Zoetzuur Flemish Ale - De Proefbrouwerij (bvba Andelot)

SFLpunk

Vermont

3.55/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Shawn Dunn for this one!

750mL brown glass fake-cork finished. No date.

Appearance: A medium reddish brown with thin bone-white head.

Nose: Cherry skins, raw beef, leafy veg, plum.

Palate: Low carbonation, moderately tart (not sour) up front, but swings to slightly sweet with flavors of dried berries and dates. There's a brightness that comes from that "redeeming" sweetness. Lots of sweet and sour cherry notes. Medium-length finish shows a little, tiny, inkling really of that "funky" texture.

Notes: A nice, very drinkable "sour" beer. The texture is smooth and round, not overly funky, not really sour, just tart. Nicely made, not great. Might drink again if the chance arises.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2009 01:22:54 | More by SFLpunk

djeucalyptus

Oregon

4.13/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

pours a hazy yet glowing mahogany and cherry juice hue, with caramel and gold highlights. A beautiful fluffy three-finger head of a cherry-tinged off-white sticks around for a good while, eventually leaving some impressive lacing to the bottom of the glass.

Cherries, a bit of funky and spicy yeast, apples, a bit of golden raspberry and muscat grape. a bit more barnyard spice and a bit of fresh oak and earthiness, mixing with some caramelized cherries. smells intoxicating.

Taste follows aroma for the most part, with the brett funk and sour cherry notes showing strongly up front. A citric tartness and vanilla-oak woodiness smooth out the fruit. muscat grapes, a hint of white port, and more wet straw and earthiness. sour, almost unripe acidic raspberry sourness intermingles with more woody drying cherry notes.

mouthfeel is clean, especially given the accompanying funky flavors. a crisp, woody drying throughout with a nice dry tart finish. Silky and smooth, it's a hair lighter than I'd prefer... a bit thicker/fuller/slightly higher carbonation and this would be absolutely perfect.

the smoothness in the mouthfeel creates a pretty palatable brew with good drinkability for the style... but like any Flanders, this one's a sipper. A bit heavy on the funk, but the strength of the cherry notes really wins me over and the perfectly drying body with just a slight warming quality works beautifully. Definitely a must try.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2009 06:33:48 | More by djeucalyptus

champ103

Texas

3.48/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Pours an opaque ruby/brown color. A one finger tan head forms. Some sticky lace is left behind.
S: A sweet fruity aroma. Some cherries and apples with funky barnyard aromas. A light dry, wood aroma.
T: This is very sweet and tart. Cherries and apples that follow the nose. As this warms up, the tartness/sourness mellows out a bit.
M/D: A medium body, but over carbonated. A little thin. Dry. The sweetness, tartness and alcohol are a bit much. Its hard to finish the 750 ml bottle.

This is interesting, but just does not do it for me. Fairly simple for the style, and not very subtle. This is not my favorite De Proef offering.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2009 20:14:16 | More by champ103

paulthebeerguru

Florida

4.28/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: pours an opaque pale ruby color. light tan head. outstanding head retention. huge curtain lacing.

S: sour cherries, light citrus, major tartness. a little sugary. light berries as well.

T: very interesting palate. apples, cherries, a light amount of citrus. starts off very sweet, then turns to sours rapidly. light hint of spices. some caramel.

M: solid carbonation level, a little bubbly. wonderful opposite mouthfeels with the sweet and sour tartness. medium bodied.
very smooth and mellow for the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2009 01:24:32 | More by paulthebeerguru

cjgator3

Florida

3.83/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle

A- Corked and caged bottle poured into a large tulip glass. Pours a dark brownish amber color with a light tan colored head that leaves a ring of lace around the glass.

S- The aroma is very sweet and fruity with a lot of sour cherries, grapes and some oak.

T- The taste is a nice mixture of sweet and sour with some cherries, oak and a dry finish. The taste can be a little on the sweet side for me.

M- The mouthfeel is light bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation.

D- The 750ml bottle of this beer may be a bit too much for me due to the sweetness. However, this is a pretty unique and interesting beer that is definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2009 04:02:11 | More by cjgator3

illidurit

California

3.88/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pour: 750 mL bottle to La Chouffe tulip. Rusty brown color, sort of like raspberry preserves. One finger of beige head fizzes to a fluffy halo and leaves some nice lacing.

Nose: Brown sugar sweetness peeks through a shroud of tart cherries and fruitcake. There's a very slight earthiness too.

Mouth: If the aroma translated exactly over to the flavor this beer would be world class, but it doesn't quite. Seems a little thin and fizzy on the palate, leading to unsupported flavors. What I can taste is lightly tart with black cherries and a trademark bretty earthiness in the finish. What's missing is the malt/ester sweetness dueling with the vinegary sharpness that I get from Duchesse or La Folie when I consider the stylistic pinnacle. Not bad but definitely a tier below the best.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2009 09:00:42 | More by illidurit

ballewblake

New Jersey

4.08/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

From bottle into my Duvel tulip.

First pour resulted in a 2 finger white head on a dark purple body. Great lacing on the glass through out the drink. Some light grapes on the nose, but nothing in your face aroma wise. Tasty mild sour though. I'd say this is a good starter sour in the vain of Duchess de borgone. Very similar, with maybe less vinegar on the tongue. Easy to drink, light in alcohol, but pricey next to duchess at almost 14 bucks for a 750.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2009 02:48:16 | More by ballewblake

Halcyondays

California

4.18/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750 mL bottle,

A: Pours burgundy red with a light off-white head, good retention, light lacing.

S: Smell is great and complex. Ripe strawberry, with cherry juice, light balsamic vinegar and funk.

T: Strong fruit character, as in the smell strawberry jam is dominant with a light cherry kick. Mild oak astringency and solid lactic acid character balance the sweetness.

M: Moderate acidity, though not as much as I like in this style, but solid. Light bodied, quite easy to drink, with the H+ character, still quite smooth.

D; A real nice Flemish Red here. Its got the solid acidity this style needs with a lot of complexity. Very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2009 03:53:34 | More by Halcyondays

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

750ml corked & caged bottle poured into a chimay goblet twice. picked this up at state line not to long ago.

A- Zoetzuur is a dark red color with rusty qualities bordering on brown. A 1/2 finger off white sticky head comes forth with some moderate lacing. A bit more head retention would be nice.

S- A mix of sweet and sour goodness. I'm getting a lot of sour cherry and apples and barnyard funk. Other fruits such as raspberries come to mind. some oak and vinegar as expected.

T- The huge apple taste in this flemish is in the forefront with sour cherries to follow. Oak and wood follow with a touch of plum. I'm picking up some sweet malt(very slight) with the more prevelent vinegar bland taste. Some spices emerge as the beer warms and the sourness develops further.

M- A tad thinner that i'm used to and could use some work. Over all this is pretty mellow with good carbonation. The flavors do not stick around forever making it an easy drinker even though it's not my favorite flanders red.

D- Pretty good drinkability on this even though i was not too impressed by it. The flavors were there but the over all vinegar blandness keeps me from loving it. A thicker mouthfeel would of helped smooth things out. I probably would have enjoyed this more in the spring. One bottle is plenty.

Overall a good job by De Proef but not mindblowing, a good choice to introduce a newbie to the style.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2009 05:37:44 | More by onix1agr

philipquarles

Massachusetts

3.78/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy dark mahogany with red tinges. A large off-white head gives way to a half-finger of foam and a lot of lacing after a while. That signature Brett smell hits immediately, with all of its usual sour, musty character; the sour cherries only come through afterward, though they are quite strong. The funk dominates the taste as well, with citric sourness and leather both prominent. A hint of chocolaty roasted malt comes next, with the real cherry taste only evident after a few sips. A definite woodiness in the background. Another great beer from the Proefbrouwerij.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2009 22:33:15 | More by philipquarles

MrHungryMonkey

Texas

4.43/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Nose is medicinal and plastic with spicy overtones. Somewhat malty - smells like it is going to be sweet. Notes of citrus (orange, and/or lemon peel). Smells really good.

Pours a muddled dark brown color, almost no clarity, nice head with mild retention. Looks pretty good.

Medicinal up front and then sweet and malty followed by a nice punchy tartness. It has my full attention. Lemon/grapefruit citric veins run deep giving a nice juxtaposition to the fairly assertive sweetness and maltiness. Yeast is dry and powdery with plastic (almost latex) and sterile medicinalness all over. Nice and juicy - a tart, probably dark fruit. Full bodied, moderate carbonation.

Very exciting. Very tasty. I love it. I will buy this one again, for sure.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2009 03:03:05 | More by MrHungryMonkey

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.38/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle sampled on 09/26/08 at Night of the Funk. Pours a clear orange/brown with a small white head. Aroma of light tartness and melon and other sweet fruits. Flavor is tart with a bitter finish and also some stale wheat malt. Just kinda meh. Not terribly bad but not something I'd seek out again.
7/4/7/3/14 (3.5/5)

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2008 19:50:58 | More by LilBeerDoctor

allengarvin

Texas

4.35/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Duvel glass, this has a rusty brown color, with a persistent and thick inch-tall head. Fruity, very tart aroma, with a nice musty-cellar earthiness. Wow, a lot more brett-like character comes through in the flavor than I expected, or is usual for the style, and less sourness. There's a nice cheesy leather flavor up front, with a sour cherry fruitiness winding things up. There's even some drying bitterness in the middle that makes things rather interesting. Very curious, unique, and quite tasty!

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2008 18:25:08 | More by allengarvin

magictrokini

California

3.65/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle. Pours reddish amber with a thick cream-colored head. Aroma of apples and cherries, with some stinky cheese. Taste vastly improves as the beer warms. Cherry, caramel, and malt up front that turns sour quickly when cold, but smoothly when warmer. A tart, sweet finish. Definitely a sipper.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2008 22:59:49 | More by magictrokini

koopa

New Jersey

4.18/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750ml bottle purchased at Buyrite Liquors in South Plainfield NJ.

Appearance: When held up to the light the body is an attractive blood orange with pure orange corners. Nice 2.5 finger head of slightly off white head. Great retention and lacing everywhere.

Smell: Overripe tangerines and blood oranges meet bret yeast. Its bold and powerful but not my cup of tea.

Taste: This is NOT a good example of a Flanders Red by any stretch of the imagination. However, this FR meets Wild Ale cluster F@ck is mighty tasty. The Bret. yeast is really stealing the show. The initial taste is a touch sweet but the finish is pure dryness.

Mouthfeel: Quite creamy and well carbonated. Medium bodied.

Drinkablility: Good for being such a bret. driven brew.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2008 20:25:16 | More by koopa

pinotboy007

Virginia

3.43/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - Root beer-like color with a decent antique white head that fades slowly with some modest lacing; very attractive Flemish ale.

S - Sour red fruit with barnyard-like aroma and a tinge of what I would call pewter, but not in a negative way. Unique.

T - Off sour cherry/wine as if this ale had been aged in a barrel that used to hold red wine. Has a nice malt backbone.

M - Light fizz mingles with the creaminess in a nice but refreshing way.

D - With food - absolutely. I'm thinking venison or some sort of meat that has a fruit-laden reduction sauce. Drinking it solo isn't really inspiring for me, but to each his own!

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2008 22:10:12 | More by pinotboy007

stumac

Texas

4.35/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Quote of the night:

"You just can't beat a Thai prostitute at Connect Four." my buddy Rob

this brew pours a murky amber color with a decent off white head. great lacing all down my glass. the nose is sour, cherries, subtle malt. the taste is sour! fruits, complete tartness, cherries. full bodied, low carbo, sweet finish

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2008 18:36:03 | More by stumac

BeerZack

North Carolina

4.15/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Dark caramel or mahogany color with nice foamy covering that laces well.

Smells sweet and tart with alcohol notes. Very fruity fresh tart cherries, raspberries, cranberry, breadiness, a bit of funk and some alcohol.

Sweet and fruity up front with a good bit of tartness and some hints of vinegar that leads to funky earthy yeastiness on the dryish puckering finish.

Somewhat acidic, light carbonation, but not flat feeling, kinda creamy.

Very drinkable for the stlye.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2008 03:53:21 | More by BeerZack

Darkale

Virginia

4.28/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Odd to see myself drinking a Flanders Red Ale; when I first got into good beer, I thought beers like this were little more than carbonated vinegar, but I find myself enjoying this brew quite a bit.

The beer is a beautiful murky deep reddish-butterscotch orange, with a thin layer of tan head and spotty lacing.

Aroma is musty, sour, but only a hint of vinegar, just a tad sharp and acidic.

I can taste sour apple, more vinegar, but a round creamy background keeps it in check. Excellent mouthfeel - creamy and sweet against the sour.

A fun beer to drink -- interesting and different. Perhaps not as radically funky and sour as some are used to, but a good introduction to sour beers for the relatively uninitiated, and a pleasant sipper for an evening.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2008 23:12:55 | More by Darkale

roadhouse

Florida

4.03/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 750 ml bottle shared with my girlfriend into a tulip glass.

Appears a dark reddish brown, more red-orange behind some light with a two inch off-white head. Leaves lots of lace on the glass.

Aroma is initial a bit sweet with lots of tart cherries. Some subtle bubble gum esters and a bit of woodiness. Sourness is pretty subtle and not overly vinegary like some.

Taste its more of the cherries, a bit of bubble gum esters still present along with a general fruitiness. Gets more tart through the swallow but never gets to be sour. Finishes lightly woody and dry.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, smooth and well rounded. A bit slick.

Pretty good overall but not nearly as good as Rodenbach Grand Cru. Quite enjoyable and not too sour. A good intro to funky beers.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2008 04:40:33 | More by roadhouse

BradLikesBrew

Missouri

4/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a: Hazy orange/brown body with a cream colored head.

s: Big sour cherry notes.

t: A surprise here: the aroma is cherry, but the flavor is sour apple and peach, odd. More sweet than sour, but still plenty of mouth-puckering goodness to provide some "balance."

m: A wonderful, lightly astringent pucker.

d: I've said it before, I'll say it again: I love sour beers.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2008 18:20:49 | More by BradLikesBrew

DefenCorps

Oregon

3.7/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

25.4oz bottle picked up at the Village Pump in College Park a while back. Into my trusty Duvel tulip

A: The first pour is a gorgeous clear crimson with a dense beige head with excellent retention that leaves some lacing as it slowly recedes

S: Sweet and fruity (cherries) with a good deal of bready notes. Doesn't smell very sour at all. Oak is subtle. Not very complex.

T: Light bodied, this beer starts off with fruity with cherries and red plums before developing a mild acetic sourness. Oak is present with a definite woody presence. The finish is a mixture of dry and sweet.

M: Carbonation is great and the mildly tart finish make for a very refreshing beer. Unfortunately, it's a little watery on the finish.

D: This is fairly drinkable and I'm enjoying this.

Notes: This is a good beer in its own right but in the past two weeks, I've had decidedly better beers, the Ommengang Rouge and Rodenbach Grand Cru. This doesn't stack up too well against them, though.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2008 20:40:57 | More by DefenCorps

ArrogantB

Colorado

3.05/5  rDev -22.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

750ml bottle $9.99. Nice red color with almost no head. It smells great, cherries, sour some muddy vinegar. The taste is indeed sweet-sour but leans toward neither side. It is just barely sweet and barely sour, good balance. Nice cherry note, reminds me a tad of Jolly Pumpkin biere de mars. This was money well spent.

Update 12/2012

Grainy flavor, iron and blood, sort of ugly smell. Not sure if this changed in recipe since I had it several years back but this bottle sucked bad.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2008 02:26:19 | More by ArrogantB

rye726

Colorado

4.38/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Nice reddish brown color with a creamy tan head. The nose has tart fruits, ripe berries and musky barnyard wood. The taste is similar. Perhaps not as potent as other red's, but has a nice balance between sweet malts, tart citrus and oaky funk. Crisp body suits ale well. A superb brew and my new favorite from DeProef.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2008 02:29:54 | More by rye726

Patrick

Massachusetts

3.68/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: A deep brown/ murky red color with an off white head that leaves quite a bit of bubbly lacing.

S: I only get a bit of cherries and acetic acid on the nose, and not much else. Pretty lackluster.

T: Not much acidity at all, very disappointing. I was expecting a Flanders Red Ale not an Oud Bruin. A malty sweetness lingers after the initial and brief taste of vinegar. The after taste is that of cherries.

M: Pretty dry, well carbonated, almost bread like aftertaste.

D: I could drink this beer easily, but if I wanted something of this style I am going to drink Rodenbach Grand Cru before this. Rodenbach is cheaper and tastes a lot better.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2008 23:05:07 | More by Patrick