Westbrook Mr. Chipper

Mount Pleasant, SC

Flanders Red Ale – 6.80% ABV

By: Eric Sturniolo

This Flanders red ale (named from the Flanders region of Belgium) is aged in red wine barrels for 2.5 years. It pours a hazy dark red, with a fizzy head that dissipates quickly. The taste is sour and very tart and acidic, which is cut by a gentle sweetness of cherries and berries. At the end, there’s oak, tannin, and a bit of earthiness from the barrel-aging.

This is a rare find in NYC, but it does become available every now and then. A few more readily available (and similarly great) examples of this style are:

Cascade Kriek Ale

Rodenbach Grand Cru

The Bruery Oude Tart

Happy drinking!