Flanders Red Review

My first sour beer. Yay! It sure took a long time. I brewed this one in September of 2012, attempting to get a beer roughly like Rodenbach or Monk's Cafe. This type of beer is wonderful but the wait is agonizing. Perhaps the long wait somehow makes it taste better in the end.



Appearance: Translucent coppery-brown in color. Not red. Thin white head that dissipates fairly quickly, but leaves some bubbles at the contact point with the glass. 

Aroma: Cleanly but moderately sour. Fruity, like cherries, plums or the like. The fruityness dominates. I think I can detect some brett character in there, as well as some sweetness. Definitely I think the beer smells really good. No hop aroma, and I don't get any wood aroma.

Taste: Maltiness and cherry-like fruit notes up front. Sourness is there but not overpowering in any way. I get some sweetness as well, but balances well with the sourness and the fruityness. In the background I get some musty funky flavors, and maybe some slight tannic dryness in the aftertaste. The taste overall is quite complex.

Mouthfeel: High carbonation, but not effervescent or spritzy. Medium body.

Overall: A sour-sweet Flanders Red with a fruity smell and a very complex taste. I enjoy it very much, but ultimately I am not really sure how well it fits into the style. Should it be more sour in taste or darker in appearance? I don't know.

For Next Time: Not sure. Just brew more sour beers to get an idea of the process, the wait, etc.