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Flanders Fred (w/ Alan Sprints)
De Proefbrouwerij (bvba Andelot)
- From:
- De Proefbrouwerij (bvba Andelot)
- Belgium
- Style:
- Belgian Pale Strong Ale
- ABV:
- 7.5%
- Score:
- 93
- Avg:
- 4.16 | pDev: 10.1%
- Reviews:
- 90
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Jan 03, 2021
- Added:
- Jul 08, 2012
- Wants:
- 31
- Gots:
- 61
The sixth edition of the De Proef Brewmaster’s Collaboration Series is our first blended beer. Legendary brewer, Alan Sprints of Hair of the Dog joins Dirk Naudts at De Proef to create this unique bottle conditioned beer. Flanders Fred is a blend of Flanders-sourced lambic with a collaboratively-brewed version of the famous Hair of the Dog Fred.
The result is a deep golden ale topped with a creamy off white head. The nose is complex with notes of lemon, pine, tropical fruits and spice. The palate is rich and layered with toffee, apricot and almond, balanced by some green apple, a hoppy bitterness and barnyard funk.
Please enjoy Flanders Fred with food and friends. This beer should pair very well with many cheeses, roasted vegetables and grilled meats. We believe this bottle will continue to evolve beautifully over the next few years, adding a subtle blending of the flavors.
Cheers from Portland and Flanders!
Alan & Dirk
The result is a deep golden ale topped with a creamy off white head. The nose is complex with notes of lemon, pine, tropical fruits and spice. The palate is rich and layered with toffee, apricot and almond, balanced by some green apple, a hoppy bitterness and barnyard funk.
Please enjoy Flanders Fred with food and friends. This beer should pair very well with many cheeses, roasted vegetables and grilled meats. We believe this bottle will continue to evolve beautifully over the next few years, adding a subtle blending of the flavors.
Cheers from Portland and Flanders!
Alan & Dirk
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by zac16125 from South Carolina
3.76/5 rDev -9.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.76/5 rDev -9.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
750 mL bottle into a snifter
i believe this was 2016 vintage
Pour is a rather, let’s just say unappealing greyish brown, it’s very murky to the point of being opaque, does have a nice bright white head that has great retention. Certainly not a looker. Aroma is mostly strong ale / American barleywine notes upfront with lots of apple, caramel/toffee. I also get fairly prominent fruity phenols. Next comes some some tart sour characters, lemon zest, a bit of musty funk and some barnyard notes. There’s a ton going on on the nose, although I’m not sure I love it all. Taste is, unique. Kind of like a fruity saison. Floral, phenols, some musty funk and wet barn notes. Subtle tartness with lemon zest and a bit of orange. The american strong ale notes are there with some caramel, apple, and a bit of hoppy bitterness. It’s complex, there’s a ton going on, I don’t hate it but I don’t love it. Mouthfeel is full bodied, carbonation on the lower end, it’s quite heavy with a limited drinkability. Overall, an interesting beer but it just did not do it for me.
3.25/4/3.75/3.5/3.75
Jan 03, 2021i believe this was 2016 vintage
Pour is a rather, let’s just say unappealing greyish brown, it’s very murky to the point of being opaque, does have a nice bright white head that has great retention. Certainly not a looker. Aroma is mostly strong ale / American barleywine notes upfront with lots of apple, caramel/toffee. I also get fairly prominent fruity phenols. Next comes some some tart sour characters, lemon zest, a bit of musty funk and some barnyard notes. There’s a ton going on on the nose, although I’m not sure I love it all. Taste is, unique. Kind of like a fruity saison. Floral, phenols, some musty funk and wet barn notes. Subtle tartness with lemon zest and a bit of orange. The american strong ale notes are there with some caramel, apple, and a bit of hoppy bitterness. It’s complex, there’s a ton going on, I don’t hate it but I don’t love it. Mouthfeel is full bodied, carbonation on the lower end, it’s quite heavy with a limited drinkability. Overall, an interesting beer but it just did not do it for me.
3.25/4/3.75/3.5/3.75
Reviewed by John_M from Washington
4.27/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.27/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
On tap at Arch Bridge today.
The beer pours a copper amber color with red highlights. The beer has excellent head retention and considerable sticky lacing all around. The nose is attractive, in what I assume is a pretty fresh batch of this beer. The Fred base beer is very prominent, delivering considerable honey and light brown sugar. It blends in quite well I think with the light funk and vinegar I'm getting as well. The flavor profile replicates the nose pretty closely, with the sweetness from the Fred balanced nicely by the light sour and funk I'm picking up. Mouthfeel is medium bodied I guess, but with a long, smooth lingering finish. Alcohol is very well integrated into the flavor profile, and seemed about perfect for the style.
Very nice beer. Would definitely order again.
Jan 20, 2020The beer pours a copper amber color with red highlights. The beer has excellent head retention and considerable sticky lacing all around. The nose is attractive, in what I assume is a pretty fresh batch of this beer. The Fred base beer is very prominent, delivering considerable honey and light brown sugar. It blends in quite well I think with the light funk and vinegar I'm getting as well. The flavor profile replicates the nose pretty closely, with the sweetness from the Fred balanced nicely by the light sour and funk I'm picking up. Mouthfeel is medium bodied I guess, but with a long, smooth lingering finish. Alcohol is very well integrated into the flavor profile, and seemed about perfect for the style.
Very nice beer. Would definitely order again.
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois
4.34/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.34/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Drank 4/28/14 @ Fountainhead.
Orange/red murk.
Off-white head; minimal lace.
A mildly tart strawberry nose.
Medium thin mouthfeel.
Strawberry & raspberry notes in the flavor, with a vinegar tartness.
Complex yet quite quaffable.
Mar 23, 2019Orange/red murk.
Off-white head; minimal lace.
A mildly tart strawberry nose.
Medium thin mouthfeel.
Strawberry & raspberry notes in the flavor, with a vinegar tartness.
Complex yet quite quaffable.
Reviewed by Beerzebub from California
4.27/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.27/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
750 ml, 2012 bottling ("10/04/14" on cork).
Sort of a copper color with a modest smattering of froth. Smells malty and cidery, lightly oxidative but not in a bad way; hardly any of the vinegary tang that one expects from the style. On the palate some moderate acidity comes through, together with caramel malty sweetness and they complement each other quite well; tasty and balanced, with some fruity and earthy complexity. Low but perfectly adequate carbonation; silky smooth texture. Low intensity, but enjoyable. Seems to have aged gracefully.
Jul 20, 2017Sort of a copper color with a modest smattering of froth. Smells malty and cidery, lightly oxidative but not in a bad way; hardly any of the vinegary tang that one expects from the style. On the palate some moderate acidity comes through, together with caramel malty sweetness and they complement each other quite well; tasty and balanced, with some fruity and earthy complexity. Low but perfectly adequate carbonation; silky smooth texture. Low intensity, but enjoyable. Seems to have aged gracefully.
Reviewed by avalon07 from South Carolina
4.06/5 rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.06/5 rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
L: Poured from a bottle to a tulip glass. Had a dark, burnt orange color and a cloudy texture. There was an inch of foamy, fairly long-lasting head. Excellent lacing.
S: A nice aroma of Belgian yeast, apples, other light fruit, and some spices as well.
T: Tasted of some fruit notes (raspberries, in particular), apples, light pine notes, a bit of Belgian yeast (not as much as expected), a hint of toffee, some citrus (lemon), and a little pepper. A very solid flavor that's more subtle than expected. Could have used a little push forward, but still pretty good.
F: An above average amount of carbonation with a smooth finish. Medium-bodied.
O: On the whole, this is a solidly made, easy to drink beer. Worth a try.
Jun 22, 2017S: A nice aroma of Belgian yeast, apples, other light fruit, and some spices as well.
T: Tasted of some fruit notes (raspberries, in particular), apples, light pine notes, a bit of Belgian yeast (not as much as expected), a hint of toffee, some citrus (lemon), and a little pepper. A very solid flavor that's more subtle than expected. Could have used a little push forward, but still pretty good.
F: An above average amount of carbonation with a smooth finish. Medium-bodied.
O: On the whole, this is a solidly made, easy to drink beer. Worth a try.
Reviewed by bluejacket74 from Ohio
4.21/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.21/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
750 ml caged and corked bottle, 2016 vintage (Limited Re-Release). Served in a MadTree Teku, the beer pours a hazy burnt orange color with about an inch off-white head that stuck around for a while. There's also a lot of lacing. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like apricot, lemon, funk, red berries, and sweet spiciness. Taste is similar to the aroma, there's lemon, green apple, tart berries, funk, grainy malt, oak, mineral and some caramel flavors. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit slick and is well carbonated. It's also easy enough to drink. I thought this was a good enjoyable wild ale, I missed it the first time it was released but glad I was able to pick up a bottle this time around. Definitely worth a try! $14.99 a bottle.
Jan 13, 2017Reviewed by LAp from Ohio
3.73/5 rDev -10.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
3.73/5 rDev -10.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
Tried in a taster at a Flanders Red tasting event. Pours a darker brown (less red than its Flanders bretheren). A nondescript nose with a somewhat off note. The palate had a bit of off-funk: hard to characterize, certainly not in style, and possibly an off beer. Missing the dark fruit and vinegar I expected, and had an almost toffee or caramel note hiding under the unusual funk. Mouthfeel was thicker than the other Flanders beers it was compared too. Hard to review, as it was such a nonsequitur (and possibly skunked beer). One I would definitely try again to make sure this is in fact how the beer is meant to taste, but this instantiation is not one I would return to.
Oct 13, 2016
Flanders Fred (w/ Alan Sprints) from De Proefbrouwerij (bvba Andelot)
Beer rating:
93 out of
100 with
311 ratings
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