Liefmans Goudenband

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

on tap at maproom, brown w/ reddish hue color, not much head. aroma of cherries, raspberries, and vinegar. sweet cherry, vinegar, plum, and dark fruits. semi-sweet but not sour enough. finishes with some sourness. palate is weak, watery, and doens’t last long enough.

Deep copper colored beer, nearly clear but a slight bit of haze. Poured into a stemmed glass, it gives a couple of inches of tan foam. Very fizzy at first, mellow out quickly to a slow stream of bubbles. Smells a little bit tart, with definate malt and some raspberry. Sweet maltiness up front, chased by some candi sugar and raspberry flavor. Rounded out with a faint tart acidity and some earthiness. I remember this beer having more acidity in the past. Honey and some more raspberry in the finish. Also an almost sherry-like aftertaste, very pleasant. Very soft on the palate with a complex residual tartness.

Had some high expectations to this, but to mussels I better prefer something more sour. Otherwise it’s great. Sweetmalted in a good combination with the sourness and Liefmans makes definately some of the best beers in the world. Vinous, fruits, vinegar, metal and caramel.

Bottle. Pours hazy brown with a thin beige head. Aroma is quite sour, some ripe fruit, some woody notes, and some earth as well. Flavor has quite a bit a sweet malts that go well with the typical Flemish sourness. Quite enjoyable.

2006...courtesy of zebracakes...live in tokyo. Pours a bit of cloudy coca cola...with a light tan head. Aroma is a bit of sour malt and a bit of funky fruit. Flavor is similar...subtle, but balanced...there is also some notes of higher alcohol...quite tasty. Mouthfeel is medium and a pretty sweet dryness.

Bottle. Vintage 2006. Pours hazy red caramel, thin off-white head. Aroma is apple, spices, plum, raisons, port, wheat. Flavor is tangy, spicy, wheat, fruit, but not too sweet. Well balanced.

2005 bottle according to the cork. Deep murky red with lots of floaties and a minimal head. Aroma is dusty malt with strong notes of sweet cherries and wine. Malty with a lightly acidic sourness up front that fades into a cherry sweetness and a nice dry finish. I didn’t think I cared for Flemish sours but this one is great.

Bottle of the 1996 vintage (rating from August 2005 notes). Reddish color with a laced tan head. The alcohol is too noticeable. Sour, dry, cask like mustiness. Salty.