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On the list of breweries that I do not often talk about, BJ’s Restaurants but the number 25 got me hooked. The chain has that many years of brewing its Grand Cru which started along with the new millennium.
Grand Cru is a “Belgian-style pale strong ale gets its fruity, spicy kick from a unique Belgian ale yeast, plus a blend of bitter orange peel and coriander for a flavor that’s perfect for the season.”
I wanted to do something special for the first review of 2016, so I held onto a “media copy” of last year’s Kosmic Mother Funk Grand Cru from the cellar of Samuel Adams until now. The Boston barrel-aged version of the Flanders Red pours a dark-ish brown with red streaking to it. There is a pie cherry note here of both the fruit and spice (and very nearly the crust) that I enjoy before the sour notes kick in underneath. There is a bit of wine barrel flavor profile here as well. I don’t know Hungarian oak but that must be what I am picking up. There is a slight viscosity as well a bit oily on the glass and tongue. Quite nice, especially with the sour being muted. Little bit of cherry pit aftertaste though.
Here are some excerpts from the press release about this special beer…
“Vintage 2008 was aged in oak vat number 96 at Brouwerij RODENBACH in Roeselare, Belgium for the last two years. The 750 ml bottles are cork topped and the Flanders sour ale resembles an Oloroso sherry wine with its deep red, coppery glow. Cask 96 was chosen for this year’s special Vintage because its track record in producing sour beer over the years has been superior.”
“Vintage 2008 is 7% ABV and is more mild than RODENBACH Grand Cru. Like other good sour beers, RODENBACH Vintage pairs perfectly with food because of the absence of hop bitterness. Vintage 2007 took home the Silver award in the Wood and Barrel Aged Sour category at this year’s World Beer Cup in Chicago.”
“There are only 30,000 750 ml bottles of Vintage 2008. RODENBACH is often called the missing link between beer and wine.”