Rodenbach Grand Cru is a Flanders red ale, a Belgian style that is lighter-bodied but deeply complex. Despite its relative lightness, a well-executed Flanders red is sweet, sour, fruity, dry, rich and clean all at once.

Little wonder that an almost 200-year-old Belgian label like Rodenbach would be a definitive take on one of the country’s signature styles. In standard Rodenbach, 25 percent of the batch is aged for two years, then blended with an unaged version. The Grand Cru changes the ratio to a more complex result: 67 percent is aged and 33 percent unaged.

In the bottle:

This beer pours a handsome red-tinted amber. Tartness and sourness leap out in the nose, with some traces of fruit ― cherries and citruslike zest, mostly. Though sour on the taste buds, it also serves up earthy citrus and ripe fruit that culminate in a long, fascinating finish.

For all that flavor, Rodenbach Grand Cru is remarkably medium-bodied, with mellow undertones. It’s a full-flavored beer but remains a surprisingly manageable sipper at just 6 percent alcohol. Cold enough ― but not ice cold ― it’s also oddly refreshing.

Drink it with:

A rich, higher-fat poultry like duck. Its savory fruit characteristics would also make it a fine Thanksgiving beer.

By Josh Noel

(Chicago Tribune)

(MCT Information Services)