Rodenbach - Flanders Ale
In 1821, four brothers from the Rodenbach family bought a small brewery in the West Flanders town of Roeselare. After working together for an agreed-upon 15-year period, Pedro Rodenbach, along with his wife, Regina Wouters, bought out his brothers’ shares and began to grow the business. Pedro’s son, Edward, took over Brouwerij Rodenbach in 1864 and achieved even greater growth. Prior to beginning his directorship in 1878, Edward’s son, Eugene, traveled to England to study the techniques used by Porter brewers. Eugene learned how to age beer in oak barrels and blend old and new beer to create different products. These are techniques that resulted in the production of Flanders Red ales. Rodenbach uses the same techniques to this day. The Rodenbach brewery stayed in the family until 1998, when it was acquired by Palm Breweries.
Brewing and Aging Rodenbach
The Malting Tower; Malting Furnace; Adding Grain to the Mash
Today, Rodenbach beers are produced in a large-scale modern brewery, situated next to the old brewhouse. While it is no longer in use, Rodenbach has its own malting house and used to cool its beers in a coolship. While these have been replaced with modern technology, I had the opportunity to see them in 2021 on a tour conducted by master brewer Rudy Ghequire. After primary fermentation in large conical fermenters, the beer is transferred into giant foudres – vertical French oak casks that hold about 8,000 gallons of beer each. The beer is inoculated with lactobacillus bacteria and mixed cultures and stays in the foudres for two years or more, during which it develops its signature tartness and complexity.
One of Rodenbach’s Fouder Rooms; Taking a Fouder Sample
Rodenbach has the largest collection of foudres in the world – 294 as of 2021. Some of these foudres are nearly 200 years old. Rodenbach has its own foudre-making shop that builds new foudres and reconditions older ones. When you walk among the foudres, they seem endless and you really get the feel for the beer which the beer author, Michael Jackson (NOT the king of pop), called “the most refreshing beer in the world.”
The Rodenbach Product Line
Rodenbach currently makes seven core beers.
Rodenbach Classic is the original sour ale. It is a blend of 25% “mature” beer and 75% “young” beer. It is a deep and wine-like, often compared to red Burgundies. At 5.2% ABV, it is superb with food or an afternoon break.
Rodenbach Grand Cru blends 67% mature beer with 33% young beer. It is richer and more complex than the Classic with a more distinctive winey tartness. I consider Rodenbach Grand Cru to be one of the five best beers in the world and it has been the recipient of many awards.
Rodenbach Vintage is an unblended two-year old beer selected from a single foudre for its quality and complexity.
Rodenbach Alexander is the Grand Cru aged for an additional period with sour cherries. It is named for Alexandre Rodenbach, the first director of the brewery.
Rodenbach Caractère Rouge is fully matured beer aged for an additional six months with sour cherries, raspberries and cranberries.
Rodenbach FruitAge is a blend of aged and young beers with 9% red fruit juice. it is tart and refreshing and is sold in 8.5-ounce cans.
Vin de Céréale is a newer beer that is similar to foudrebier but is aged for three years and weighs in at 10% alcohol.
St. George Slaying the Dragon is on the courtyard wall at Rodenbach
Brouwerij Rodenbach is an old brewery that developed a unique style of beer and has, in addition, had a significant influence on the country of Belgium since before it was a country.