When this week rolled around, I knew I had something special on hand. The recipe below, for a Rodenbach Grand Cru Cherry Pie really caught my eye, and I immediately went out to acquire the supplies.
Looks delicious right? Well getting the supplies turn out to be a bit more difficult than I expected. Apparently Cherry Preserves are not easy to come by, and Rodenbach Grand Cru is not readily available. I made a judgement call and went with Duchesse de Bourgogne (another Flanders Red Ale, that I decided would provide the same tart cherry flavors the Grand Cru would otherwise lend).
Following the recipe, I allowed the cherries to sit and absorb a bit of the Flanders Red overnight. Seeing that the bottle was already popped, I decided to sample a bit myself! Below are the pics, and a review
The beer pours a clear red to brown pour with a small light brown head. The very bubbly head really does not last long. Hints of vinegar, and a lot of tart cherries waft from the glass. Having just combined the beer in the dough recipe and soaking some tart cherries in it, the cherry smell really comes out well for me. It has been a long time since I had this beer last (on tap at Zeno’s Pub), and wow my palate has certainly evolved. The vinegar/sour flavor adds a nice accent to the very tart cherries. The lip smuckering taste really keeps you coming back for more. Light and carbonated well. The dryness of the beer coats your mouth with flavor as you drink. Great beer. Can’t wait to see how the pie turns out. Flavorful, tart, delicious.
I assembled the pie and readied it for the oven!
How delicious do those cherries look?
Above the pre-baking and below the post!
And now to top it all off with some whipped cream, open up a bottle of Hanssens Oude Kriek, and enjoy a boatload of tart, mind boggling-ly good, calorie filled cherry pie
The beer pours a nice, clear, red without any head. Looks to have a low amount of carbonation. Very tart smell, the vinegar and barnyard funk are strong but not dominant. A ton of cherries are noticed, sweet, wonderful cherries. The taste is extremely acidic, but the tart cherries and funk aren’t to be outdone. Very intricate taste that keeps you coming back. Acidic, low carbonation, not terribly drinkable. A sipping, after dinner beer for sure. This was great, paired nicely with the pie. Couldn’t do more than a glass though.
The pie was delicious. Tart, sweet, decadent, delicious. I would love to make this again.
