Comparison
Oud Bruin vs Flanders red ale
What is the difference between Oud Bruin and Flanders red ale?
The short answer
The main difference is dryness: Flanders red ale has far more of it than Oud Bruin. Oud Bruin also leads on malt intensity; Flanders red ale on berry and acidity.
Generated from the two style records. No editor has written this comparison up, so it carries no verdict beyond what the data supports.
Where they overlap
They share comparable funk, sweetness, yeast fruitiness (esters), overlapping strength ranges, the same style family — the boundary between them is narrower than the comparison suggests.
Side by side
| Oud Bruin | Flanders red ale | |
|---|---|---|
| Family | Sour & wild | Sour & wild |
| Fermentation | Mixed fermentation | Mixed fermentation |
| Origin | Belgium | Belgium |
| Category status | Established | Established |
| Strength | 4–8% ABV | 4.6–6.5% ABV |
| Bitterness (IBU) — IBU measures iso-alpha acids in the lab. It does not track perceived bitterness, which residual sweetness, body and roast all alter — compare the sensory rows below for how each actually tastes. | 20–25 IBU | 10–25 IBU |
| Colour — These are the same depth in the glass; colour is not what tells them apart. | Deep reddish brown to dark brown — 15–22 SRM, 30–43 EBC | Deep red to reddish brown — 14–22 SRM, 28–43 EBC |
| Original gravity | 1.040–1.074 | 1.048–1.057 |
| Final gravity | 1.008–1.012 | 1.002–1.012 |
| Serving temperature | 9–12°C | 9–12°C |
| Carbonation | 2–3 vol CO₂ | 2–3 vol CO₂ |
| Glassware | Goblet | Goblet, Tulip glass |
| Clarity | clear | clear |
How they taste different
| Character | Oud Bruin | Flanders red ale |
|---|---|---|
| Dryness | Not characteristic | High |
| Malt intensity | Moderate | Not characteristic |
| Berry | Not characteristic | Moderate |
| Acidity | Moderate | High |
| Body | Moderate | Low |
| Chocolate & cocoa | Trace–Low | Not characteristic |
| Astringency | Not characteristic | Low |
| Caramel & toffee | Moderate | Low |
Which should you choose?
- You want more dryness → Flanders red ale
- You want more malt intensity → Oud Bruin
Derived from where the two actually differ. Neither is better — this is a question of which difference you want.