Chapeau Faro

Brewed by Brouwerij De Troch
Style: Lambic - Faro
Ternat-Wambeek, Belgium

Bottle 25cl., 1year past bb date. Apple and candy sugar in the nose and a bit funky. Tastes sweet, little acidic, hints of sherry/madeira, apple, lemony and some candy sugar. Finish is fairly short with all of the above. Nicely balanced and much better then expected!

Bottle from Degarth; Date hard to read looks like 02; my third faro; Nose of aplly spices with some woodiness; hazy rust colored with a small off white head; flavor was not all that sweet caramel apple with only a small hint of tartness showing up in the finish as kind of an apple cider vinegar but very light along with some caramelized sugar. Not near as well balanced as the Lindemans or even St louis faros I’ve had.

Bottle, 4.75%. 4-5 years past BB date. Gusher. Quite sour aroma with earth and wood. Dark grey/copper colour, slightly hazy. Very small white head. Some black floaties, probably due to age. The flavour is sour and sweet in good balance. The acidic sourness is better than the sugary flavours. Hint of sherry/oxidation.

Deep copper color with a loose bubbled head. The nose is a complex combination that reminded me of a mix of tequilla, dill pickles and moldy hay. I am afraid to taste it. Wow, that is weird. The rock candy sweetness is very evident, but it is not melded in with the other flavors. It just seems to be oddly paired. Vinegar, soured fruit juice, and hints of the horse blanket must and moldy hay from the lambic. This is all but undrinkable. It is so different from anything else, but even as I recalibrate my palate it is still one sweet/funky drink. Thanks to Santa Papsoe for the bottle.

Thanks to sliffy at CTV3.Aroma of old pickles.Pours light brown with a light tan head.Flavor was very sour,lots of vinegar.Medium mouthfeel with a pretty bad vinegar finish.

Looks good: a red amber with a nice frothy head. Aroma of powdery sugar and some pine wood. There is also a lashing of something sweet that reminds me of a lolly I’ve eaten some time in the past. A fairly smooth flavour, slightly on the sweet side of a good balance. A nice sour lead off on tasting that is soon couteracted by a sugary rush. It’s really sweet (which is expected), but it’s not at all cloying. Easily drinkable, and also strangely enjoyable. I’d love to try some others of the like.

Well, I wondered what a Faro was and now I know: it’s a lambic for beginners and the sweet-toothed. It has training wheels in the form of a heap of sugar to take the edge off the sour, funky flavours that make lambics so beguiling. This wasn’t awful but I can’t help wondering how much better it would be without the "20% sugar candy" listed in the ingredients. It was a cloudy caramel colour with a short cappuccino froth. The aroma was dominated by the barrel aging - like fresh-cut turpentine logs. It smelled like a much stronger beer, sherbet sour-sweet and alcoholic with an intriguing mint humbug note. NIce soft mouthfeel with a slight spritz in the swallow. The first sip offers a lovely lemon-sour, woody note before a big wash of sugary sweetness. Geez - this is a sugar bomb. There is a minty mouthwash effect to the finish and some classic lambic sourness but the sugar smothers everything. Nothing against the style - I can see a lot of potential here if the sugar was more restrained. Makes me wonder what the Cantillon and 3 Fronteinen are like. (25cl bottle from trade with Papsoe - many thanks, Henrik, for the chance to tick another cateogry in the ’Beer Styles’ list)

From a 330mL Bottle. Transparent, honey gold pour with a thin layer of quickly dissipating white head. Light, musty sour aromas of dusty oak and a sugary dose of clover honey. Some muscat grapes bring a touch of sweet vinous notes as well. Light to medium bodied, gently carbonated mouthfeel. Lots of sweet orange flavors and some more muscat grapes. A small touch of musty sourness comes through at the end, but this brew is mostly dominated by sugar. Excessively sweet for my palate overall, almost to the point of undrinkability.