This beer is interesting and good. That was nice to find out as I was hoping for something with those two adjectives as I visited the store on Christmas Eve. I couldn’t just settle for a typical pale ale or something like that for such an occasion. After all, I was going to spend most of the afternoon cooking a gourmet meal. My beverage had to in some way match the labor I was about to undertake.

Rodenbach Grand Cru is a Flemish Red Brown Ale. It is matured in oak vats, giving it its signature sweet-sour taste. It is also a blend of “young” ale (33%) and ale that has matured for two years (67%). The brewery has been in existence since 1821. Wow.

I really loved this beer, but you have to know that I like different. As I alluded to, typical ales and lagers bore me after awhile. I also happen to like sours and wild ales. This was right up my alley.

It’s a little hard to explain a sour ale if you’ve never had one. However, most people have had ciders. I’m not equating the two but a sour ale has that sourness or puckering quality that ciders often have. This particular one didn’t have much of any fruit flavor to it. There was no fruit used in the fermentation. The sour or puckering flavor and feel comes from the oak vats and “matured ale.”

I would recommend this beer to the more adventurous out there. The sweet and sour are very well balanced. It would be a good place to start in the world of sour ales if you’ve never given them a try.

ABV: 6.0%

Grade: A