Rodenbach Vintage 2018 750ML

Rodenbach Vintage 2018 750ML is a 100% unblended Flanders Red-Brown ale aged for two years in a single oak foeder, bottled at 7% ABV. Drawn exclusively from Foeder No. 220 at Brouwerij Rodenbach in Roeselare, Belgium, this limited release earned a perfect 100/100 from RateBeer and was named World's Best Sour Beer at the 2018 World Beer Awards — rare recognition for a beer that treats each vintage year as a singular, unrepeatable event.

Quick Facts: ABV: 7%  |  Origin: Roeselare, West Flanders, Belgium  |  2 Years in Oak Foeder No. 220  |  Brewery: Brouwerij Rodenbach N.V.

Production & Heritage

Brouwerij Rodenbach has been brewing in Roeselare since 1821, making it one of the oldest and most revered producers of Flanders Red-Brown ales. The brewery maintains a vast hall of massive oak foeders — some over a century old — in which a mixed fermentation of yeast and lactobacilli transforms the base beer over years of patient aging. While standard Rodenbach expressions blend young and aged beer to achieve consistency, the Vintage series takes a radically different approach: each year, the brewmaster selects the single foeder that has produced the finest beer after two full years of maturation. For 2018, that distinction went to Foeder No. 220. The contents are bottled unblended, meaning every drop comes from one barrel, one fermentation, and one specific moment in time. The base beer uses specialty malts including Vienna and Munich malts with a touch of black malt, contributing to the ale's deep reddish-brown color and layered complexity.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with assertive tart cherry and a balsamic-like acidity, then unfolds into warmer notes of wild honey, caramel, and aged oak. A subtle thread of vanilla lingers beneath the fruit, grounding the sharper aromatic edges.

Taste: The entry is brightly tart — sour cherry and green apple acidity arrive immediately, but never cross into harshness. At mid-palate, caramel sweetness and wild honey emerge to balance the fruit, while oak tannins and a whisper of liquorice add structural depth. The peak is a seamless convergence of wood, fruit acid, and malt sweetness that recalls a well-aged balsamic vinegar in its complexity.

Finish: The finish is long and elegantly balanced, with a slightly sour, fruity quality that fades slowly like a Grand Cru wine. Residual notes of cherry, vanilla, and toasted oak persist well after the last sip.

How to Drink Rodenbach Vintage

Serve this beer at cellar temperature, around 46–54°F (8–12°C), in a tulip glass or burgundy wine glass to concentrate the aromatics. Rodenbach Vintage is best appreciated on its own, treated more like a fine wine than a casual pour. For cocktail-curious drinkers, a Flanders Spritz — combining a small pour of the Vintage with sparkling water and a lemon twist — preserves the beer's character while lightening intensity. A Sour Cherry Shandy made with a splash of elderflower cordial highlights the natural fruit notes. It also works in a Belgian Beer Mimosa, replacing champagne with Rodenbach Vintage alongside fresh blood orange juice for a brunch with serious depth.

Best For

• Gifting a craft beer enthusiast who appreciates aged, limited-release bottles
• Pairing alongside a curated cheese board at a dinner party
• Adding to a sour beer cellar for vertical vintage comparison
• Introducing wine drinkers to the world of complex Belgian sour ales

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Rodenbach Vintage taste like? Rodenbach Vintage 2018 delivers assertive tart cherry and green apple acidity balanced by caramel sweetness, wild honey, oak tannins, and a hint of vanilla. The overall impression is closer to a complex balsamic or aged wine than a typical beer.

How does Rodenbach Vintage compare to Duchesse de Bourgogne? Both are iconic Flanders Red ales, but Duchesse de Bourgogne blends young and aged beer for a sweeter, more immediately approachable profile. Rodenbach Vintage is 100% unblended aged beer from a single foeder, resulting in deeper oak character, more pronounced tartness, and greater vintage-to-vintage variation.

Is Rodenbach Vintage good for sipping neat? Absolutely — this is a contemplative beer designed for slow, attentive drinking. Its wine-like complexity and long finish reward patience and are best enjoyed without dilution or mixing.

Where is Rodenbach Vintage made? Rodenbach Vintage is brewed at Brouwerij Rodenbach N.V. in Roeselare, a city in the West Flanders province of Belgium long considered the heartland of the Flanders Red-Brown ale tradition.

What foods pair well with Rodenbach Vintage? Aged Gouda or Gruyère complement the beer's oak and caramel notes. Duck confit mirrors its rich fruit acidity. Dark chocolate with a high cacao percentage echoes the malt depth. Charcuterie, particularly cured pork, balances the tartness. Fruit-forward desserts like cherry clafoutis create a natural harmony with the beer's dominant stone-fruit character.

What sizes does Rodenbach Vintage come in? Rodenbach Vintage 2018 is available in the standard 750ml bottle, a format consistent with its positioning as a cellar-worthy, limited-release ale.

Is Rodenbach Vintage worth the price? Rodenbach Vintage positions as a premium, limited-edition release within the sour beer category. Given that each bottle represents the single best foeder selected from the entire brewery in a given year, and that critics including RateBeer (100/100), Beer Connoisseur (97/100), and Wine Enthusiast (96/100) have scored it at near-perfect levels, it represents strong value relative to comparably acclaimed aged sour ales.

Why Rodenbach Vintage?

What separates Rodenbach Vintage 2018 from nearly every other sour beer on the market is its single-foeder, unblended provenance — Foeder No. 220, chosen by the brewmaster as the year's finest after a full two years of mixed fermentation in oak. That selection process, applied across a foeder hall that has been in continuous use since the 19th century, means each Vintage release is genuinely unrepeatable. Critical recognition backs this up: a perfect 100 from RateBeer and the title of World's Best Sour Beer at the 2018 World Beer Awards place it among the most decorated sour ales ever produced. For anyone serious about Flanders Reds or oak-aged sour beer, this is the benchmark.