Cantillon Faro

Brewed by Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Faro
Brussels, Belgium

colore d’orato carico note dolciastre zuccero candi in bocca leggermente dolciastro ma anche una buona acidità

Slightly hazy - mostly clear ruby tinted amber coloured body. Aroma of sour grapes, yeast, wheat and vinegar - great! Light-bodied; Nice sweet and sour flavour up front of grapes and yeast with malt following soon behind. Aftertaste shows great character - pretty sweet, sour, hoppy and even a bit spicey. Overall, great - where has this beer been in the US? I sampled this poured from a small jug at Chez Moeder Lambic in Bruxelles, Belgium on 28-December-2007.

[To mark my 200th rating - Draught at Chez Moeder Lambic] Hazy golden with no head. Sour aroma with barnyardy notes and grapefruit. Sweet and sour flavor with brett notes, grapefruit, grapes and sugar. Lovely!

Tasted at the brewery. Beautiful deep golden-orange colour. Aroma is fairly swet, soft pale caramel and a fruity apricot/grapefruit aroma. Completely still. The highly acidic notes are quite muted in the nose, but the classic house character still comes through. Flavour is quite nice however, with a touch of acid present just at the sides of the mouth. The sweetness dampens the acidity quite a bit though. Quite sugary palate. Flavour has lots of fruitiness, lemon and grapefruit with a soft pithy bitterness across the back. Lingering brown sugar flavour. Lightly leathery with an earthy barnyardy character.

Draught, Moeder Lambic. Flat cloudy orange. Cheesy, citrusy (grapefruit, orange tea) aroma. Quite interesting really. Accurate dosage. Apple cider undertones and clear wheat influence. Certainly sugary in mid-palate, but just a soft caramel that would fit any Belgian ale. Leafy finish. Excellent stuff.

Draught at Moeder Lambic. Excellent faro, just got the right mix of sweet and sour. Very pleasant. Chardonnay grape like. Vinous.

Faro is a unique beer-drinking experience. Had on tap at a special bar called Zageman in Brussels, the Cantillon faro is undoubtedly a benchmark for this style. Faro pours exceptionally flat. In fact, the beer is one of the flatter beers I have enjoyed. The alcohol content is so low it makes it easy to drink, and they are excellent summer heat or daytime drinking beers. The same is also true because the faro is relatively sweet. Very drinkable. The faro is served in a thick glass mug, quite unlike the delicate tulip glasses too. Cantillon faro makes a far different drinking experience in general from other lambic-based beers.

Sampled @ the brewery. Hazy golden in colour with a medium sized white head. Slightly acidy with notes of brett, citrus, wood and somewhat sweet and tart.