I think I have a new favorite Flanders Red Ale. It’s a sister beer of one that I didn’t particularly enjoy. Rodenbach Grand Cru is the same style as the Rodenbach Classic, but a whole lot tastier. While the latter lacked the smoothness and flavors I would expect from a Flemish Sour Red Ale (aka Flanders Red), the former had all that and then some. The Grand Cru is basically the same beer (though I would disagree) aged for 18 months in oak barrels.
I poured the beer into a large red wine glass. It pours a ruby brown color with a creamy tan head that lingered for a little bit, but quickly disappeared. Smells of fruitiness (cherry) hit the nose. The beer is very smooth and had ample carbonation (not too much like the Classic had). The flavor was of that fruitiness (again, cherry mostly) and tartness that I have come to expect from this style. I didn’t detect much of the vanilla oak sweetness that the label said I would. I expected it to be a bit more pronounced than it was, but it was there. The beer is only 6% ABV, but it seemed like more (not through the taste, but through my feeling buzzed after drinking it). It’s a very drinkable beer, something I will most definitely buy again.