Category Archives: Belgian Flanders Oud Bruin

De Struise Dark Horse Reserva

Brewery: De Struise Brouwers
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Flanders Oud Bruin
Other Notes: 15 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This ale was brewed, bottled & capped by hand. Contains a hybrid dark sour ale somewhere between a Dirty Horse and an Earthmonk. Spontaneously fermented and aged for 4 years on some of the finest red wine barrels from the Bordeaux area in France.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.29
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottled on 6th February 2018, and a best before date of 5th February 2028. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: Dark brown in colour with maybe some slight amber notes, and a one finger beige head that had decent retention, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, dark fruit, prunes, plum, cherry, oak, balsamic vinegar, with some light red wine vinous notes, caramel, leather and funk.
Taste: Sour, tart, dark fruit, plum, cherry, prunes, red wine vinous, oak, lime, vinegar, with a hint of caramel and funk.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: It’s got some nice complexity and despite my preference for more carbonation, this was still very enjoyable.

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3 Fonteinen Nocturne

Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7.1%
Style: Flanders Oud Bruin
Other Notes: Blend°2, Season 19/20. Number of bottles – 604

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Nocturne is a blend of 3 Fonteinen brewed dark full malt beers and traditional lambic. Spontaneously fermented. Matured in oak barrels. Extended bottle ageing. Unfiltered. Unpasteurised.

On the 30th of March 2018, we brewed a fully barley malt beer wort, with pilsner, pale ale, cara and roasted chocolate malt. We left this beer to age for almost two years on oak barrels. Prior to bottling, we blended the beer with some young lambik. Nocturne is our take on a Vlaams Oud Bruin – a Vlaams-Brabants Oud Bruin if you will. This beer is fully spontaneously fermented and all-natural without any addition of caramel sweetener or colouring. (yet, #notlambic). 100% 3 Fonteinen. # of bottles: 604.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.25
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, blend°2, season 19/20, bottled on 6th November 2019, and with a best before date of 26th October 2039. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed Zenne glass.
Appearance: A dark amber dark brown colour with a one finger beige head that had good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, red berries, cherry, cranberry, malty, light roast, with a hint of caramel, vinegar and lemon juice.
Taste: Sour, tart, red berries, cranberry, cherry, plum, oak, dark malt, light roast, light funk, and light vinegar notes.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied, with moderate carbonation.
Overall: A rare not lambic from 3 Fonteinen, but it was good. It’s a well made Oud Bruin that was really enjoyable on a hot spring night.

Deschutes The Dissident

Brewery: Deschutes Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 11.1%
Style: Flanders Oud Bruin
Other Notes: 2015 Reserve. 65% ale aged in French oak wine barrels and 35% ale brewed with cherries

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Introducing our wildest brew yet, The Dissident – a distinctive Belgian-style brown ale. Fermented with wild yeast, we have to isolate this brew so as not to influence the others. Otherwise, we just might have anarchy on our hands. Here’s to solitary confinement and shared exploration.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.04
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 1 pint 6 fl. oz. waxed bomber, 2015 Reserve, with a best after date of 30th October 2016. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A mostly clear amber brown colour with a one finger beige head that had decent retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, cherry, vinous, light acetone, oak, caramel notes, and a touch of vinegar.
Taste: Lightly sour and tart, cherry, red grape, plum, vinous, oak, caramel, light boozy.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: ABV was higher than expected, although the waxed bottle probably should have hinted in that direction. There was a slight boozy feel, but despite that it was still smooth, enjoyable and easy to drink.

Verzet Oud Bruin Oak Leaf

Brewery: Brouwerij ‘t Verzet
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Flanders Oud Bruin
Other Notes: Harvest 2015

Brewer Description: (from neck tag in Dutch) Oud Bruin Oak Leaf ontstaat door eikenbladeren toe te voegen aan bier dat reeds één jaar rijpte op eiken vaten. Aan de rand van een pittoreske, Meulebeekse vijver werden deze bladeren zorgvuldig met de hand geplukt. De nazomerbladeren geven het bier een houterige smaak en een drogend gevoel in de mond. De wilde gisten die van nature op de bladeren aanwezig zijn, fermenteren de restsuikers in het bier tot een brede waaier aan complexe en vooral organische aroma’s. Geniet van dit unieke bier en laat je door je zintuigen meenemen op een zonnige herfstwandeling in het bos.

(translated from Dutch to English) Oud Bruin Oak Leaf is created by adding oak leaves to beer that has matured in oak barrels for one year. At the edge of a picturesque Meulebeek pond, these leaves were carefully picked by hand. The late summer leaves give the beer a woody taste and a drying feeling in the mouth. The wild yeasts naturally present on the leaves ferment the residual sugars in the beer into a wide range of complex and especially organic aromas. Enjoy this unique beer and let your senses take you on a sunny autumn walk in the forest.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.27
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A corked and caged 750ml bottle, harvest 2015, and with a best before date of April 2026. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear amber orange brown colour with a one finger beige head that had decent retention and eventually settled to a thin replenishing cap, while leaving some decent lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, cherry skin, blackberry, mixed berries, oak, woody, dried grass, grape skin, light herbal medicine, and a touch vinous.
Taste: Sour, tart, cherry skin, grape skin, woody oak, dried grass, with a splash of vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Dry, lightly acidic, light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Refreshing and enjoyable with good aroma and flavours. Acidity is more balanced here than in some of the other varieties.

Verzet Oud Bruin Cherry

Brewery: Brouwerij ‘t Verzet
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Flanders Oud Bruin
Other Notes: Harvest 2015

Brewer Description: (from neck tag in Dutch) Oud Bruin Cherry ontstaat door krieken toe te voegen aan bier dat reed één jaar rijpte op eiken vaten. De rijpe vruchten worden in volle zomer, bij het krieken van de dag, geplukt in Poolse boomgaarden door lokale schonen. De manden, die uitpuilen van blozende vruchten, steken het Germaanse Rijk over om zo uitgepit neer te strijken in Anzegem waar ze aan het bier worden toegevoegd. De suikers uit de zure kersen worden door de wilde gisten omgezet naar complexe aroma’s van onder meer rode wijn, verse kers en amandel. De krieken en het bier tillen elkaar naar een hoger niveau, dat wisten brouwers honderden jaren geleden al. Ervaar zelf dit prachthuwelijk en klink met je vrienden op dit kersverse bruidspaar.

(translated from Dutch to English) Oud Bruin Cherry is created by adding cherries to beer that ripened for one year in oak barrels. The ripe fruits are picked in full summer, at the crack of the day, in local orchards in Polish orchards. The baskets, protruding from blushing fruits, cross the Germanic Empire to settle down in Anzegem where they are added to the beer. The sugars from the sour cherries are converted by the wild yeast into complex aromas of, among other things, red wine, fresh cherry and almond. The cherries and the beer lift each other to a higher level, brewers knew that hundreds of years ago. Experience this marvelous marriage yourself and sound with your friends on this brand new bridal couple.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.18
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A corked and caged 750ml bottle, harvest 2015, and with a best before date of April 2026. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear amber orange brown colour with a half finger beige head that had decent retention while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Tart, cherry, cherry skin, oak, with hints of almond and vanilla.
Taste: Sour, tart, cherry, oak, lightly vinous, with a dash of vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Acidic but not overly so, light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice and enjoyable. The cherry and oak comes through nicely, and there is not as much vinegar as in some of the other variations that I’ve tried.