Rodenbach Alexander

As I sit here writing this, I am wondering if my house is going to be swept away by the crazy wind storm occurring outside. Hours before the wind storm began, I went out to get a few last minute essentials. The most important being, beer. To be honest though, I did not need to make a beer run. There was more than enough beer in my refrigerator to ride out the storm. However, I went looking for a specific beer. I went looking for Rodenbach Alexander.

Like last week's blog, I wanted to write about another classic beer. Rodenbach Alexander is a Flanders red ale macerated with juice from sour cherries from the legendary Brouwerij(Brewery) Rodenbach in Roieselare, Belgium. Brouwerij Rodenbach are masters of the Flanders red ales which requires the blending of oak aged ales. The composition of Alexander is two-thirds two year old oak aged ale and one-third young oak aged ale. The amount of craftsmanship behind Alexander is immediately noticeable from the moment you first take in the aroma to the very last sip.

The aroma is full of cherry, along with a touch of raisin, funk, leather, oak tannins, a slight mustiness, vinegar and an earthy spice. From the nose, the cherry is very clearly the star of the show here and that is even more clear on the first sip.

As I took my first sip, I was immediately greeted with huge amount of tart cherry, along with the perfect amount of acidity, a touch of funk, a touch of mustiness before a spicy, tannic finish with a lasting amount of cherry. From my first sip, to my last, I was blown away. There is so much to love about this vinous beer.

What makes Rodenbach Alexander even better is that it is a beer that can cater to a wide audience. Its fruit forward flavor is very accessible, but its more subtle notes will offer enough complexity to a seasoned beer or wine enthusiast. If you have yet to give this beer a try, I highly recommend picking it up on your next beer run, whether there is catastrophic weather coming or not. I assure you, you will not be disappointed.



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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Lagunitas Super Cluster & Cherry Jane

One thing I love about Lagunitas Brewing Company is their reasonable prices. As someone who is currently trying to furnish a home, I am looking for values in any place I can find them, especially when it comes to purchasing beer. As hard as it is for me to admit, I find it difficult to justify purchasing several 15-20 dollar 4-packs while sitting on one of two chairs in an otherwise empty living room watching television. If I was in college, I could easily justify this but it gets a failing grade when it comes to adulting. For this blog, I am not so much reviewing beer but offering two great options at more reasonable prices.

I came across Lagunitas' Super Cluster DIPA and stopped in my tracks. Super Cluster is an 8% Citra-Hopped DIPA, priced under 20 dollars for a 12-pack. Without even trying it, that price alone felt like a steal and I could not wait to get home and give it a try. What I found when I did was an excellent West Coast DIPA that is bursting with citrus & pine resin. The first sip does not disappoint, delivering a healthy dose of bright, citrus flavors. Orange, grapefruit, passion fruit and a touch of lemongrass come through at first before a piney, herbal finish. The 8% ABV is hidden fairly well, making this even easier to drink. Super Cluster is beautifully crafted and a steal at its price point.

Another solid offering from Lagunitas is their cherry sour ale, Cherry Jane. The price point for Cherry Jane is around 13 dollars a six-pack which is a touch more than I was looking to spend but I could not resist a beer brewed with Turkish Delight Cherry Juice & Brettanomyces. The Brett delivers just the right amount of funk to the dominating flavor of tart cherry juice. The sourness is not particularly aggressive, it plays as more of a compliment to the cherry juice. I, in particular love tart cherry juice so this beer definitely worked for me.

Both of these beers are solid offerings from Lagunitas. I would highly encourage you to pick up Super Cluster in particular. It is easily one of the best values I have come across in beer that did not have the name "Genesee" on it.



To discuss this blog or all things beer like my Facebook page

Look for me on Instagram & Untappd and Twitter @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews check out: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!