The blend bulk aged for 7 months. I bottled it with 2 lbs of invert #2 and then pasteurized the bottles once it was carbonated - this left quite a bit of sugar in the beer to help with the balance as it was pretty much down to 1.000 at this point.
I've been having one every couple weeks here of the last 7 months. Time to do a tasting:
Tasting Note:
- Aroma:
- Musty and leathery brett character along with a dark cherry fruit aroma
- Appearance:
- Reddish brown and fairly clear. Pours with less than a finger of head which dissipates quickly
- Flavor:
- Medium level sourness. Wonderful fruit flavor in this beer. Also has a bit of earthy brett character in the background. The finish is slightly sweet which balances the lingering sour flavor. May get a bit of caramel from it. No alcohol comes through.
- Mouthfeel:
- Medium-light bodied with light sticky sweetness. Drinks very smooth for a sour beer - only a slight acid prickling.
- Overall:
- Flanders Red is a wonderful style of beer and I would say this is a pretty good one. This is a complex and boldly flavored beer that is also quite refreshing. I think the level of sweetness remaining after the pasteurization is very nice - really helps the balance a lot. I haven't had Rodenbach Grand Cru in a while but I believe this beer is quite close to matching it's quality.
