The second of my Belgian beers for this final week of pressure is a new one to me, and the first of a new style.
The style is Flemish Sour Red/Brown Ale.
The beer is Rodenbach Grand Cru.
I was apprehensive.
It pours a muddy murky brown colour, though there didn't seem to be any yeast sediment in the glass. The aroma is at first musty apple cider, with a sharp sour note following. Many people seem to think of Balsamic vinegar here, and I see what they mean. Cherries and red berries join the apple on the nose, while the malt character is just about present underneath. The taste is more or less the same, with sour apple and a funky yeasty flavour dominating the palate, with a shadow of the fruit bouquet appearing to balance the experience. There are no bad flavours, but the sourness of the beer is very powerful, and to the uninitiated (me), it can be just a bit too much.
Hopefully, my exploration of lambics will go better than this.
Still, worth a look at least.
I like sour beer, but this is just too vinegary for me. Plain Rodenbach is much more palateable, I find.
ReplyDeleteI agree, it's just too much. I think I'd fare better with something fruitier to begin with, or just a bit more balanced.
ReplyDeleteOne of the few beers I have ever tasted I didn't enjoy.... the first time. I tried it in Belgium about 4 years ago and it was just too much for me. Tried it earlier this year and got it. Still never going to be my favourite beer though. Mind you it's better than marriage parfait... that is WAY TOO MUCH.
ReplyDeleteCosmic in Crumlin
I reckon this sort of thing takes getting used to, but for now I can't handle the vinegary smell/taste.
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