Style: Flemish red
Brewery: Palm Belgian Craft Brewers
Origin: Roeselare, West Belgium
Size: 75cl
Alcohol: 7%
Price: 119kr
Systembolaget: 11381
Rodenbach is, in my eyes, one of those legendary Belgian sour beers. It is a name that I hold in high regard, and every sour beer fan should have tried it at leat once. It was actually the first beer I bought when I began to collect the beers together for this tasting. Although it can split people with its acidity, I knew I just had to have it in the tasting.
This was light brown with red flourishes and high carbonation, but a quickly disappearing head. The aroma was a vibrant blend of redcurrants, cherries, plum and red wine vinegar. It was potent and really awakened the senses. The red fruits continued into the taste, with a balsamic vinegar and almond hit coupled along with it. The acidity was high and some amount of burn in the back of the throat was noted upon swallowing. The mouth watered after swallowing, leaving the palate refreshed yet sharp.
This beer isn’t going to be to a lot of peoples taste. You really do need to like your sour beers to get the most out of this. A 75cl bottle is almost too much to drink alone, but it is perfect as a sharing beer to enjoy with a light creamy dessert to help quell the acidity. For me though, this is a great addition to the tasting and I could happily drink it again.