In an effort to make this blog a bit friendlier to homebrew neophytes, I'm going to write a description of the style of beer before I do a tasting of it. I don't like to get too caught up in categorizing, especially since the most interesting beers break conventions. Nonetheless, when I attempt a traditional style, I think it's only appropriate to give some background.
Style: The Flanders Red resembles a red wine more than a beer. It has a spicy vanilla character from the oak aging, and the presence of tannins gives some astringency like wine. Traditionally there are a lot of esters that give fruity flavors akin to currants or cherries. The style is a classic sour ale with a tart finish attributed to wild yeast fermentation (brettanomyces) and bacteria (pediococcus and lactbacillus), but the traditional yeast (saccharomyces) play a part as well. The style is clear, maintains good head retention, and a vinous burgundy color.
Examples: Rodenbach Grand Cru, Duchesse de Bourgogne, Ommegang Rouge, New Belgium La Folie. American examples that take influence from the style: Jolly Pumpkin La Roja and Russian River Consecration.
The Graduation Ale Tasting (my version of a Flanders Red)
Aroma: Whole lot of oak. Vinegary with a wine-like spiciness. Earthy loam-like smell, but no barnyard or hay smell that often results from a wild yeast fermentation.
Taste: Slightly sweet, but then turns tart and acidic with the slightest astringency and a bit of fruity currants. Finishes with a strong oak flavor and a bit of wine/tannin flavor. I suppose this is to be expected since the oak that I used was brand new and hardly diluted. In the U.S. this style is often aged in winery barrels that have lost most of their oak influence. With time, the oak will dissipate and the ale will balance out (Name of beer should be amended to the post-graduate ale).
Appearance: Ruby brown, burgundy. No head whatsoever, but I just bottled this beer three weeks ago so it will need some time. Since the beer sat in the fermenter around eight months, I imagine that it may take awhile for the bottles to carbonate. I know some people add a pinch of dry yeast.
Mouthfeel: Clean with a good body, definitely not light but not too heavy either. Again, it really reminds me of a lighter red wine. Not enough carbonation, which vindicates my plan to age this beer for at least another four months.
Overall: For those of you who have been following the blog, this is the oak dowel experiment beer. The dowel really imparted an influence of oak into the beer--maybe a little too well--and there is definitely a nice tart sour flavor. I'd say it was a success, but I'm not sure if the dowel is worth the trouble. The last sour wheat I made turned out a beautiful tart flavor without the added oxygen of the wood, and I think cubes would be easier to use than the dowel for oak flavor, but I'll withhold an opinion until the results are conclusive. This beer should be great once the oak balances out and the carbonation gets up to par. I will leave it to sit for awhile longer before I give it another taste. My wedding is in November so I may call this the Nuptial Ale and cut my losses now.
