For the last time, Alexander is not a lambic beer! Rodenbach is one of the last breweries to make classic Belgian Red Ales. These beers which have almost disappeared, are sour brownish-red ales that are extremely thirst quenching and stomach-settling. The Alexander is a combination of the Rodenbach Red with the addition of sour cherries to sweeten the beer. It's almost the Belgian equivalent of the Berliner Weisse - a sour wheat beer that is taken with a shot of woodruff or raspberry syrup to make it more palatable.
After pouring the Alexander, I could smell the malolactic sourness from a full foot away. Watching it from afar, I breathed in the intoxicating aroma while observing it for color and effervescence. The beer is a deep ruby-brown that has supports no head and only minimal bubbles.
I allowed the beer to warm to somewhere closer to 55 degrees and sampled the beer - it was sour... first sour from the yeast and then sour from the cherries and then it mellowed into a nice warm, round taste in my mouth.
This is a fantastic beer, one of the last of its kind... so
if you see it, try it while you still can.
(Avery Glasser)