3 Fonteinen Framboos (Framboise)

Formerly brewed at 3 Fonteinen
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Beersel, Belgium

thank you thank you thank you MDS. Despite what others may say you are not a douchebag.

I admit, I probably would have driven the 3 hours to Peterborough for this beer alone. It wasn’t alone, rather it was a highlight from an amazing lineup that took 2 days to get through. This one came right after Upland Raspberry & 3F Hommage.. it was followed by Pannepot Oak Aged Grand Reserva

Golden orange rusty body, thinnish white head. Nose is jammy raspberry, well done acidity (of various types - some almost balsamic, others not quite as definable.) Flavor is raspberries buried in wood. Plenty of acidity here - lemon pits & pith. Is this hype or is this simply the best balanced sour I’ve ever had? The finish keeps growing, morphing, changing...

The pour reveals a hazy red color with a ring of white lace on top. Amazing aroma of raspberries and herbs with a good dose of sourness and wild yeast funk. Superb, sour, funky flavor of raspberries and herbs, everything is well balanced, it’s truly awesome. The body has a light to medium thickness with a dusty texture and gentle carbonation. To me, Framboos is the Graal of lambics and I feel very lucky to have had the privilige of tasting it, merci Dany!

From a 750mL Bottle. Generously shared by cquiroga. Pours a deep, somewhat hazy, consistent shade of ruddy caramel, topped with a thin head of off-white foam. A powerful raspberry vinegrette aroma leaps instantly from the glass, along with a great woody seed character and a touch of acetone-like sharpness. There seems to be a somewhat darker, fig fruit dimension coming through, almost like a dried boisenberry-raspberry jam trying to come through as well. Notes of soft vanilla and subtle oak add further complexity and intrigue. Light bodied, mildly carbonated mouthfeel with a brisk acidity. Tart raspberrry flavors with a leafy herbal quality and raspbeery seed woodiness. Some dry oak and leathery funk balance the fruits nicely, giving this a complex, geueze-like quality. This seems to have aged marvelously, allowing the fruit to retreat back to a level where it’s in perfect balance with the funk, acidity, oak, and herbal dryness. Perfect level of acidity, that keeps building in intensity long into the complex, fruity oak finish. Amazing beer. Thanks for the rare treat, Chris!

1999 bottle shared by cquiroga: Pours a slightly cloudy copper amber with a thin, wispy-lacing spotty white head. Aroma of tart funky raspberries and some fresh earthy oaky notes and complexity. Body starts with a fairly full, almost oily maltiness with good tartness and fruit character. Very well balanced and slightly puckering with nice light funkiness throughout. An outstanding lambic that I sure wish they’d brew again.

1999. Bottle from Bier Circus in 2004, bottle at home in 2007. Both were astounding. Poured slowly, over the course of a few minutes, so only hints of off-white carbonation that may or may not have yielded a head. The body is a hazed amber with bright orange hues at the fringes. So, this apparently did not have any cherry juice added for coloring/balance etc., something for which I’m thankful. If it did, it’s faded with time or it never was noticeable. This just seemed like pure raspberry funk. Notes of raspberry fly out of the glass like they’re being propelled by a silent engine. The aroma is so intense but it doesn’t seem reckless, just like nothing more could’ve been possibly packed into the batch. Tartness is evident long before the first sip; conversely, alcohol was never noted. Farmhousey, barnyardy twang is relentless and feels like it’s molded into the fruit character, not a result of wild yeasts. The finale of each inhalation is pure oak, a solid wall of wood drenched with tannic properties. The first sip continues the oaky barrage but mellows a touch to let the high acidity of the fruit prod around and sink into the crevasses of the mouth and tongue. This stuff is remarkable! Highly sour, highly tart, immensely drinkable and still full of vibrancy(both bottles). The finish is creamy, lasting, steadily tart while fruit fades away into a clean farmhouse funk with lingering bits of yeast. The mouthfeel is light bodied but never watery, condensed carbonation still lively. Incredibly refreshing despite crushing sourness. Wow.

Vintage 1999: Poured a hazy amber with an off-white head. The aroma was cheesy, funky and tart with a hint of fruit. The flavor was fairly tart and acidic. Light fruit. Clean dry finish. Light to medium body.

Date: 10/12/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting

opaque light purple, fine off white head, tart berry aroma with a light raspberry character and a funky tart twang, creamy body, big tart berry flavor, lots of wild twang, lasting tartness,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **4

750ml, 1999 vintage. 33euro at Kulminator. good thing i peaked through the cellar window long enough to spot this unlisted for sale bottle. i think the owner even forgot about it. i was initially disappointed but the lack of rare lambics at this bar and in all of Belgium but this is exactly what I was hoping to find. Pours dense and cloudy but vibrant sun-orange with off white head. Nose is incredibly funky (never smelled a beer this funky), extremely dense and oaky as well, and then the delicate raspberries come through, but at this point, can no longer hold their own against the oakiness. This hits my mouth extremely smooth and takes its time to start the puckering but it does and becomes really sour with very low acidity. Initial note is really dry and oaky, probably the oakiest beer I’ve ever had. The dryness continues throughout combining with big funky barnyard flavors. The raspberries come into the profile near the end and finish providing a very light sweet and fruitiness, but after 8 years of age, the raspberries have probably fallen off quite a bit, evolving this to taste more like a geuze with delicate fruity profile (perhaps by the color it never was that raspberry-e). the sourness and oaky finish is very intense but with such rounded out acidity it’s never too much, as each sip is as thirst quenching as the last. Mouth feel is light and perfect to style. Carbonation is low but not flat at all. This is exactly what I was looking for at the Kulminator. Just wish I could have shared it with out beer geek friends.4.5.

7/12/08, Wow I can’t believe I got a chance to try this once let alone twice thanks to Jeppe for bringing this! such an extremely intense sour funky raspberries, tons of acid sliding down the throat. the oaky raspberry funk notes are haunting. brillant stuff.4.5.