Beer Spotlight
Rodenbach Alexander
$16.99 for the 750ml bottle
Barrel-Aged Flanders Red Ale with Cherries
Eugene Rondenbach was the Rodenbach that set his brewery on its path. He developed the mixed fermentation, foeder-aged red sour ale that they are known for today. Go, Eugène! However, the Roeselare brewery (west of Ghent, south of Bruges) was actually founded the generation before (in 1821) by Alexander, Gregoor, Pedro, and Amalia. Though the Rodenbachs are now ghosts of history both in Roselare and in the brewery that still bears their name, this beer is named after Alexander, released in 1986 in honor of this 200th birthday.
The Rodenbach Alexander takes the Flemish Red that Eugène created a couple of steps further. Specifically, the Alexander takes the Rodenbach Grand Cru as its launching point. The Grand Cru starts with the same mixed fermentation, foeder-aged sour ale, but the Grand Cru is a blend of 1/3 a young version of the beer and 2/3 a version of the same beer that’s been aged in oak barrels. For the Alexander, the people of Rodenbach take the Grand Cru and then add the juice of noorderkrieken (northern — sour — cherries). What you get from this move that just had to be made is something like a deep caramel cherry cordial slipping down a water slide of sourness.
You know, it’s easy to think of this beer as a holiday ale, but we’re fine to drink it all year ‘round.
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