Liefmans Goudenband

Brewed by Liefmans (Moortgat)
Style: Sour Ale
Oudenaarde, Belgium

A splendid beer with complex taste and beer you can save for 20 years and longer. Tasted a new version along with a 20 year old versin. Still perfect to drink not that sour anymore but still a perfect beer. One of the best sour ales

Shimmering brown pour with some dusty red hues blended softly into the body. A small beige head is drawn from adequate carbonation, good retention. Minor lacing. Aroma is soft and moderately complex. Vinous notes are joined by herbs, French oak scents, brown sugar, lightly funky sourness, cherries, prunes and apples. Light yeastiness and lighter still alcohol settle in late. Odd, though mouth-watering. Flavor is of medium tartness, very mild bitterness, moderate acidity, medium-high sweetness and emblazoned with a badge of sour caramels and dark and melon-textured fruits. The finish is tart and fruity, off-dry and pretty elegant. A very flavorful sour brown, especially because of the sexy vinous nature. I love wine-reminiscent beers. The mouthfeel is soft but adequately carbonated, sticky and medium bodied. A very unique and treasured example that always has a home in my cellar, likewise in my kitchen. Never has the flavor of a beer provoked such anticipatory thoughts of a sure-to-be winning food and beer pairing. This would seem to be, and later turn out to be, a most stupendous match for baked salmon and steamed green beans with honey.

Solid brown color. Smells of cherry and apple. Sweet, sour taste like a champagne.

Beer of the month at ABT-cafe Bar le Duc, Den Bosch. Pale amber looking Flemish Sour legend, fruity/sourish tasting, but you must love this great beerstyle.

Pours light brown with alot of yeast chunks. The smell is very medicinal without much else sneaking through. Flavor has notes of light roasted malt, raisin, medicine, and tart fruit. For 8%, the alcohol is very well hidden. Comparing to another Flemish Sour, this one doesn’t rate as high, but I still love this style.

2005 bottle. Pours a murky, brown-mahagony with tiny bits of sediment; head is average, pale beige, and fizzy, with a bit of creaminess; head is mostly diminishing and leaves no lace. Aroma is nice and complex with a bit of vinous sherry notes; notes of vanilla, maple wood, overripe plums, raisin, lightly acetic, and a bit of earthy funk. Flavor is less sour or acetic than I would have thought; lots of maple woods, vanilla, and caramels with overripe plums and faint acetic notes with a low earthy bitterness. Palate is medium-light, lively, and a bit of dryness as it progresses. Finishes lightly tart of soured plums with maple wood and toffee and a dryness. Not the puckering sour tartness of a Flemish Red but a soft tartness is well supported by other malt notes; a very nice Oud Bruin Plenty of vinous notes found throughout to match the ’funk’ and just enough bitterness to keep everything intact.

Over-ripe apple scent, looks like a dead beer or a beer that has been sitting for hours (best before on cap was 2018) my bottle was much different to the one in the picture, it is a plain bottle (no writing) wrapped in purple and white paper, anyhow, tastes of barley and wine, alcohol is disguised very well, enjoyable (my wife who doesnt drink chose this for me so I am very impressed!)

Bottled from Corks, Bristol. Dark copper colour with a slight head and a bit of cloudiness. Sweet aromas of caramel and vanilla with a touch of phenol. Flavour was sour with accompanying red fruits. Surprisingly light in body. Overall, this was a bit muted and disappointing.