Flanders Red Vertical Tasting - 2020

I have been brewing Flanders Red style beers and aging them for almost six years now.  In that time I've blended three vintages of beer.  Right from the start I've made a plain blend and a cherry blend.  These were done the goal of emulating the great Rodenbach Flanders Red.

My first blend back in 2016 was good but I felt like it fell quite a bit short of matching the quality of Rodenbach.  The main problem seemed to me to be the level of sweetness.  My beers are finishing out at 1.000 while Rodenbach Grand Cru has a slightly sweet finish that really balances the sourness nicely.

I've made two more versions of the beer since which I have backsweetened to try to get that sweet/sour balance.  I feel like the results are very nice so it's time for another comparison.  My recent blends are 100% aged beer while Rodenbach Grand Cru is 75% aged and 25% new - I may have an edge in complexity based on this.

I'll be doing another Tasting session of my beers soon (it has been a year and a half since the last one) and will be putting together some 2020 Flanders Red blends based on it.  This tasting session will hopefully prove some useful data points for my next blending session.

Flanders Red Vertical Tasting:

• 2016 Version:
• Overview:
• Blended using Two 1-3 year old Flanders Red beer
• Both beers chosen used Wyeast Roeselare Culture
• Bottled the blended beer immediately rather than letting the blend set - worked out okay as they were both already very dry
• Added 4 oz of priming sugar at bottling
• Tasting Notes:
• Aroma:
• Earthy and leathery Brettanomyces character.  A bit of overripe fruit.  Maybe a touch of vinegar.
• Appearance:
• Reddish brown and clear.  Pours with a think wisp of foam that is gone immediately.
• Flavor:
• A bit of fruity flavor up front which then transitions to sourness which then lingers to the finish.  It is a medium level of sourness.  Earthy and funky Brett flavor lingers in the finish as well
• Mouthfeel:
• Light bodied and very dry.  Light prickling acidity.  Very easy drinking and refreshing
• Overall:
• Bold flavor and aroma and fairly complex.  The earthy Brett character is probably the most dominant characteristic.  Pleasing level of acidity makes for nice drinking
• 2017 Version:
• Overview:
• Blended two 2-3 year old Flanders Red for this beer
• Used a batch made from Roeselare yeast and one from Yeast Bay Mélange
• Bottled the blend immediately
• Added 2 lbs of dark invert syrup for this batch to both carbonate and back sweeten.  Pasteurized in a hot water bath once it carbonated.
• Tasting Notes:
• Aroma:
• Fruity character dominates along with a slight bit of vinegar.  Also has a bit of caramel character.  Maybe get a bit of vanilla oak and wine character.  A bit of Brett earthiness kind of rounds things out but it is in the back ground
• Appearance:
• Brownish red and quite clear.  Poured with a thin bit of foam that lingered for maybe 30 s
• Flavor:
• Very fruity flavor up front which is cherry like.  The sourness (medium level) hits next.  It is balanced by a sweet, malty, and caramel character - the finish is a nice mix of the sweet and sour with a hint of vinegar.  A bit of Brett character in the finish as well.  Maybe a bit of chocolate mixed in too.
• Mouthfeel:
• Medium-light bodied and slightly sweet.  A bit of pricking acidity.  Pretty easy drinking.
• Overall:
• Very complex beer with lovely bold fruit flavors.  The balance between sweet and sour flavors is very nice.
• 2018 Version:
•  Overview:
• Blended using 4 Flanders Red aged between 2 to 3 years
• Used beers made with Roeselare, Mélange, and East Coast Yeast's Flemish Ale Blend
• Let this blend sit for 7 months in a secondary before bottling.
• Bottled with 2 lbs of invert syrup #2 and then pasteurized once carbonated to retain some sweetness
• Tasting Notes:
• Aroma:
• Fruity with earthy and leathery Brett character.  May get a bit of vanilla oak character as well.
• Appearance:
• Reddish brown and fairly clear.  Poured with a thin layer of foam that was gone quickly
• Flavor:
• Fruity character up front - cherry.  This smoothly blends into the acidity and carries into the finish nicely.  Has a slight sweetness that balances the acidity into the finish.  Has a bit of caramel mixed in.  A bit of Brett character rounds out the finish as well.  Maybe a bit of bready malt in there too.
• Mouthfeel:
• Medium-light bodied and slightly sweet.  Pretty smooth drinking with only a faint prickling
• Overall:
• Bold flavors and complex.  Has a very nice fruity character and a lovely sweet and sour balance
• Rodenbach Grand Cru:
• Overview:
• Most famous example of the Flanders Red Style - brewed in Roeselare Belgium
• Tasting Notes:
• Aroma:
• Fruity with a bit of earthy Brett character.  Maybe a bit of vinegar and faint oak.  Not sure but may also be getting a bit of noble hop aroma
• Appearance:
• Brownish red.  Fairly clear.  Poured with thin layer of foam that fades quickly
• Flavor:
• A bit of fruit up front along with a bit of bready malt.  Light sourness carries into the finish where it is balanced by a slight sweetness.  A bit of leathery Brett in the finish as well.  Might be picking out a very slight hop bitterness in there as well which I'd never noticed before.
• Mouthfeel:
• Medium-light bodied and very slight sweetness.  Very smooth, easy drinking, and refreshing
• Overall:
• Fairly boldly flavored and pretty complex.  A bit more mild in flavor and acidity than I remember.  Really easy to drink with the slightly lower acidity

• Comparison Observations:

1. The 2016 example is like a completely different style of beer with the strong focus on Brett.  More like a Geuze than a Flanders Red.  Interesting that it is the one unpasteurized example.  I wonder if the Brett has continued to work on the beer over the years.
2. 2017 and 2018 are very similar.  Both bold and fruity with a lot going on.  The balance and level of sweetness are slightly different between them, as are some of the secondary flavors, but I can't really state a preference for either one over the other - both excellent.
3. Comparing 2017 and 2018 to the Rodenbach I'd say the flavor profiles are fairly similar but mine are significantly bolder in both aroma and flavor.  They are a bit sweeter than the Rodenbach and a fair bit more sour.  Al the beers are complex in their own way.  I definitely prefer my beer
4. I think I'm on the right path with these beers!

Cherry Flanders Red Vertical Tasting:

• 2016 Version:
• Overview:
• Made with 2 Flanders Red I'd aged for 1-3 years (same beers as the 2016 plain)
• Beers used Wyeast Roeselare blend
• Aged the beer with 10 lbs of Pitted Sour cherries from Michigan for 4.5 months
• Bottled with 3.5 oz of sugar for priming
• Tasting Notes:
• Aroma:
• Candy-like cherry aroma followed by earthy and leather Brett character
• Appearance:
• Brownish red and pretty clear.  Pours with very little foam that is gone in a second
• Flavor:
• Mild cherry flavor up front that transitions to a light acidity.  Earthy Brett comes in next and lingers into the finish along with the acidity.  it has a slight nutty character in the background - almond maybe.  Also some mineral flavor in the finish
• Mouthfeel:
• Light bodied and dry.  Fair amount of prickly acidity.  Easy drinking and refreshing
• Overall:
• Flavor and aroma are fairly mild.  Nice complexity - a lot going on.  The cherry is more in the background than I remember
• 2017 Version:
• Overview:
• Made with 2 Flanders Red between 2 and 3 years old
• Both beers were fermented with Roeselare yeast
• Aged with 12 lbs of Montmorency Sour Cherries I picked myself as well as 1 quart of Black Cherry Juice.  Let the beer secondary ferment on the fruit for 6 months\
• Bottled with 1.75 lbs of Invert #3 syrup and pasteurized when it was at a good level of carbonation
• Tasting Notes:
• Aroma:
• Cherry aroma most prominent followed by some vinegar.  Also get a bit of Brett character.  Some sweet caramel as well
• Appearance:
• Reddish brown and fairly clear.  Pours with a thin layer of foam that settles to a thin ring that lingers for quite a while
• Flavor:
• Rich cherry flavor that lingers into the finish.  Medium acidity kicks in in the middle and melds nicely with the cherry.  Get some leathery Brett in the finish.  A bit of vinegar mixed in as well as a vanilla-like flavor.  The finish also has a nice bit of sweet caramel that balances everything
• Mouthfeel:
• Medium light bodied and a bit of sweetness.  Pretty easy drinking
• Overall:
• Really richly flavored beer.  Cherry is the star of the show but there are quite a few other characteristics that bring a lot of complexity.  Really nice drinking beer with a pleasant balance to the finish
• 2018 Version:
• Overview:
• Used 5 Flanders Red I aged between 2 and 3 years
• Beers were made with Roeselare, Yeast Bay Mélange, and a Culture I'd built up from Rodenbach's Foederbier
• Aged the beer on 14 lbs of self picked Montmorency Sour Cherries and 2 quarts of sour cherry juice.  Let this age for just about 6 months before bottling
• Bottled with 2 lbs of invert #2 to carbonate and backsweeten.
• Tasting Notes:
• Aroma:
• Fairly bright candy cherry aroma along with earthy and musty Brett.  Some caramel comes through as well.  Some vinegar mixed in too.
• Appearance:
• Poured with thick head which faded down to a think layer over the next minute.  Reddish brown and quite murky as the over carbonated bottle churned up the dregs
• Flavor:
• Rich cherry flavor hits up front and lingers into the finish.  Medium acidity kicks in after the first wave of cherry and compliments it nicely - this also lingers into the finish.  Slight sweetness int eh swallow combats the acidity.  Finish is rich with mineral, earthy Brett, and maybe some malt
• Mouthfeel:
• Medium-light bodied and pretty dry.  Very smooth drinking
• Overall:
• Rich and flavorful beer.  Cherries are the center of attention here but a bunch of other stuff is going on as well.  The acidity on this one is very nice - really makes you want another sip.
• Rodenbach Alexander:
• Overview:
• Grand Cru aged with Cherries
• Was discontinued for quite a few years as the Palm Brewing Conglomerate, which owns Rodenbach Brewery, didn't want to compete with another Sour Cherry beer made by their breweries.  It is back and fairly easy to find now in SEPA.
• Tasting Notes:
• Aroma:
• Candy cherry along with a bit of earthy Brett.  Some caramel maybe as well
• Appearance:
• Reddish brown and clear.  Pours with a finger of head that settles down to a thin wispy layer that lingers
• Flavor:
• Sweet candy cherry flavor dominates.  Medium level of acidity blends very nicely with the cherry.  A bit of chocolate comes through in the finish as well somehow.  Very faint Brett.  Finish has a sweetness that balances the acidity and rounds out the cherry
• Mouthfeel:
• Medium light bodied and fairly dry.  Smooth drinking
• Overall:
• Really bold cherry flavor.  It dominates such that not a whole lot else comes through.  Refreshing and drinks very nicely

• Comparison Observations:

1. Like with the plain, the character of the unpasteurized 2016 version is completely different than 2017 and 2018.  Very dry and Brett forward.  It is nice to find that the cherry still comes through albeit in a fairly mild way.  It is still nice but doesn't have the enjoyable sweet and sour balance that makes the style appealing
2. The cherry character varies quite a bit between them.  2016 is a bit muted with age.  2017 is kind of bright and candy-like while 2018 is deeper and richer.  Age could explain the difference I suppose.  The Rodenbach cherry is quite a bit more candy-like than with my beers.  No sure I have a preference for any particular one.
3. 2017 and 2018 are very close.  2017 has slightly less cherry and a bit more caramel.  Both are lovely.
4. I think my beers compare very favorably to Rodenbach Alexander

Arrogant Bastard Clone

I haven't been brewing as much as I would have liked recently due to my large landscaping project.  I've been out of hoppy homebrew for months now.  I've ended up buying a couple cases of commercial beer to tide me over but they're gone now as well.  Time to brew up my own.

Last fall I purchased several pounds of various hops from "Hops Direct".  The price per oz is a small fraction of what you'd pay at a homebrew store if you're willing to brew based on what you guessed you might need.  One of the hops I picked out was Chinook which is one of the more famous and popular American Hop varieties.  I'd used them once before (in an Amber Ale) and found them pleasing.

One of the most popular beers thought to prominently use Chinook is the famous Stone Arrogant Bastard (although they do not acknowledge it) which I had early in my days of drinking craft beer and found I was not worthy (or, more accurately stated, not able to handle the intense bitterness).  After many years I feel I am worthy now so I'm going to attempt to brew a clone.  I found a promising recipe on HomeBrewTalk which I'll try out - these folks have put in a lot of effort into the project.

Arrogant Bastard is listed in beers styles as an American Strong Ale which is sort of a catch all bucket for beers that seem to split the gap between Double IPA and American Barleywine.  I would describe Arrogant Bastard as a Brown Ale hopped like an IPA.  It's a strong and very bitter beer that also has a nice malt component to balance things a bit.  Like I said before they are very guarded about the details behind the recipe.

I'm following the clone recipe fairly closely.  I decided to trust the hopping levels which are agressive (I have slightly lower IBU hops so I am chickening out a bit) as well as the suggested use of ~13% CaraAroma.  The one significant difference will be that I'm using WLP 013 (London Ale) rather than WLP 007 (Dry English Ale) which is thought to be Stone's House Yeast.  I had a vile of this around and figured it should be fairly close and get me in the neighborhood of the desired attenuation (81%)

Recipe Details:

• Grain:
• 15 lb Pale Ale Malt
• 2.25 lb CaraAroma Malt
• 3 oz Acid Malt
• Hops:
• 3 oz Chinook (Leaf, 12.2% AA) at 60 min
• 1 oz Chinook (Leaf, 12.2% AA) at 20 min
• 1 oz Chinook (Leaf, 12.2% AA) at 5 min
• 1 oz Chinook (Leaf, 12.2% AA) at 0 min
• Yeast:
• WLP 013 London Ale
• Water:
• 10 gal spring water
• 5 gal tap water
• 1 tsp CaCl
• 2 tsp Gypsum
• 1 tsp Irish Moss

Process Details:

• Batch Size:
• 6 gal
• Mash:
• 150 F for 60 min
• Boil:
• 60 min
• Fermentation Temp:
• 65 F
• Primary Duration:
• 3 Weeks
• Secondary Duration:
• NA

Results:

• OG:
• 1.070 (Target 1.071)
• Efficiency:
• 66.5% (Target 67.46%)
• FG:
• 1.020 (Target 1.013)
• Apparent Attenuation:
• 70% (Target 81%)
• ABV:
• 6.56% (Target 7.61%)

Brewing Notes:

• 6/6/20 - Built a 1 litre starter using DME and set it up on a stir plate over night.

• 6/7/20 - Brewday - 11:30 AM to 4:00 PM Including Setup and Cleanup:
• Heated 6 gal of strike water (5 gal spring and 1 gal tap) to 180 F
• Milled my grain.  Added 1 tsp of Gypsum and 1 tsp of CaCl to the grain
• Transferred all the water to the mash tun and then cycled through the RIMS.  Settled out at 162 F
• Stopped the RIMS cycling and stirred in the grain.  Stirred well to eliminate dough balls
• Let the mash settle for 10 min - it ended up at 151 F
• Cycled the RIMS at 150 F for 50 min
• Heated 10 gal of sparge water to 180 F (50/50 spring and tap)
• Added 1 tsp of gypsum to the boil kettle
• Sparged.  Modified fly sparge was used by pouring water on top of the grain bed as it became exposed.  Collected 8 gal of wort
• Started heating the boil kettle after collecting 3 gal.  Had it to a boil shortly after the end of the sparge
• Boiled for 60 min
• Added hops at 60 min, 20 min, 5 min, and at flameout.  I put them in hop sacks to allow for easier drain off as these are leaf hops

• Added Irish Moss at 15 min
• Put the wort chiller in to sanitize with 5 min left
• Chilled a little slower than normal to give the hops a bit more time in hot wort.  Chilled to about 80 F which was as low as it would go in a reasonable time
• Collected about 6 gal of wort.  Let it fall into the bucket fermentor to aerate.  Pitched the yeast at this point
• Measured gravity as 1.070
• Moved the beer to my chest freezer fermentation set to 64 F
• 6/8/20 - The airlock was bubbling the next morning
• 6/9/20 - Beer has overflowed the fermenter and out onto the lid due to the bucket being so full and fermentation reaching it's peak - no further thankfully

• 6/26/20 - Cold crashed down to the high 30s to drop the yeast
• 6/27/20 - Added gelatin to further encourage yeast to drop
• 6/28/20 - Bottled today.  Used 4 oz of priming sugar.  Got 58 bottles of beer.  Measured the gravity as 1.020 (a bit higher than target).  The beer is pretty nicely flavored with a bitter kick.  I'll give it a few days before trying the first one.
• 7/24/20 - Tasting Notes - A very tasty beer.  The hops are star of the show here and it is aggressively bitter (although I suspect not as agressive as the real thing).  Chinook is a nicely flavor hop to my palate - this batch is a like very intensely flavored Fuggle which is nice.  The malt character is interesting enough to cut through the bitterness and provide some semblance of balance.  The hopping really calls on you to take another sip.
• Compared to a real Arrogant Bastard I found the hopping to be significantly higher and the flavors to not be consistent with what I'm getting out of Chinook.

Lesson Learned:

1. I let the mash settle for 10 min after doughing in before starting the RIMS cycle.  I found things were flowing very well for me the entire mash and it was easy to adjust the flow rate and pump speed at a balance that kept an even level in the grant.  I didn't have to touch the RIMS for the remaining 50 min of cycle time.  I will have to take that 10 min settle time approach again next time.

Spiced Flanders Red - Tasting Notes

This is a Flanders Red I blended up in late 2018 with the idea of recreating the flavor profile of Coke Cola via spices.  Flanders Red, with it's sweet and sour and fruity flavors, is somewhat similar to Coke in way (although also completely different).

To make it I used Vanilla beans, Orange Peal, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Lemon, Lime, and Coriander.  I soaked this in Vodka to extract the flavors and added two doses into the beer.  No real way to tell how much to put in with a beer like this.  I wanted to make sure the spices came through nicely.  Definitely did that but may have overdone it slightly.

It was made up of 5 beers which were between 2 and 3 years old.  By themselves the beer were bold and complex.

I bottled about 8 months ago with extra sugar for back-sweetening and  then pasteurized a month later.  Here is the official tasting of this weird but interesting experiment.

Tasting Notes:

• Aroma:
• The spices come through very prominently.  Vanilla is the strongest with orange next.  It is very much like a coke.  Some Brett earthiness comes through faintly in the background
• Appearance:
• Reddish brown and a little murky.  Pours with just a think wisp of foam that disappears immediately
• Flavor:
• Bright, fruity, and sweet & sour flavor hits first.  The spices then come in, vanilla most prominent again but very well mixed with the other flavors.  This lingers into the finish along with an acidic bite.  Maybe get a bit of bready malt in the finish as well.  The spices are so dominant I don't get much base beer flavor.
• Mouthfeel:
• Medium-light bodied and slightly sweet.  Has a small amount of prickly acidity that hits the back of the throat on the swallow.  Easy drinking and fairly refreshing.
• Overall:
• A very interesting beer.  I think the spicing gives  it a very strong resemblance to coke.  The base beer blend was made up of boldly flavored beers but they didn't stand up to the spicing.  It doesn't really resemble a Flanders Red in any way - base beer doesn't come though.  So, while it is a very boldly flavored beer with a certain complexity it doesn't quite hit the mark for what I was hoping the beer would be.  Lighter spicing would be in the cards next time