Rodenbach Vin de Céréale

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Birthday bottle shared by a very good friend. Lifeless murky pour with a thin ring around the edge. Vinous, tangy, fruity with caramel and wood. Not overly sour, but funky enough to be extremely pleasing. The greatest aspect of this beer was a surprisingly delicate malt backing in the aftertaste that cut through the funk and added a complex depth. Most sours are tart, dry and drier.....however this is tart, dry then malty. Exceptional tingle to the senses.

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

Bottle: Poured a light pale reddish color ale with almost no carbonation and a little bubbly head that disappeared really quickly. Aroma consists of light sour notes with some very subtle oak and light cherries. Taste was quite a disappointment with a thin watery body and light tart notes with some oak and not nearly enough sour notes. I tasted this side-by-side with a regular Grand Cru from 2004 and this one was not even close to the regular GC. I wonder if the bottle had not been cellared properly but I won’t seek this again.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Pours out in a clear bronze colour, no head. Acidic aroma of wood, red apples and balsamic vinegar with sweet undertones of caramel, rose-petals and strawberries. Medium-bodied with notes of vinegar, wood, green apples, grass, red berries and caramel. Very flat carbonation. Acidic and woody finish with sweet undertones of caramel and red berries.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Foeder 132, Bottle #004711, 2004 Bottle Date; Sampled April 2008
Served lightly chilled in a 25cl tulip glass. As expected the beer pours completely headless, only a slight ring of bubbles forms on top of a brilliantly clear, honey copper colored beer. A close inspection actually shows a slow, persistent generation of bubbles rising up from the bottom of my glass, so there is a touch of CO2 here. The aroma is tart, fruity and warm from alcohol. Reminds me a bit of a mix of apple cider-vinegar and brandy. Acetic & lactic acid aromatics up front yield to soft apple and perhaps a touch of plum aromatics. It is actually quite sour smelling throughout and other than this it is not overly funky. A chewy malt character seems to lay just underneath the surface here, never particularly noticeable, but its presence is somehow sensed in the aroma.

Quite tart tasting, and very dry up front, but it does pick up some very slight sweetness towards the middle and beginning of the finish that accents a soft cider-like flavor. Very light for a beer of this strength, and the alcohol is quite well hidden in the flavor by the dominant tartness. Mainly a lactic acidity is found in this beer, though a touch acetic essence is here as well. Dusty, stale malt flavors (like some crushed malt that has been left out for a couple of weeks) seem to inject themselves into the finish. Definitely not completely flat, the carbonation is quite slight, but contributes an extra texture to this beer. This really does have an apple cider essence to it that is quite nice and provides a slight balance to the tartness. This beer is not overly sour, at least compared to a hard Lambic, but is certainly quite tart tasting. Flavors of tamarind, slight sherry and some grassy, lightly toasted (to the aromatic point with not browning) grain.

This is certainly a sipping beer, though given a couple hours a 375ml bottle is not unmanageable. A very interesting take on a Barley Wine (or literally Grain Wine). I definitely am enjoying this brew, it is quite the experience. I find it interesting that the alcohol is only noticeable as a nose warming sensation in the nose, but not in the flavor. All in all this is quite soft tasting, the malt has certainly mellowed over all this time and the acidity, while substantial, is not harsh at all. Quite an experience.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Bottled@Kulminator. (2004 vintage). Golden colour, small white head. Lots of carbonation bubbles on the glass. Strong sour apples and citrusfruits along with some nutty hints. Flavour is extremely dry almondy and appleish along with some oak barrely notes. Some vanilla becomes present when it warms up a bit, as does some vinegar. Hides the alcohol totally.