Ommegang Rouge Grand Cru
Brewed by Bockor for Ommegang. Draft only. Authentic Flemish red ale aged 18 months in French oak.
4.1
315 reviews
Cooperstown, United States
Community reviews
Clear reddish pour with smallish tan head. Wonderfully cherry sweettart sour. Flavor is even better than the aroma.
Clean, a little vinegar acidity. Very nicely done.
Draft at Churchill’s. Pours a nice red-brown with one finger of beige foam. Aroma is tart cherry and berries with lighter notes of funk and oak. Flavor has more nice tart fruit (cranberry, cherry, raspberry) and also some oak and balsamic notes. The tartness eventually emerges into a bit of fruity sweetness. This leans toward the puckering side but overall it’s a nice level of sourness. I really like all the fruit in this Flanders red -- it reminds me of a slightly more sour version of the Rodenbach Grand Cru. (300, 415)
on tap at churchill’s in SD. pours a bright, ruby-red with a thin, whispy, white head and thick sheets of lace. aroma is great with notes of fresh, sour, tart cherries, berry seeds, and brett funk backed by light notes of oak and dusty basement with a hint of yeast. flavor is delicious as well with tart red cherries and sweet black cherries backed by tart red grapes, red wine vinegar, oak barrel, and bretty funk with a hint of caramel on the back end. palate is medium bodied with light carbonation and a fruity, tart finish. overall, a damn nice sour ale.
(on draught at Churchill’s). Pours ruby red with off-white head. Little carbonation. Aroma of sour cherries, strawberries. Taste is sour with nice fruit flavors. Lightly bodied with oily/thin finish. Smooth tart finish. Nice sour. Easy to drink and at 5.5%abv, this is very sessionable. I really like this beer.
In an Ommegang chalice, dark reddish brown body, with ruby highlights, undera a dotted dunnish head.
Aroma reeks (in a good way) of cranberry and sour cherries. That’s with the nose several inches above the glass, but to drink in deep...intense tart fruit aroma, with only a hint of sweetness below it.
to taste is to be smacked up and down with sour. Big puckering, wincing, then smiling for the great taste and absolute refreshment. Bit of a brown ale feeling under the intense tart flavor, but it’s not much, mostly the cranberry/cherry flavor..
Full-bodied, full-flavored, distintive, authentic, and delicious.
Yes, it could be "funkier" or "earthier" or more profound or meaningful in myriad ways, but it’s still damned good. Might even make some say "Roden Who?"
Pours very dark brown with a mahogany hue and a very small head. The aroma has oak, cherry, raspberry, tartness and light funk. Medium / light body that is on the smooth side with a light prickliness on the finish and has low carbonation. The taste has the aroma traits and is a nice blend blend of sourness and smoothness. There is plenty of oak that gives it an almost vanilla taste. The cherry and raspberry traits are fairly subtle and there are only minor vinegar notes. The finish has the nice sour ale sort of traits, but doesn’t linger too long. Excellent sour ale.
A: Rich blood red body with a slightly off-white cap... decent retention and lacing.
S: Strawberries, raspberries, black cherries, plums and an ever present sour character.
T: A delicate sweet and sour interplay... Sour cherries and raspberries... Sweet strawberries and plums. Nice brett presence which kicks in some tart, earthy funk.
M: Suffered from a bit of thin, metallic sensations for the first few sips before warming into a nicely carbonated beverage.
O: A good beer... I am going to forgive the metallic sensations early in the session, good brew and a nice introduction to sour beers for anyone who hasn’t had one yet.
(Old BA rate - tap)
Poured with a half-finger of pure white head that dissipated pretty quickly; ruby red/darkish pink color; fairly clear. Sour fruitiness; raspberry and cherry notes; just a slight hint of vinegar acidity; pretty mild but pleasant overall aroma. Tart cherries; bit puckering at first with the sourness, but mellows throughout the sample; no vinegar acidity shows up, but still fruity acidity in the flavor; a little savory; delicious. Thinner MF; nice prickly carbonation. Hugely drinkable for the style and wonderfully refreshing; tight; clean; and just damn great.
Growler filled at Capone’s on Black Friday.
Appearance: Pours a rusty but transparent copper with minimal head, retention and lace.
Smell: Very nice bouquet of sour cherries, some cider vinegar, a touch of funk, and a touch of oak. Mainly just delicious sour cherries and a touch of vinegar though.
Taste: Well balanced cherry / vinegar tartness with a touch of sweetness from the malt. The tartness is strong at first, then fades, and finally leaves a dry finish. Wild yeast has much more of a lead role in the flavor profile than in the nose.
Mouthfeel: fairly thin but still satisfying. Carbonation is minimal as well but still pretty true to style. I like how the beer feels crisp by has a puckering quality and a dry finish!
Drinkability: Very sessionable for the style.
Serving type: growler
Reviewed on: 12-03-2009
The closest beer to rodenbach grand cru. Had on tap at hopcat a long time ago. Reddish brown with slight head. Huge cherry , oak, chocolate aroma. Tart and refreshing flavor that is massive in tart cherries, lemon, sour funk and raspberry. Huge flavor to accompany the equally huge aroma. Almost perfect within it’s style. Oaky finish is unmatched in terms of aging.
On tap at Bigelo’s. Still trying to gain appreciation for this style. Not succeeding yet. This beer has a cola appearance with a cool looking light colored head. Nose is sour and was a bit hard to find. Flavor was indeed sour but also offered some sweetness. Wood notes (French?), cherries. Multi dimensional. A substantial feel.
Had this on-tap at Fatheads and the Sharp Edge recently.
A- Body is a dark, deep red, with a hint of mahogany coming through-but its definitely more red than brown. Served with a light fluffy white head. Head fades to a thin collar and some lacing is left behind in the glass. The body is uniformly translucent-not letting much light pass through but not visibly cloudy either.
S- Nose is tart, funky, woody, and fruity. Sour cherries come through first with a balance of wood and funk in the background. Nose is more fruity than anything else though.
T- Quite tart upfront with sour, somewhat acidic cherries coming through first. Below this is a complexity of oak and yeasty funk that come through pretty quickly to balance. The finish is somewhat dry with the initial fruity tartness fading to reveal more wood and slightly funky flavors. The flavor, like the nose is more fruity than tart or funky but those flavors are still there to balance it out and keep it in check.
P- Soft medium carbonation and a full smooth, silky body.
O- This another excellent brew by Ommegang. Its very drinkable as its not as in you face as other sours. I’ve been getting this whenever I can lately. Its certainly tart enough but its easy to have a few glasses of this one and its something that people who don’t drink beer like as well.
Serving type: on-tap
Reviewed on: 06-25-2009 16:13:17
On tap at Capone’s. Tart and sweet cherries in this red ale combine nicely to make a great sour. Perfect for warmer weather and when you need a break from the regulars.
Sour cherry, red wine, and concord grape nose. Hazy amber, thin head. Quite sour flavor of grapes and cherries, grape skin finish. Exquisite sour with surprising dimensions.
On tap. Pours reddish color, with a nice white head and sticky lacing. Nose is tart with cherries, some creamy vanilla and slight oak notes. Flavor has a lot of sour cherries, oak, wood, some nice bitterness. Very smooth and drinkable.
My god this beer was good. Stole the show. Had it at BCTC. Well made with the perfect amount of oak. Whent back for a second pour on this one. Just amazing.
A: Deep, dark red, almost burgundy. Not much in the way of foam.
S: Tart, red fruits, especially cherries, and oak.
T: Quite tart, lots of cherries, the oak is present on the tongue as well.
M: Crisp and refreshing.
D: Such a tasty and refreshing beer. I would drink the stuff all day.
Tasting at Papsø’s, growler
Amber color. The aroma is mild, but funky, nice. Average body strength, some caramel flavor, fruity sourness, hiding a very light residual sweetness. It ends fruity and sour, with some cherries. Pleasant.
On tap at the Indiana Winterfest. Poured a clear amber brown, with a light brown head that was quite thick and lasted throughout. Aroma had nice sour notes, both cherry and apple with a slight oak note. Flavor was similar, sour apple at the beginning with tart cherries growing to a dry finish.
Gowler 32fl.oz.
[ Courtesy of Winter Secret Santa ]. Clear medium to dark amber color with a average, frothy to creamy, good lacing, mostly diminishing, light beige head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, caramel, berry, barnyard, wood, red wine and cherry notes. Flavor is heavy sweet and acidic with a average to long duration, and a dry dry finish. Body is medium, texture is watery to oily, carbonation is soft. Very nice Thx Santa *<;O)) [20100110]
On draft at Capones. Pours a dark yet clear maple coppery color with a small off white head. Aroma of vinegar and sour fruit. Taste is much the same as the aroma-vinegar and sour fruit. Tart on the palate.
On tap at the Trion. Wow, I really didn’t think I liked sour ales... this beer has made me think twice.
Aroma is really well put together. Spices and fruits blend nicely, but smooth and mellow. Figs and raisins and (?somithing citrus?) flow evenly with cinimon and ginger spices.
Appearance was fairly standard. Amber color that poured slightly hazy with an off white head that didn’t leave much lacing to mention.
Oh! I wasn’t aware this was a sour ale before trying it, and... hello! Sour sour sour! However, it was somehow still in balance with the fruits and spices found in the nose.
The palate was standard but still lent well to the overall experience.
Overall, if I had know it was a Sour Ale, I may not have ordered it. I am so glad I did! It may have changed my view of Sour Ales.
tap at fiddlers hearth. murkey red brown with a barely any head (at least how it was served.) Aroma of sour cherries, earth, red wine, oak. Some light earthy funk and sour cherry flavor. Pretty solid all around. Great beer!
Bottle at Papsø’s - Thanks. Clear red/brown - white head. Sourness, vinegar, berries, rubber, cherry, flamish, lovely acid, leather, oakey, wooden, spicy notes. Very nice.
Clear mahogany with red glimts and a tiny beige head. Sour aroma with sour berries, lacto and wood. Flavour was sour with sour red berries, wood, lacto and barnyard. Finished sour. Lovely.
Growler. A deep red beer with a thin light tan head. The aroma has notes of malt lacto bacteria, and wood. The flavor is acidic and sweet with notes of malt, bettanomyces, lacto, wood, and more - nice for the crazy beer geeks - I like. Thanks fonefan for sharing.
Growler, courtesy of fonefan. Pours clear and golden deep amber with a small off-white head. Aroma is fruity, light cherry and wineous. Light vinegar, fruity and tart flavoured. Smooth fruity and dry acidic to vinegar sour and dry. Tart and dry finish yet with a lasting fruity note. Lovely!
Growler. Courtesy of fonefan. Pours a clear, warm amber with an off-white head. Tart, Bretty and woody aroma. Light body, dry caramel, wood, metal and lots of Brett. Dry and astringent finish - almost bloody. Lovely. 100110
Tasted this beer while on Beer Quest 2010 with the guys. This was beer number 82. Bitter aroma or sour cherry. Pour a dark amber. Flavor is sweet bitterness with cherry and apple. great.
On tap at Downtown Johnny Brown’s. Beer pours a dark amber with a thin white head. It has an incredible flemish red aroma with lots of vinegar smells. This is a tart beer! It seems like the real thing. It has a great mediating sweetness at the end and a chalky finish. Just delicious.