23.C - Oud Bruin (BJCP 2021)

Description

A malty, fruity, aged, somewhat sour Belgian-style brown ale with a caramel-chocolate malt flavor, and often substantial alcohol.

Profile

Richly malty with fruity esters and an aged sourness. Medium to medium-high esters commonly reminiscent of raisins, plums, figs, dates, oranges, black cherries, or prunes. Medium-low to medium-high malt with caramel, toffee, treacle, or chocolate character. Low spicy-peppery phenols optional. A low sour aroma may be present, and can modestly increase with age but should not grow to a strongly acetic, vinegary character. Hop aroma absent. Aged examples can show a lightly nutty, sherry-like oxidation character.

Dark reddish-brown to brown in color. Good clarity. Average to good head retention. Ivory to light tan head color.

Malty with fruity complexity and typically some dark caramel or burnt sugar flavor. Medium-low to medium-high malt, same descriptors as aroma. Medium to medium-high fruitiness, same descriptors as aroma. Low spicy-peppery phenols optional. A slight sourness often becomes more pronounced in well-aged examples, along with some sherry-like character, producing a “sweet-and-sour” profile and aftertaste. The sourness should not grow to a strongly acetic, vinegary character. Hop flavor absent. Restrained hop bitterness. Balance is malty, but with fruitiness and sourness present. Blending and sweetening may produce a range of finishes, and balances.

Medium to medium-full body. Low to moderate carbonation. No astringency. Stronger versions can be noticeably warming.

Ingredients

Pils malt, dark crystal malts, maize, small amounts of color malt. Low alpha acid continental hops. Sacch and Lacto. Aged. Water with carbonates and magnesium typical of its home region.

Examples

Ichtegem Oud Bruin, Liefmans Goudenband, Liefmans Oud Bruin, Petrus Roodbruin, pFriem Oud Bruin, VanderGhinste Roodbruin