Boon Framboise

Brewed by Brouwerij F. Boon
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Lembeek, Belgium

Another Lambic, another world of delights opened up. The style now has me hooked and more like this are truly welcome. Poured into a chalice glass. Head rose and fell in quick time leaving only a film of pink atop the beer. Medium red body, clear and sparkling in the lights with very little carbonation present. Aroma is incredibly funky, I’m sure it would turn off the average, indiscernible beer-drinker. Ripe and over-ripe raspberries burst out first before soggy, salted cheese, mushrooms and dank moss, water crackers and fresh ground pepper come in to liven it right up. Plump, juicy and ripe fruits in the mouth with the cheesy notes settling to the back off the mouth playing shortly in the aftertaste. It’s sour, tangy, sweet and fresh all at the same time showing incredible balance across the palate. Finish is a jumble of soft cheese, lactic acid, peppery fruits and hairy ’horse-blanket’ that all lingers for some length. Was expecting this to be along the same lines as the sour, Cantillon Fruit lambics, but its sweet and juicy, and very refreshing whilst cold. As it warms it shows some acidic fruits that prickle the mid-palate and beyond, and manage to rise up into the olfactory glands to give them a tickle too. Body is medium-light, being full of flavour and rounded to give it the appearance of a bigger beer. Carbonation dissipates quickly and it’s merely spritzy in the mouth. I liked it, got better as it warmed so my next trial will be at room temperature. A nice Framboise. Tasty!!! (37,5cL corked, 2003, Int’l Beer Shop, W. Leederville)

This is a wonderful "true" lambic, not the fruity, syrupy Lindeman’s (save for their Cuvee Renee) for the starter just tyring new lambics. While it doesn’t have that "nut-check" in a bottle sensation like a Cantillon or Girardin, it still has the nice barnyard, funky cheese, acidic and tartness you look for in a lambic. There is an element of fruityness and sweetness with the raspberries but it’s very soft, not overpowering in any way. The finish is SUPER dry and the fruit comes out a bit more going down. As I stated, this is a nice choice to introduce someone to a lambic. Very enjoyable!

Medium ruby-red hue. Smelled like raspberry cheesecake. Slick texture with a sparkly carbonation. Vinous, like white wine infused with raspberry syrup. Warming alcohol in the back. Sugary, fruity sweetness. Some sourness and a pinch of bitterness; not quite enough, though. Overall, I found it tasty, but it was a tad too sweet for me. I also yearned for more prominent yeast elements.

Bottle. Aroma of real, not sweeties, tart fruit, pungent. Sour, tart, and lightly sweet underneath. Very much real fruit, unsweetened, nice, ripe, real. Red winey red, robust looking, perhaps a little light towards rose than that. Gorws on you as you drink, a bit two dimensional, but will teach lambic initiates a thing or two about the candy sweetness that is lindemans without (possibly) scaring them off if they have an open mind.

Amber/red with a small fizzy head. Raspberry aroma with some wheat and apple cider. Taste is sour and raspberries with a tart finish. Easy and light carbonation with the medium body. Very easy drinking. Very good but nothing really exciting.

Purchased this for my wife, the Lambic lover, who’s sole taste revolved around the Lindemans label. However, the light fruits and actual "bits o’ fruit" screamed au-natural. Slight buttery "jammy" aroma, light sweetness, visually quite cloudy, but not as dark as other lambics drank. I think this pairs well with certain blander foods, maybe a white chicken dish or pork. I could see this as a desert drink, but not with any chocolate. (Ah, hah, after sampling the second glass from the bottle, which was darker in appearance... raspberry vigarette scent memory!)

i’m a big fan of the kriek boon, so i was looking forward to trying this one. it didn’t disappoint, but neither was it in the same category of excellent delicious lambics that the kriek epitomises. or something.

Bottle (355ml). Poured fizzy medium-deep clear pink-red with a very small white quick-diminishing head. Aroma of off-dry reisling, fresh tart raspberries, yeast and spices (cloves and cinnamon at least) - slightly funky, but mostly fruity. Tastes the same - there’s sweetness to it, but well balanced by the tartness - no detectable alcohol - nothing special but very nice. Mouthfeel is syrupy and lightly fizzy, not a complicated beer but enjoyable - another to add to the "patio" list. Wish it were more sour and yeasty.