$. Just nothing special.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2004 22:20:14 | More by rousee

GCBrewingCo

North Carolina

3.45/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

The beer poured into the chalice a clear deep amber brown with a tan long lasting head that rose tall and then fell slowly to lace the glass.

The aroma was caramel and chocolate with a nutty component. Also present were dark fruits, raisins, and a slight spice. Another fruit present in the complex aroma was pineapple.

The flavor was caramel and chocolate and a just noticeable sourness, very understated for an Oud Bruin. The fruits were still present, but understated and missing complexity. What was present was a harsh alcohol burn.

The finish was dry with lasting chocolate and caramel. The body was medium light to light.

750 ml bottle, 2001 on cork. A decent beer, but the flavor was missing complexity.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2004 12:41:36 | More by GCBrewingCo

Brent

Kentucky

3.48/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Tightest cork I've run across, and the first where I had to use a corkscrew. Poured a ruddy amber-walnut with a quick, fizzy head. Well carbonated. Some mildly sweet caramel apple flavor up front on the first sip, with alcohol rising sharply. After a few sips, however, caramel and alcohol both receded. Aged orchard fruit and some hints of oak tannin. Not as tart or acidic as other oud bruins I've had. For the high abv and the initial alcohol pungency, the alcohol did mute and this was surprisingly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2005 15:16:32 | More by Brent

rastaman

United Kingdom (England)

3.5/5  rDev -10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Deep brown appearance, strong malty yeasty nose. Very malty, nice acidic bitterness/ hint of sourness. I'm not sure i could have enjoyed it to its full potential because it was a really hot day and i think it was a bit to strong and not so refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2002 11:28:35 | More by rastaman

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This bottle was brewed by Liefman's.

Poured from a 330ml. bottle, best before 12/2011.

Appearance: Active foam fills 3/4 of the glass with a dusty tan color. Body is semi-opaque and the color of cherry wood. Each additional pour yields more foam.

Smell: A bit of yeast, some mild tartness and an aroma of an old cellar. Pleasant enough.

Taste: Some wood, cherries and berries, not much lactic action and some traces of whiskey?

Mouthfeel: Very low carbonation with a smooth body.

Overall: Held up rather well. Good but not great.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2011 12:25:08 | More by papat444

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This is a very rich and dark ale and not a flander red per say in my opinion. Large head when pourred into glass but it did disapear a little bit too quickly. Has a very nice roasty butterscotch and molasse finish. Another nice and diffrent product from Riva

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2003 13:49:03 | More by Phyl21ca

crookedhalo

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

75 cl bottle with a cork dating of 3/2001. Pours a cloudy reddish chestnut with a big, fluffy beige head that lasts for a good while and laces decently. Yeasty, cinammony, cocoa, obviously malty, red appley and earthy aromas. Slight suggestion of red wine in the aroma, too. Faint, chalk-like mouthfeel, indicating a modest body. Malty and sweet, but overly so. The maltiness comes across sometimes as being cardboardy. It's not as sour as I seem to remember, or maybe the aging subdued those qualities that I seem to foggily remember. There is a slight woody-like shallow tartness. The taste is pretty bland when compared to other beers of the style. I like it, but I'm not really enthralled with the beer's lack of character. It's just lacking some gusto as well as some tartness. If a malty brown is what you're looking for, go for it. If you want a world class oud bruin, I could make better suggestions.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2004 06:46:52 | More by crookedhalo

HardTarget

Texas

3.65/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle Inspection: Ok, this one was interesting. It was labeled as their wit beer http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/217/1600 but when I poured it: it was black! So; obviously it’s not the wit. After tasting, we had to assume this was the Oud Bruin, so I’m posting here.

Aroma: Chocolate malt is the main character with some mild dark fruit if you reach for it.

Appearance: Quickly dying head left the beer with a calm surface. The glass was deep brown and slightly hazy.

Flavor: Again, chocolate malt starts things off, but it fades into some nice dark fruit and a firm sour note in the long lasting finish.

Mouthfeel: Thin body, low carbonation

Overall Impression: Different. VERY different from the wit I expected given the label. I don’t have a lot of Oud Bruins to compare this too, it struck me as mild, not quite “funky” enough.

Hand carried back from Montreal

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2006 06:32:28 | More by HardTarget

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

One of my favourite styles of beer, this one has some tough competition. I drink this with other great examples in mind, the bar is certainly set high.
Very assuring pour. Nice head which would desist into a fine lacing as it warmed. Cloudy brown. Aroma pairs up pretty well with the style, but not as 'authentic' I didn't think. Stronger as it warmed, that's a good thing. Took a little longer to get a feel for, not as distinct or confident as others in this unique style. Mouthfeel is a little too carbonated for a Flemish sour. Nowhere near as complex or wine-like as others. No alcohol , flavours not as pronouced. Flavours disapear quickly, don't stick around. They don't seem to stand out as they should with what this style permits. I liked this beer, but there is so much more to this style

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2006 04:19:52 | More by biegaman

Rastacouere

Quebec (Canada)

3.7/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Brown beer with a generous head in terms of space, but not in terms of time. Sweet nose of chocolate and liquorice. RIch sweet taste, fruity, caramel with late tart notes. Riva at its best. Big props to the cheaper state than most too, around here anyway

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2004 05:53:01 | More by Rastacouere

pootz

Ontario (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

330ml bottle: the pour put a ruby high lighted cloudy chestnut ale in my tulip..1 finger rocky tan cap does not last long goes to a surface lace that stays. Aroma is nice like a sour cider with cocoa undertones. Peppery mouth feel from carbonation but once this breaks away you get a rush of flavors..pear cider with chocolate some treacle and toast...marvelous drawn finish that turns syrupy with a rush of sweet licorice and then some warming. Nice brown...a pleasant surprise

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2005 00:48:32 | More by pootz

Cwrw

Alberta (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The cork popped violently from the black 750ml Vondel bottle, and the ruby brown beer poured with crisp carbonation into my chalice. The cork has the year "2003" printed on it. The head was extremely frothy initially, and then it calmed and formed a steady light brown covering, with a mix of some big and small bubbles. The lacing was a little fizzy, but then turned creamy and moved slowly down the glass. The beer possesses deep reds and rich dark browns; rosewood or even cherry. Aroma is of the dusty yeast, raisins, faint, old maltiness with only a small hint of sourness in the background. The malt shares the spotlight with astringent alcohol. Leather and strong licorice in the smell too, giving some barley-wine aromas. Other notes of brown sugar, horehound, and blackberry. I expected some tartness to the aroma, this being a Flemish brown ale. To me the smell is more like a Belgian Strong Dark Ale; not to say at all that the aroma is bad. Despite the violence with which this ale poured, the taste is actually quite low in carbonation: almost milky and even a little flat. Again I get licorice up front in the mouth, strong dusty malt, and very little alcohol in the taste, though Vondel sends some pleasant coatings of warmth to the stomach rather quickly and deceptively. The taste is well enough, albeit slight on complexity, and the beer is in desparate need of carbonation(though I am not sure if this was a result of storage--this bottle is over 2 years old). There is some lactaid sourness, but nothing very tart or fruity about this beer at all. Now this is odd: the second glass poured from the bottle is actually very carbonated. Indeed, as for carbonation, the first and second pours from this bottle could be two different beers. The finish is mostly malt with some dryness left in the corners of the mouth. The taste also gives some plum or prunes, mixed with the dominant yeast flavour of the beer. Mouthfeel is fickle, as I mentioned, but the beer is definitely full-bodied. Little phenolic presence makes it easy to drink as well. I was expecting more complexity, but taken by itself, this is still a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2005 06:24:24 | More by Cwrw

Popsinc

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Dark brown with a tan head. The nose was slightly spicey with hints of dark fruits.

The mouthfeel was very smooth. Dark malts gave this beer a good body backing up the lighter tastes of plum and very mild chocolate. There was also an earthiness to the beer and good spice. light hoppiness.

I found this beer to have decent complexity and very good balance. This was an enjoyable drinking experience. I would say this would make a nice after dinner drink for me.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2003 08:07:55 | More by Popsinc

thierrynantes

France

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Sorry but this following comment is in french :

Appearance : brune avec d'invitants reflets rouges.
Smell : dans les effuves d'alcool, le malt se mele agréablement au chocolat.
Taste and mouthfeel : Ronde, doucatre, veloutée : elle ne s'exprime que par les sucres sur un fond d'alcool qui prolonge le goût.
Drinkability : bonne bière brune (style flemish brown)

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2007 11:07:10 | More by thierrynantes

ALESwhatCURESya

Wisconsin

3.8/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

$2.50 /11.2oz bottle

I was very excited to try a flanders oud bruin and this was the only one I could find in my area. I think the store was clearing them out. I have seem quite a bit of this in the area and it doesn't seem to be moving too quick. The head on this was massive in my duvel glass without any aggression in the pour. The color of the body was a raison brown. The head was very fluffy and light and eventually settled down to a thin film that concentrated itself to the middle of the glass. The aroma was filled with raison, malt, and small amounts of alcohol esters. There was also a cocoa and cherry backbone. The taste was sweet and tart at the beggining and finished a little dry and malty. The alcohol was very well hidden in the taste, but it hit me hard midway through the bottle. This is a very nice beer that would be enjoyable for a late night drink.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2004 01:25:57 | More by ALESwhatCURESya

bditty187

Nebraska

3.83/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Slightly hazy but surprisingly clear (that makes sense, right?), ruby-brown in hue with a slight coppery highlight when held to the light. A flimsy, foamy off-beige head topped the beer, it reached a modest finger in height before quickly fading to a loose cap of bubbles. There was not subsequent lacing, disappointing. However, the appearance is still intriguing. The nose is malty; there is no mistaking that. However the funky, sour notes like cherry candy can’t be ignored either. It is true that the nose isn’t very loud and this is disappointing. The malt contributes aromas of distant mocha coffee and some hints of toffee covered currants. There is also a faint suggestion of medical aromas at the finish, like ban-aids. The bouquet is neither complex nor compelling, disappointedly ordinary and hardly inviting. The palate is livelier than the nose indicated but most of this extra excitement seems to come from the rather bold alcohol. At 8.5% abv it is little surprise. The heat of the alcohol seems to toy with candied berry flavors of currants and blends very well with the medical flavors too. The palate is pleasantly herbal as well with hints of grass and oak. The cocoa flavors are bland, like really old semi-sweet baker’s chocolate but they mix fairly well. By the finish hints of caramel come into play. Even though a lack of malt deep and complexity is painfully obvious this is still a tasty beer. This is something I could go back to. The aftertaste is long and hot with sweetness like alcoholic candy. Yummy. Medium in body, I feel it really needs more bulk on the tongue, it isn’t painfully lacking in body but it is too noticeably thin IMO. The carbonation is moderate but natural. The mouthfeel is very pleasant but maybe a tickle slick. While not a great beer it is drinkable and good enough that I would buy it again. Luckily (surprisingly) I bought this in Nebraska. In Lincoln to be exact for $7.00 a 750ml. Worth another go-around for me, not worth seeking out if you haven’t had it.

2001 Vintage.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2004 02:16:54 | More by bditty187

bnuttz

Wisconsin

3.83/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

pours a nice copper color, accompanied with a large frothy carbonation. The smell is different kind of tart, definitely sweet. Taste is definitely malty sweet. Chocolate, caramel, plums, and yet a tartness sneaks through from the bacteria. Definitely sweet, a little more tartness would have been appreciated, but overall not a bad brew, would drink it again.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2004 02:02:30 | More by bnuttz

bark

Sweden

3.83/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The colour is dark brown; the liquid is somewhat cloudy. The finger thick beige-brown foam forms a sinking head.

The smell is filled with chocolate and cocoa, some sour notes, brown sugar and some banana sweets.

A taste of sweet chocolate dominates the taste. There are also notes of light syrup; some simple bitterness, brown sugar, cherry stones, strawberry jam and some matured wood cask flavours.

The carbonation is potent and fresh with small bubbles.

As this is my first Oud Bruin beer, I am not sure if this is a good interpretation of the style, but I liked it anyway.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2005 21:29:34 | More by bark

JOaikido

Quebec (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

33o ml bottle. Best before date of October 2010 stamped on cap.

A- Overwhelming frothy beige head. Dark red3brown colour. Head long lasting. Never completely died as I drank this over more than an hour. Nice bubbliness. Little flecks of yeast sediment.

S- Smoky, caramel. Slight roasted odour and some overipe plum.

T- Smoky. Caramel Touch of alcohol. Yeast refermented flavour. Much as expected from smell. Whole balanced with a slight bitter aftertaste that is not overdone.

MF- Smooth and soft. Carbonation just right for this beer.

D- Flavour good, but I couldn't take too much at a time. Decent as a sipping beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2006 02:13:16 | More by JOaikido