8.4/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle: Poured a reddish colored brew with a nice bubbly head with standard retention. Aroma is nice mix of oak and cherry with some acidic and tart note also noticeable. Taste is an extremely complex mix of oak, sour cherry (without the sweetness) and some tart and acidic notes also mix in there. The finish is quite bitter; carbonation is average and body is medium. Overall, this is a very complex beer that is also very refreshing. Now, if I can get my hand on some Alexander I would be a happy man.
Tried
from Bottle
on 31 May 2004
at 09:35
8.9/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8.5
Rerate: Drank it out of a proper glass this time, still a great beer! Original rating: 330 ml bottle, ABV 6%. Drank it out of a plastic "glass" (sacrilege, I know!) at cellar temperature. Cherry-like aroma with hints of cowshed and silage. Flavour is sour/acidic/red wine vinegar-like, with strong barnyard and silage elements (not that I normally eat silage, but still...). This was my first Flemish red ale, an exciting experience! It will not be my last beer of this style. (Okay, I know I wrote my rating of the Duchesse de Bourgogne a bit earlier today, but I actually drank the Rodenbach 4-5 days before the Duchesse).
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Mar 2004
at 15:48
8.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9.5
The aroma is sweet with notes of over-ripe cherries and a light sourness. The color is a clear amber with no head. The flavor is of sweet cherries and slightly sour with notes of wood and an extremely dry end. A fantastic flavor in a fantastic beer. A have to say thanks a million to Alex (fiulijn) for trading me this beer - thanks, Alex.
Tried
on 08 Jan 2004
at 17:03
6.6/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Very dark brown in colour-almost completely opaque, with a thin-fast dissipating off-white head. Grapey/cherry aroma with the addition of spices and malt. Medium-bodied; Sour cherry flavour initially showing sweetness and some subtle spices. Aftertaste very clean-but tart and sour-Very nice! Overall, a good beer to try! I tasted this 25 cL bottle courtesy of my sister's fiance, which he got from Belgium! I sampled this one on 27-November-2003.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Dec 2003
at 19:50
6.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
The aroma is slightly sour and sweet with notes of plums and the wild fermentation - really good. The color is deep red and slightly unclear. The head is beige and long lasting. The flavor is lovely: sour and sweet with notes of black currant and plums, and it ends on a nice acidicness. A little thin for a Belgium beer - probably the 5% ABV.
Tried
on 01 Oct 2003
at 11:44
7/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Red-amber color, quite dark; generous thick head. Powerful nose, sour, wood, plastic (my old Christmas tree…). Good balance between the light sweetness and the light sourness, plus some oak; maybe not enough mature, and too light. Ordinary palate, fresh and fruity.
Tried
on 04 Sep 2003
at 06:36
7.9/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
2021-05-02, bottle, bb 04.02.23, 7-4-7-3-15=36
Just a bit brighter and cleaner than the older bottle, with some head. Less acetic, equally sweet, the fruit is more cherry jam, the finish too is a bit short.
2021-05-02, bottle, bb 18.05.21, 7-4-7-3-15=36
More brown than amber, almost no red shade. Moderate aroma of acetic. Soft mouthfeel, with mild residual sweetness, mild acidity, prune juice, a bit short in the finish.
2018-01-24, bottle, tagged 30.05.19, 7-4-7-3-14=35
Nice balance of acetic character, malt, balsamic, fruit in the aroma. Good body strength, with mild residual sweetness; the malt flavor is simple, the cherry-like fruitiness and light acetic are pleasant. The final is simple like the rest, still decent, a bit short.
Pleasant beer, not very complex.
2012-11-12, draught at La Fine Mousse, Paris, 7-4-7-3-15=36
Dark color with red shades; creamy head but not persistent. Sour aroma, a bit acetic, fruit, rotten fruits too (not exactly fresh, almost fruit flies prone). Highly carbonated, smooth mouthfeel; good caramel flavor with red fruit tones, medium acidity and just a shade of acetone. In the final, there is a light impression of acetone.
Could be more complex, probably still young, but already pleasant.
2012-03-25, draught at Fairbar, Århus, 7-4-7-3-14=35
Hazy red dark amber color, with thin head. The aroma has mild sourness, and a fruity character. The body has an average strength, the mouthfeel is smooth (high carbonation); good flavor of caramel, with sharp acidity, vinegar traces, and fruity backbone. Very good.
2010-10-29, draught at Plan B, 6-4-6-3-13=32
Dark brown color, small head. The aroma is very vinegary. The body is quite lean; there is some caramel aroma, limited residual sweetness, and an evident acetic character; a bit fruity. Sour, but not the most pleasant one.
2003-06-24, bottle, 7-5-8-4-15=39
Beautiful red-amber color. Acetic, sweet and astringent. Pleasant but not impressive, nor particularly fruity.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Jul 2003
at 02:13
9.3/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 10
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 9
Brown, with blackcurrant or burgundy shine; yellowish-brown head, dense, lacey. Woody nose, lactic acid, fruitessence (black cherry), Black forest cake, vinous. Taste is vinous, sharp tones both of lactic and acetic acid. Unbelievable, but there is still some sweetness under all the tangle of sour tastes. Tart, even adstringent, dry-out effect. Lots of esters, yet remarkably clean palate. Twist of metallic oxide in the aftertaste. A classic, much less affected by the Palm take-over than the "Classic". Oh, my kingdom for a bottle-conditioned version.
Tried
from Bottle
on 22 Jun 2003
at 09:52
8.5/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
Bottle Deep red body. Off-white fizzy head, that disappears quickly. Intense aroma of wood, sour cherries, lactics, vinegar, ... Heavily sour, lightly sweet initial flavour. Moderately sour finish. Very well balanced, full flavour of sour cherries, with some tartness. Very complex flavour. Just splendid Rodenbach continues to make this almost perfect beer.
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 May 2003
at 13:52
9.4/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 10
Texture 10
Overall 9.5
2016-10-21, vintage 2016, corked, 5.6% ABV, 7-5-7-3-14=36
Hazy dark red-amber color, large head, compact. Mild cherry balsamic aroma, sweet. Sweet flavor, some cherry syrup, and a light note of vinegar.
No depth, decent beer.
2011-02-04, bottle from De Heeren van Liedekercke, vintage 1995, bb 11-05-97, 16 years old, 8-5-10-5-19=47
The bottle is in good conditions; the cap is not rusty, just the rubber has some bubbles. Beautiful color, ruby and amber; the head is small, but a few bubbles are persistent on the surface. The aroma is strong; sweet caramel, red fruits and moderate sourness, with a touch of wood and acetic; later there is some aroma of prunes. The mouthfeel is very smooth; the blend of caramel, sugars, fruits and sourness is a symphony; the woody character and tannins are very attenuated; the final, although still balanced, shows some more sourness and a light astringency.
Compared to many other beers, this one excels also because of the sweetness that balances the acidity, the correct body strength, and the absence of a strong acetone note.
2003-05-16, 5 years old, 8-5-9-4-18=44
Beautiful ruby-amber color, creamy head. Deep acetic aroma; vinegar, wood, sugar, light fruitiness. Beautiful mouth sensation, wrapping, velvety; perfect balance of sweetness and sourness; delicate cherry note, developing lately. The palate is less persistent than other similar beers.
Perfectly brewed!
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 May 2003
at 06:38