Ichtegem's Grand Cru - Brouwerij Strubbe

Florida9

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Drank @ hopleaf

Served in a tulip glass

A: Dark caramel color with very little head. Slightly translucent.

S: Very complex and highly aromatic. Sweet and sour. Notes of bubblegum, lemonheads candy, and wild yeasts.

T: Quite tangy and sour, but in a positive way. Reminiscent of a brash young red wine. Light maltiness on the front end with the acidic finish and taste of fruity red wine. As with the smell, the flavors demonstrated a good deal of complexity.

M: Clean, crisp, and acidic. Heavy carbonation.

D: I must admit, I am not familiar with this style of beer. I typically do not enjoy Belgian beers for their lactic sourness, but this beer was different. The sourness, and I use the word sour for lack of a better term, was akin to the sourness or acidity present in wine, was well balanced, and was in no ways distracting or offputting. This was a very good beer. It was a pleasure to drink and paired well with food. I could not see it being one I could drink repeatedly as the unique flavor profile could be fatiguing, but, otherwise, quite enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

04-14-2009 00:49:33 | More by Florida9

civicm87

New York

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%

05-14-2013 23:18:59 | More by civicm87

Gomeza

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

05-10-2013 18:58:47 | More by Gomeza

Brenden

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

It's true that I need more experience with the style, but I think I know the guidelines, at least.

It's sort of a thick and hazy beer, and the color isn't so much a red-brown as brown-red. A big, fluffy off-qhite head stands for a good, long time, barely diminishing below two fingers for quite a while and remaining even as the beer is being drunk. It sticks around like a creamy pillow before eventually settling to a layer that deposits patchy lacing that continues to spread out in legging as it goes.
Tart and sour on the nose, this is a solid standard-setter as I understand it. Just a touch of vinegar-like funk is unoffensive and deep. Light alcohol notes just sneak out.
Plenty tart and sour, it's short of puckering but plenty flavorful. It's got lots of it, giving the impression of underripe fruits that have somehow full developed their flavor. A creamy sort of vanilla sweetness underlies it and balances very nicely. An easy sipper that's not too sour but doesn't stray, I could have several of these easily.
The body is light a fairly robust red wine with a light fizz to it. It's got a solid depth to it and flows very nicely. It has a pretty easy finish.

Serving type: on-tap

05-09-2013 15:32:58 | More by Brenden

beernads

Florida

3/5  rDev -19.8%

05-08-2013 08:09:56 | More by beernads

fsck

Washington

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

05-03-2013 03:03:30 | More by fsck

yankees27

Iowa

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

05-02-2013 01:25:10 | More by yankees27

TheBrewo

Michigan

3.9/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

We pop the top and foam exploded from bottle in waves. Infected?! We’ll see. We pour a brew the color of an old penny. It holds a two and a half finger head of foamy, spidery bubbles, leaving thickly patterned lacing down the sides of the glass. Retention is nice. Carbonation appears quite high, and a thick haze is noted, with flecks of large white sediment suspended throughout. The nose is funky, with tart, but softly floral, Brettiness. The malts are rich, toasty, and sweet of caramels and toffees, with accentuation by warm oakiness, big musk, balsamic vinegar acidity, booze, and freshly cooked soap. With warmth comes lightening sweetness of juicy bubblegum esters, green grassiness, and more of that typical pefumy funk. Our first impression is that the flavoring is very sharp and tart at first, but this quickly falls away by the end. As we sip, the taste opens with fusel chemical bite, booze, synthetic lavender perfume, light grapefruit zestiness, big funk of yeast, tart berry fruit juiciness, and green banana meatiness. Coming to the peak is spoiled fruit bitterness, German lager malts and lighter pales, cane sugar, vinegar, and more of that juicy bite of puckering, yeasty funkiness.
The finish comes with wax, chapstick, mild diacetyls, faint oak, that big aromatic muskiness, lemony twang, and more of that continued yeast and puckered fruitiness. The aftertaste breathes of vegetal fermentation, mineral, mud, musk, lemon peel bitterness, cranberry tartness, black cherry sugars, major funk, and distant barreling. The body is medium, and the carbonation is lighter. There is great slurp, smack, cream, froth, and pop. The mouth is softly coated and cooled, with eventual warmth of the oak, and only mild dryness or pucker. The abv is appropriate, and the beer drinks nicely.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this brew was the aroma and the mouthfeel. There is big perfume, funk, and sweetness from the aroma, hitting most of the necessary notes quite nicely. The taste, however, was a bit curious as none of the tartness (or substantial oak) lingers through the sip. It hits hard at the front of your teeth, but is all but indiscernible through the end and aftertaste, where basic cooked brown maltiness predominates. This is partially rectified by the soft, creamy slurp of the feel. In conclusions we did not feel that our bottle was infected. This beer marks a good representation of the style, but lacked enough jazz or cohesion to pull it to the next level.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 01:46:47 | More by TheBrewo

BuddhaBrowett

Sweden

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

04-26-2013 17:03:16 | More by BuddhaBrowett

RedneckBeerz

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

04-23-2013 19:46:45 | More by RedneckBeerz

deadonhisfeet

Kentucky

3.78/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a bottle into a Duvel tulip. The pour is a nice dark burgundy, a little hazy, and sports about a finger of off-white head that quickly dissipates. On the nose I get red wine notes, some vinegar, and dark cherries.

Light body with a nicely balanced sweet and sour flavor. Lots of fruity sourness up front with flavors of cherries, lemons, and oranges. At mid-palate a slight hint of vanilla creeps in, sweetening the flavor and softening the feel in the mouth. A faint lactic sourness hits on the finish that seems to clash a little with the fruit and wine-like acidity.

This is one of my favorite styles and I was happy to find another example I had never tried before. Not a bad beer, but the lactic notes kind of spoil it for me. There are far better examples out there.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 23:03:59 | More by deadonhisfeet

Seaba

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

04-17-2013 17:05:27 | More by Seaba

chefduff2

New York

3.25/5  rDev -13.1%

04-15-2013 02:59:20 | More by chefduff2

aztraz

Sweden

3/5  rDev -19.8%

04-13-2013 13:57:31 | More by aztraz

Zach136

Georgia

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%

04-05-2013 22:34:21 | More by Zach136

GuzzLah

Illinois

3.69/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - pours a clear, red-brown with a short head, some lace and no bubbles.

S - Sour cherry, green apple, soft vinegar and some bubble gum. No lacto or barnyard.

T - like the aroma with a pleasant finish. Nice flavor, but not extreme.

M - medium body with moderate carbonation. Mildly sour and acetic for the style.

O - not an outstanding Flanders, but I enjoyed drinking it. Conservative without being weak and probably a good gateway to more extreme examples of the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 03:23:31 | More by GuzzLah

confer

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Had the 11.2 oz bottle. The beer pours dark brown with a rim of foam around the glass. The smell is tart cherries and very near a vinegar smell.
Taste isn't as tart as expected with a dull cherry juice like finish.
Not a bad sour, but I believe I'd reach for others first.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2013 23:03:23 | More by confer

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.55/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

As the families of oude bruins and Flanders red ales share a similar geopgraphic region, the separate styles converge in this moderate strength Grand Cru delineated by the Strubbe Brewery.

The turbulent pour reveals a russet brown with garnet highlights. It's partially hazed appearance releases ample carbonation to fuel a fluffed and sprite foam stance. Somewhat champagne-like, the beer's carbonation has a fast turnover until the carbonation dispels deep into the session. Light random lacing gives the beer a little more structure than sour ales are typically given credit.

Sharp vinegary aromas shock the nose with the intensity of young lambic and cherry-infused Flemish ales. Mouth whetting sourness are draped in complementing scents of light toast and chocolate malts. Mild brine, lemons, sour white grapes, limes, and crab apples accompany the acidic balsamic notes for a complete and rounded scent- albeit abrupt for an Old Brown.

And the taste of the beer also heavily favors the vinegar sourness. Intense and puckering- the beer starts off with thin honey and toast but soon transitions sharply to dry toast, bread crust, and nuts before diving swiftly into the more acidic and palate-stripping sourness. Sour cherries, sour grapes, lemons, limes, and green apples propel the sourness toward a dry oak taste that finishes the flavor profile. As quick as the taste intensifies, it fades just as fast.

Sharpness extends from taste to texture as those acidic compounds pierce the taste buds and other soft tissues with pinpoint precision. The terse malt buffer is soon shed and the beer strips the mouth and refreshes it with a clean finish. Sharp astringency lingers in the sides of the tongue and jaws as an echo of cherry and balsamic last in memory.

Though brown in its color, I would better consider this beer to be a Flander's red ale rather than an Oude Bruin- It's much sharper and cherry-like that the must-friendly brown ales.

Serving type: on-tap

03-11-2013 16:37:57 | More by BEERchitect

nzerbe

New York

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

03-11-2013 10:20:49 | More by nzerbe

Jspriest

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

03-11-2013 09:10:46 | More by Jspriest

spycow

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

03-11-2013 04:59:22 | More by spycow

Chugs13

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +7%

03-10-2013 19:35:00 | More by Chugs13

jbaker67

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

03-03-2013 13:04:37 | More by jbaker67

rydev24

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +7%

03-02-2013 20:07:15 | More by rydev24

CaptainNomihodai

Illinois

4/5  rDev +7%

03-01-2013 19:04:46 | More by CaptainNomihodai