My first Flanders Red. Even though it's made in the UK, I hear it's done as if it were Belgian. Red in colour, yes, but not explicitly so, there's a bit of brown murk to it as opposed to a raspberry Berliner or something. Instantly disappearing head but very lively, it erupted from simply being opened! Sour, red wine and balsamic on the nose. Cherry liqueur/Kirsch mixed with a wheaty sour and the familiar smell of a decent yeast strain you get from such beers. There's a fair amount to unpack from a quick blast upon your palette... Sweet and sour hits your tongue and sour wins this primary battle by a reasonable margin. This is followed by salt and a short finish. The duration between contains sweet balsamic vinaigrette, I've not had a red wine vinegar before (actual vinegar) and if it's like this beer I'd like it! It's like a sweet Cotê du Rhone, or cherry and balsamic with a sprinkle of salt. It's light in the mouth with only a gentle fizz now, and medium body. Smooth and quite gulpable actually. I can appreciate this won't sound very appealing to some, for a beer. And to you I say it's not as grim as it sounds! But fans of sours, Saison or Gose should be encouraged to try a Flanders Red if they haven't before. I'm glad I did, it was about time. I won't be drinking this often, but that's not to say it's hard to drink because it's not. It's less sour than a sour, less salty than a Gose and less wheaty than a Saison, but it is as yeasty as all of those. Could it be that which binds them. Anyway, It's inevitably more of a specialty than a pale ale and something to have on occasion in my view. I look forward to my next Flanders Red at some point.

Absolutely love this