Looks like a Flanders Red but tastes quite different. I think the base beer (grainbill and yeast) are just too far from what a Flanders is to be even close to one. Fruity and sour there’s big hits of red wine vinegar, jammy plums and bizarrely Bakewell pudding. Nice acidity, cuts through my homemade cheeseboard to perfection. No chutney’s needed 👍

I'm unfamiliar with Palinka beer of Hungarian origin but this brew is inspired by that style whilst being a Flanders Red, Lambic sour wild mixed fermentation brew. Traditionally murky red/brown colour with a hint of violet hue, no head retention but visible carbonation still. It's complex on the nose, brandy and oak are most noticeable followed by vinegar and then vague dark fruit at this early stage. This brew is made from a base sour beer that is then sat on locally farmed plums in Calvados producing oak barrels. The first sip is sour but it's not the first noticeable thing. Having had Flanders before I immediately thought this is different from those other examples. This brew has a yeasty, wheaty, biscuity, toasty start which is then quickly taken over by sharp balsamic vinegar, plum and a little salt on the finish. It's silky smooth in the mouth with medium to full body and a relatively short finish. This example of a Flanders Red style beer isn't my favourite I've had but it is complex, deep and interesting. There is alot to unpack and consider but on the whole it's as nice as others. Perhaps this is the Hungarian Palinka influence on this brew. Speaking of which, the bready yeast is making a come back in the finish now. It's like having breadsticks dipped in balsamic with a side of plum and it's growing on me. It's intriguing.