Rodenbach Grand Cru

Another Rodenbach ale? Why yes, I do like Rodenbach, in addition to sours. I'll just dive right into the meat of this one.

The Grand Cru, which is a blend of 1/3 young beer and 2/3 beer aged for 2 years in oak vats, pours out of the 750 mL corked and caged bottle a lovely dark mahogany, with ruby tones, and a small cap of tan fizz.

The aroma is sour with a bold fruitiness of cherries and currants, some sugary sweetness, and mild yeast notes. The taste is outstanding, like the nose. It is sour, for sure, and there are a lot of those big fruit notes that contribute to both the sweetness and the sourness. The oak aging adds vanilla to the mix, and there is some woody dryness, as well.

The mouth feel is neither thick nor thin, is prickly and astringent, and has some mild carbonation that dances across the tongue. The Grand Cru finishes with a pleasant sour/tart kick that easily bumps this beer up in the ranks. The Rodenbach Grand Cru is fantastic, much better than regular Rodenbach. Too bad I didn't get any of this in Belgium...

Brouwerij Rodenbach
Rodenbach Grand Cru
TCSH - 10/10
Aka - Sour explosions in your mouth. A real shining star.

Dallas