pilsnerrogge (4802) reviewed Alexander from Brouwerij Rodenbach 24 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Sourish taste, reminds me of unripe apples. The taste of oak casks is also evident.
Oakes (33770) reviewed Classic from Brouwerij Rodenbach 24 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Good, but I'm a diehard Grand Cru fan, so this comes off a little light for my taste.
Oakes (33770) reviewed Grand Cru from Brouwerij Rodenbach 25 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 9
I went quite a while without seeing this beer. Palm bought the brewery, tried to brew it away from the venerated Rodenbach site. This of course didn’t work and they went back. Finally, they felt comfortable exporting it again, and finally I was able to try it again. It used to be that I wanted to die choking to death on this glorious brew. Where does it stack up now?
Orangey-red colour. Fruity aroma shows cherry and black currant, but also a little bit of sugar. (Sugar was tradittionally added to cut the intense acidity but is not on the ingredient list on my bottle today). Very tart body. Vibrant, with cherry, red currants, plums, and underlying sweet malts. Well balanced. Clean acidity, unlike some other Flemish sours that have acetic influences. Big, tangy, rounded. Without the benefit of sampling fresh old Grand Cru and fresh new Grand Cru together, I find it sharper, but slightly less complex, than in the pre-Palm days. A slight downgrade from perfection, but still a classic.
NotABeerProfessor (3582) reviewed Classic from Brouwerij Rodenbach 25 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Cloudy red-amber. Blood-like iron aroma. More drinkable than the balsamic-vinegary Flemish sours I've had otherwise. There is a clear vinegary tartness but also an earthiness and slight caramelized sweetness to add balance.
Oakes (33770) reviewed Alexander from Brouwerij Rodenbach 25 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 9
My first serious rate: Vintage 2000. For the last batch of this, some bottles made it to Ontario. Word of its demise was already out by the time it hit the shelves, so I stocked up as much as my broke ass could. In September 2008 I sampled my last bottle with Beershine and Kimchee. It was quite sweet up front, but got drier as it progressed through a rich cherryish body towards a lingering tart finish that eventually grips the throat. It’s got a deep rodenbachy aroma with abundant cherry still, even after 8 years. The body is starting to show a bit of thinness - it’s an old age for such a light beer. But otherwise, this is still going strong, the sense of balance undisturbed and the quality still evident. RIP Alexander.