We’ve made Rodenbach

Credit where credit’s due – Andy’s got a good taste-memory. I said back in my post about infection that Andy had commented that our “Belgian Sour” (as we are now forced to call it) tasted like Rodenbach Classic (Red). Well last night Andy turned up with a bottle of Rodenbach Grand Cru from the Bottle Stop in Bramhall so we could do a side-by-side tasting. (As an side: if you like beer and you live in south Manchester and you haven’t been to the Bottle Stop, then why not!? It has an amazing selection of British and foreign ales).

Anyway, back to the story: the Grand Cru is not exactly the same beer as the Rodenbach Classic, but b*gger me if Andy wasn’t right! Our Belgian Sour is really very similar in aroma and taste. The Grand Cru is understandably more malty and a little bit woody, but the basic elements of the sour flavour are exactly the same.

So I have no idea how we managed to make what we did, but there you go – justification that it isn’t a complete disaster. We both think it will be better served chilled, but we need to finish the Bohemian Wrenbury before there is fridge space.

As another aside (in true Ronnie Corbett style), we also tasted a tricky-to-get American beer called Stone’s Arrogant Bastard. I’ve never tasted such a full on, aggressive beer! It had everything in there – smoke, wood, peat, malt, bitterness, resinous. There were flavours in there I’d just never tasted in beer before. It’s not exactly what you’d call a session beer (in fact I was very happy to have shared a bottle rather than drink a whole one to myself) but interesting nonetheless. I’m not sure we’ll be trying to brew that one however!