Grimbergen Rouge

www.Grimbergenbeer.com

Brewed by Brouwerij Alken-Maes (Kronenbourg (Carlsberg))
Style: Red Fruit Ale
Alken, Belgium

Grimbergen is the brand name of a variety of Belgian abbey beers. Originally brewed solely by Norbertine monks in the Abbey of Grimbergen since the 12th century, it is now brewed by two different breweries in Belgium and in France. Brouwerij Alken-Maes Brewery located in Alken, north of Brussels, Belgium, and the Kronenbourg Brewery in Strasbourg, France.

The abbey was well known for giving shelter for pilgrims and lost souls and also providing nice home-brewed beer to warm peoples spirits. The recipes used by the brewery today is apparently the same recipe used all those years back, over 900 years old and counting!

In 1958, Brouwerij Maes contacted the monks at the Abbey with a proposition. For some support with the restoration of the Abbey, in return Maes, under the brand name “Grimbergen”, could sell their special centuries old beer.

To further feck things up big nasty Heineken took over Alken-Maes in 2008. As part of the takeover the brand name Grimbergen was transferred to the Carlsberg Group, but Heineken was given a long-term license to use the brand name in Belgium. As a result of this messing around, Alken-Maes brew the beer for the Belgian market, while Carlsberg is responsible for the marketing outside Belgium of the beers that it brews under the Grimbergen name at its Kronenbourg Brewery located in France. So in essence you can find two Grimbergens, just depending on which side of the border you are. I am not sure if they taste similar or not, but I’d wager they do.

The beer has the mythological Phoenix as its symbol, and when you know the story it is not hard to see why. Grimbergen Abbey, founded way back in 1128, was destroyed by fire three times, but from the ashes the abbey was rebuilt again and again, and is still standing today. Burned but not destroyed (“Ardel Nec Consumitur”) is the motto of the legendary beer.

Not my first try out with a Grimbergen, had their iconic Grimbergen Blonde which was simply FANTASTIC, “as good a beer as I have had in awhile”. So looking forward to this the Red……..

Review: 25cl very small bottle of Grimbergen Rouge: 6.0% vol.

Grimbergen Rouge with a red cap, comes in a very small bottle, 25cl! Bought in discount store, very cheap. Also comes in 33cl, 75cl and in 500ml cans and on draught in the odd place in France and Belgium.

On pour getting a lovely red raspberry coloured beer with purple streaks, and a very nice frothy white head, looks good, very appealing on the eye.

Very good lacing on the glass.

Smell is of strong strawberries and cherries. Very nice, oh man it is very good on the nose, very pronounced. Love it.

Initial impressions on the taste is this is a very light beer, very light and faint, and a bit watery too.

Getting a strong strawberry flavour with cherries and peach, and a slightly astringent taste that seems artificial.

Small bottle, but got a decent amount out of it all the same.

Overall it is like a fruit juice, relaxing after a while and it did grow on me over the time sipping it, but not really anything special and won’t be buying again.