Rodenbach Alexander Flanders
Rodenbach Alexander is the brewery's sour-cherry Flanders red ale — 5.6% ABV, brewed in Roeselare, Belgium, and sold here as a 4-pack of 11.2oz bottles. It blends two-thirds beer aged two years in oak foeders with one-third young ale, then macerates the blend with sour cherries for a pronounced sweet-tart cherry character. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- ABV: 5.6%
- Size: 4 x 11.2oz bottles
- Style: Flanders red ale with sour cherries
- Blend: 2/3 beer aged 2 years in oak foeders, 1/3 young ale, macerated with sour cherries
- Origin: Roeselare, West Flanders, Belgium
- First brewed: 1986, for founder Alexander Rodenbach's 200th birthday
The Founder's Cherry Ale, Back From the Vault
Alexander Rodenbach — blind from age eleven, yet the man who ran the brewery from 1821 and later sat in parliament — got his tribute beer in 1986, brewed for the 200th anniversary of his birth. The cherry-macerated ale was discontinued after 1999 and became a cult memory, until the brewery revived it in 2016 as the first of its limited sour series for the US, then made it year-round in 2018 in the 4-pack format sold here. It takes the Grand Cru-style foeder blend and layers real sour cherries over it. Find the rest of the range in our beer and craft beer collections, or on the Rodenbach vendor page.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Pronounced sour cherry with red currant and a light balsamic note. Palate: Sweet-tart cherry up front, strawberry and red wine fruit with warmth, mild oak and vanilla underneath. Finish: Complex and balanced — deep ruby-red in the glass, finishing like a fine Burgundy.
How to Enjoy
Serve cold in a tulip or wine glass as an aperitif, with duck, cherry-glazed pork or a dark-chocolate dessert — the cherry and acidity carry both rich and sweet courses.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Rodenbach Alexander? A Flanders red ale first brewed in 1986 to mark founder Alexander Rodenbach's 200th birthday: a foeder-aged blend macerated with sour cherries, discontinued after 1999 and revived in 2016.
How is Alexander different from Grand Cru? They share the two-thirds aged-beer blend, but Alexander is macerated with sour cherries and bottled at 5.6% ABV, giving it a distinct cherry-led sweet-tart profile.
How is Rodenbach Alexander packaged? This listing is a 4-pack of 11.2oz (330mL) bottles at 5.6% ABV.
A revived classic with real cherry depth — order Rodenbach Alexander online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.