Flanders Fred (w/ Alan Sprints) - De Proefbrouwerij (bvba Andelot)

pmarlowe

California

4.23/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap. Tulip glass.

A: Graduated from medium golden to lager-like straw, with a finger or so of off white head and wild streaks and dots of lacing. Recedes to a nice ring. Good retention.

S: Pale malt, bright and tart esters (apple), subtle citrus and cherry round out the nose nicely.

T: Crisp and refreshingly tart, red tart apple and a little cherry. The flavors aren't quite integrated as they could be, though, which knocks it a bit.

M: Medium body, light carbonation, not quite crisp which detracts a little.

O: Great beer, refreshing, but expensive price point. Has the right level of tartness, not stepping into the range you might call sour.

Serving type: on-tap

08-26-2012 01:06:50 | More by pmarlowe

beerpadawan

California

4.75/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Beautiful nose on the beer; I sat deeply inhaling for a moment before taking a sip. Definitely prominent sour and fruit aromas. Foamy, white head retained well. It was a deep golden color; a pleasure to look at in a Belgian-style glass.

At lunch time, this was a delicious beer to enjoy while the sun shone (outside). It was refreshing and crisp despite it's somewhat elevated strength. Very pleasing sour notes, though not intensely sour.

Serving type: on-tap

08-25-2012 19:41:36 | More by beerpadawan

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.95/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a Unibroue tulip. Pours a clear orange amber. One finger off-white head with good retention and nice lacing. Aroma of light fruit, citrus, Belgian spicing and mild malt. Flavor is dominated by tart cherry, apple and citrus. Light earthy and light fruit flavors develop, finishing tart with a distinct acetic acid aftertaste, a hint of funk. This is nicely complex, but I'm having a really hard time detecting the Fred under the Flanders fruit and tartness. There is a hint of sweetness and citrus that is reminiscent of Fred. My tastes would have leaned towards more Fred than Flanders, but I still enjoyed this well made collaboration. The flavor complexity and depth carry it through. Light to medium body with pleasant carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2012 03:54:10 | More by LiquidAmber

womencantsail

California

3.68/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy orange/amber color with a sticky white head. Some acetic sourness, cherry, and a nice lactic note. There is a fair amount of oak, some grass, and a bit of lemon peel. A touch of fruity sweetness. The flavor is quite tart, maybe a bit on the acetic side. Red wine vinegar, leather, some oak, and a hint of cherry. A little bit of lemon and lemon peel. Light malt and fruit sweetness in the background. Just a hint of straw and grass in there too.

Serving type: on-tap

08-16-2012 06:39:53 | More by womencantsail

suncrust

Washington

3.93/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750mL bottle poured to a tulip.

A: Pours a hazy, clouded honey-orange with a foamy white cap. Bubbles rapidly push upward from the glass bottom. Very active carbonation reminiscent of champagne. A light, white lacing stuck all the way down.

S: Sour barrel and subtle cherry hit my nose first. Mellow but complex citrus, especially apricot & tangerine. Tart plums blend nicely with a soft sugared candy, and sweet breads. Underneath lie herbal notes & spice, melding with barnyard funk & yeast.

T: Very layered, and ever changing. Starts with a little spice, soft, tart tangerine & citrus notes that mellow quickly to reveal an earthy element, subtle bitterness & dry barrel. Mid-palette sour green apple lingers, finishing with faint breads, sweet toffee syrup, yeast, cherry skins and more spices. Barrel oak, funk… if you look for something in this, you'll probably find it. There's a lot happening.

MF: Lots of prickly carbonation, medium body, with some warming booze. I taste Fred the most in the mouthfeel.

O: A really interesting beer. There's so much happening I felt each sip was exploratory. Some were intriguing & balanced, others deceptive & chaotic. Tart, dry, sweet, soft, citrusy, earthy, and continually evolving. Tough to rate. Tasty though.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2012 01:26:08 | More by suncrust

UCLABrewN84

California

4.43/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Lucky Baldwin’s in Pasadena, CA.

Pours a murky honey orange with a foamy off-white head that settles to a small cap on top of the beer. Foamy rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is sour, tart, and slightly funky with some fruity and vinegar aromas. Taste is much the same with an acidic finish. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a very good beer that is super tasty and easy to drink. Definitely a winner with the blend of the two beers that make up this one.

Serving type: on-tap

08-14-2012 01:03:20 | More by UCLABrewN84

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.2/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Nice fluffy head nice lacing, crystal clear pale golden color.

Nose light tart plum like Flanders nose, little bready and syrupy, just a bit of funk.

Taste bready tart little funk, earthy light bitterness, little reddish darker fruit tartness, reddish malts and typical Flanders Red earthy like flavor that's hard to describe other than calling it Flanders Red. Hint of esters, green apple, acetic acid, and Belgian candy like.

Mouth is med bodied, good carb, just a hint of warming booze.

Overall interesting, nice flavors, good belgian, has some Flanders red style characters, with other slight lambic and Belgian strong flavors as well. Quite well done overall though.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 23:27:27 | More by jlindros

barleywinefiend

Washington

4.03/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured a nice orangish golden color with great carbonation providing a nice fluffy white cap and some nice lacing

S: Nose is def a sweet Fed base with a nice sour, tartness coupled with green aplles, white grapes and some pears

T: Immediate Fred base is noticable with some tartness, Earthiness and old wood, puckering sourness followed by red cherries, pears, white grape, green apple and a rather dry, stinging finish

M: Medium bodied, well carbonated, Fred stickinees, tart and white orchard fruits linger on the palate

O: Enjoyable, no major complaints and pretty much what I was expecting

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 23:26:36 | More by barleywinefiend

HuskyinPDX

Washington

4.28/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Picked up a bottle in Portland, opened on 8.4.12.

A - Pours a cloudy medium dark orange with a two inch cream-colored head. Solid retention.

S - Belgian yeast, some subtle spices.

T - Sweet cherry candy, spices, dirt, Belgian yeast. A lot going on here.

D - Good carbonation with a medium body. Sweet finish.

O - Lots going on with this one. Solid flavor profile with a nice HotD (Alan) touch.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2012 05:47:03 | More by HuskyinPDX

writerLJBerg

Oregon

3.73/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750ml bottle.

A: Hazy copper with a bubbling champagne head that quickly recedes. Good bubbles.

N: Grass and hayfields, lemon and green apple. Some cherry and tannins, though I'm not sure this is oak aged. Plenty of white grape. Some sugary sweetness.

T: Vinous grape juice. A good tartness, but I'm rather suprised how little Fred I get as this warms. Lemon, apple, some acetone and cherry to show the flanders side. Some caramel and toffee. M: Spot on here. Well carbonated and light, especially for a 7.5% beer.

O: Tough beer to rate. It's at odds with itself every other pour, in turns complex and delicious, at other times revealing apathy.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2012 19:05:10 | More by writerLJBerg

rfgetz

Pennsylvania

4.6/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a lightly hazed, but bright gold color, full cap of dense prickly bubbles, great retention and lacing. Scent brings a wounderful bouquet of tart pitted fruit, citrus and mellon, backed by earthy, musty grain, hay and wood. Wonderfully uniquie and complex taste... all the great qualities of a tart lambic, fruity (citrus, mellon, cherry) and the malt (caramel, toffee) touches of an old ale. While its blended, the taste is about 75-80% lambic. Medium bodied, smooth and prickly at the same time, dry. Fantastic beer that shows how two styles very different in make up can be blended with great results.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2012 14:37:25 | More by rfgetz

PeterIngemi

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Split a 750 ml poured Into a duvel glass.

A: pours a nice slightly burnt, hazy amber:golden with a little more then a finger of puffy white head... You can see carbonation bubbles rushing up the glass ... Creating a beatiful film of head that sticks around through out and a very nice amount of sticky lacing.

S: citrusy sour notes, lemon, melon, apple.... A touch of vinegar in the sourness as well... Notes of oak and tart cherry skins come through as well, a very nice and inviting nose.

T: much like the nose I get layers of tart fruits and citrus, melon, lemon, sour apple, a hint of cherry... Some caramel and toffe malt notes come into play toward the finish as well, this is a very nice blend with everything working together very nicley to create a delicious taste profile.

M: lush and creamy medium mouthfeel with medium to high crisp stinging carbonation, a bit of a lingering tart aftertaste.

O: this is a very delicious brew, nice and sour and tart with very nice sour citrus notes and a beautiful lush mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 01:26:47 | More by PeterIngemi

Dope

Massachusetts

4.23/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a slightly hazy, deep golden/almost orange pour. Big fluffy tan head. Fades slowly, leaving an almost solid wall of nice fluffy lacing everywhere. Leaves a floating island of foam that sticks around forever.

S: Lemons and apricot. Nice yeasty breadiness. Touch of black pepper in there for a little spice kick. I swear I even get a little green grape skin and apple. Light, crisp and refreshing fruity aroma.

T: Very tart up front. Apples and lemons primarily. Turns into a bit of astringent piney hoppiness. Then finishes with a flourish of bread and lingering tartness and bitterness from the fruit and hops. Very interesting three phases of different flavors and feels. As it warms the sour character tends to take over a bit.

M: Fairly light for the ABV, nice crisp and refreshing. A bit astringent and drying.

O: I have to say, I am very surprised by this brew. I do NOT like sour beers and I did NOT like Fred (-12% rDev). I don't even know why I bought this, especially given the price. But I sure am glad I did. It has amazing complexity of flavors with distinct phases of flavor, all while staying nicely balanced. Not too sour, not too hoppy, no overpowering maltiness. It is crisp, refreshing and delicious. Expertly crafted. Or just a lucky blend. Who knows, who cares.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 03:27:16 | More by Dope

BDIMike

Ohio

4.53/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a fantastic looking beer. A light brown, dark red color, almost a brass. A constant stream of carbonation creates a thick fluffy white head that sticks to the sides of the glass the entire way down.
Smell has some very nice fruity smells to it. So many different tart fruit smells really dominate the nose. Orange, lemon, cherries, and others. Also a nice bit of Belgian spiciness and a good pine hop too.
Taste is great. The beer starts very tart with the strong citrus fruit tastes. The tart subsides and a good hop taste enters the equation. The good hops are balanced by the dark cherry tastes and even some green apple.
Mouthfeel is very nice. The tartness is not as sharp as expected. It puckers your cheeks, but the Fred comes out and settles you back into the drink. A nice dry fruitiness that makes you want to take another sip, too.
Drinkability is awesome on this beer. Definitely the best limbic or half-lambic I have ever had. So many great tastes going on and the high alcohol can be tasted, but it adds to the complexity of the beer. Very nice and smooth and rare. If you have the unique opportunity to get your hands on this beer, do not let it get away.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 01:32:34 | More by BDIMike

ndak

Pennsylvania

4.93/5  rDev +16%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Truly an amazing experience. Poured into a tulip glass and first tried it cold. When cold the lambic hits you on the front of the tongue. Sourness similar to that of Suplication. When it warms to right above room temperature the lambic hits the middle of the tongue and the Fred aspect of the beer appears on the finish with a nice smooth carmel dryness.

Like a fine cigar this beer is complex and is great when served cold and as it warms. Two different experiences that are equally as good.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2012 00:16:35 | More by ndak

mwilbur

Minnesota

4.83/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A blended beer of Fred from Hair of the Dog (brewed at De Proef in March 2012) and Flemish lambic from Bockor Brewery. Poured from 750 mL bottle into snifter.
A: Pours a dark and hazy golden hue with a 2 inch creamy white fluffy-bubbly head. Tremendous retention that lasts, and lasts, and lasts...(the high carbonation continues to feed and perpetuate the head) Beautiful thick lacing.
S: Fresh melon, mild pepper, tart lambic notes, sweet citrus, belgian yeast spice, with some pine hop notes in the background. Complex, yet wonderfully balanced.
T: Wow! Mildly tart lambic only modestly overshadows pine and citrus hops (the lambic tastes like 51% of the blend even though Fred was). Sweet and fresh fruit (especially berries and cherries) quickly follows the initial tart burst. Hint of melon and green apple. In the background you'll find toasted malt and pine resin. The lambic hits up front and Fred takes over the end of the taste progression with stronger malt and hop notes. Truly a 2-in-1 brew. With warming, Fred's hop notes come more to the forefront.
M: Initially tart, quickly turns toward sweet (fruit), then settles down to a smoother (malt) feel, and finishes mildly dry and bitter (hops). Mild barnyard funk in the finish too. Medium body. Very mild and actually refreshing alcohol throughout (seems to augment and aerate the fresh fruit notes). An almost wine-like quality to the feel as well.
D: Another amazing collaboration brew! It's astonishing how there is a distinct split between the two blended beers with the lambic dominating the initial experience and Fred taking over the finish. A nice refreshing summer beer. Seek it out!

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2012 04:16:56 | More by mwilbur