Pink Eyed Jim’s Blog

This was quite expensive for a beer ($8.99 for a 750 mL bottle) but worth every penny, if even just for the experience. Unless you’re already familiar with the Sour Ale style of beer, this will be like no other beer you’ve ever had; you’ll be surprised that beer can taste like this. It might even blow your mind.

Brewed in Belgium, this beer has the typical opacity of an unfilitered ale. The beer pours at a gorgeous shade of auburn with a persistent and creamy head. The difference between the Grand Cru and regular Rodenbach is that the Grand Cru gets to rest for 18 months in oak, and it sure benefits from it. The beer has a wonderful malty and yeasty aroma balanced by a bright, citrusy sour aroma. From the first sip this beer’s ageing is apparent; the malt breaks down into rich chocolate and leather notes with a touch of sweetness. Then the sour element of this ale comes in and brightens and lifts and freshens all of the wonderfully complex aged flavors.

4 out of 4 Bill O’ Reillys