#241: Goose Island Beer Co. » Madame Rose 2012 (Flanders Oud Bruin)

Madame Rose 2012 (Flanders Oud Bruin) ABV: 7.1% | Rating: 9.3/10

At the end of June, I received a call from the IRS that was truly cause for celebration - Ithaca Underground, the organization I've been building for the last 6 years, had finally received 501(c)3 not-for-profit status. However, since it was just a verbal at the time, I needed to keep my lid shut for just a few more days, so it was time for some in-house celebration.

This Madame Rose is one of the first I picked up for aging while I was out in Buffalo a couple years back, so this seemed like the perfect choice to crack into and toast to. It's a Brown Ale, aged in French oak Cabernet Sauvignon barrels with Michigan cherries and Brettanomyces. I'm so ready...

Madame Rose  kicks off with a beautiful, velvety nose of tart cherries, oak, and red wine. There's a few slightly funky aromas of sour red grape and ripe red fruits peaking through with a sliver of brown sugar.

The body is a wonderful, ruby-brown with a quickly fading off-white head.

The taste is incredible and quite reminiscent of red wine, including a velvety dry finish. It's elegant, well-carbonated and full of tart fruits like dark cherries, with a hint of mild red apples. There's a touch of sweetness and the start of each sip with is a nice detail. The carbonation level is ideal to release the beautiful oak and red wine notes.

Overall, a wonderful effort. It's not the sourest, fruitiest Flanders out there, instead Madame Rose delivers a lively, lavish beer experience with a healthy dose of wild complexity.

#219: Brouwerij Strubbe » Ichtegem's Grand Cru (Flanders)

A high-end, Belgian sour adventure...

The Brewery: Brouwerij Strubbe (Belgium)
The Brew:  Ichtegem's Grand Cru (Flanders)
Availability:  Bottles, draft
ABV: 6.5%
Rating: 9.2/10
Location: Tap & Mallet (Rochester)

After my cousin's birthday, with kids, we decided it was time for the adults to unwind and headed to Tap & Mallet for a few rounds. Round #1 was Shmaltz's He'Brew Jewbalation 17, which I completely through it had a write up for, but C'est la vie.

Recalling a few other recently wonderful Grand Cru experiences, I decided to b-line it to Strubbe's Ichtegem for the second round.

The brew starts off with an potent nose of earth, funky cherry, and vinegar. The flavor is tart, with an unusual and blanketing mouthcoat. Every note seems to counter the next from a dry mouthfeel, augmented by sweet notes of sugarcane to herbal and savory spices peaking through determinedly astringent sour fruit flavors.

Ichtegem continues into Belgian extremes with notes of vinaigrette, red wine, funky raspberry, overripe fruit, all laced with a mild acidity and bitterness. This is wild Belgian style in expert hands.

An overtly complex and challenging, yet rewarding brew. Adventurers, sign up here.