3 Fonteinen Faro

Brewed by 3 Fonteinen
Style: Lambic - Faro
Beersel, Belgium

Weird stuff. Light tan in colour, not unlike the gueze from the same house. Nose gives off a spirity, grappa like note - suprisingly matches well with sweeter fruit notes. Flavours are dominated with spirity, petrol-like note, not really pleasant at all. If this was wine I’d say it was suffering from volatile acidity in a huge way. Together with a low fizz flabby structure I’m not really inclined to give this sample the benefit of the doubt. (e1.60 on tap @ Brewery cafe)

Partykeg at Copenhagen Beerfestival 2006
Muddy amber color; flat. It has some cellar aroma, and malt. Sweet Lambic, with low sourness, cellar, fruitness, light final astringency. Light but elegant final. Extremely drinkable!

hazy brownish with thin white head. Acidic aroma of caller and lemon. Slight sour flavour but still with sweetness along with citrus and fruit.

Sampled at 3 Fonteinen restaurant. Good looks, spritzy with big head. I’m not a fan of the style but if you have to ruin good lambic, this is probably the most agreeable way to do it ;-)

Bronze colour with a little off-white head. Grapefruit dominated aroma, sweet and sour flavour.

After being lectured about Faro by Armand Debelder and Jean-Pierre Van Roy, there was really no way I could leave Belgium without tasting the "real" thing. Of course that had been my intention all along, but the sourness of Debelder was more poignant in the critique of his forsaken colleagues than the lambic itself. Pumped and poured into the austere Drie Fonteinen tumbler, the Faro resembled unfiltered apple juice, opaque and topped of a light beige column of bubbly foam. Apples appear again with strength in the slightly sweet aroma otherwise dominated by raw vinegar. Soft goat cheese and gorgonzola provide a fresh and smoothing funk. The flavor is again highlighted by apple as well as cantaloupe, apricots and peaches. Lightly sour and barely sweet, this is a velvety soft drink with a character more likely to soothe than any beer I’ve had. It’s the salubrious comfort of a mother when you’re sick.

Draught@Københavnske Øldage. Sweetish, slight sugary edge, but with the sourness of the lambic also everpresent. Somehow it seems a little unbalanced, but on the other hand it was quite addicted, very nice combo of sugary sweetness and traditional lambic sourness.

Draught at Københavnske Øldage 2006. Murky orange in colour with no head. The aroma had some sweet fruits (apples. pears), light sourness, some barnyard. The flavour is lightly sweet, lots of fruits (oranges, lemons, peaches and pears), light apple tartness, some brown sugar. Sweet but soft mouthfeel, medium body, very light carbonation. Finishes dry and tart. Phenomenal stuff.