Liefmans Goudenband

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

2005 Vintage. This "Flemish Sour" was served at a recent Lambic tasting as "a Lambic refermented with Candy Sugar". That would make it more of a Faro, no? Anyway, this was served as whisky-colored with a thickish head that falls to a thin skin. Holds a vey sweet, malty aroma (almost like a malta). Mild acid content does not interfere with a flavor that displays considerable malt sweetness above the mild yeasty tartness. Enjoyable.

<font size=-4>Sampled at Delilah’s <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/events-detail.asp?eve Annual Lambic Beer Festival.</font>

Protectively wrapped in a white paper, a caged cork, with 2.004 on the short cork, 750 ml. green bottle, sampled at cellar temperature in a chalice. Poured a cloudy reddish brown with a foamy off-white head that settled into thin lacing, very minimal amount of sticking. Aromas of sour fruity esters and spicy yeast, and a light caramel malty, actually quite tasty smelling. Good carbonation and a crisp, dry and smooth lightish bodied mouthfeel. For me, the taste didn’t live up to the smell, pleasant tasting, but I was expecting more, soft caramel malts with a slight metallic edge, sour cherry fruitiness, a spicy yeastiness, the alcohol is well masked, a slight warming in the palate, and a dry with a subtle tartness in the finish. A nice Belgian Oud Bruin ale, smooth and easy drinkability, I am going to try this later when it has a couple of more years on it.

Paper wrapped corked and caged 375 mL bottle. The corks sure are weird. Really short depth in the bottle. Thanks HogTownHarry for this 2005 vintage. The beer pours to a nice garnet colored body with a lasting tall beige head. The aroma is sour woodsy cherry yogurt with cinnamon. The flavor is also a sour cherry yogurt. It also has notes of a tawny port wine in both the aroma and the flavor. The flavor has a huge oaken profile. Very easy to drink, not exactly "sour" by any means, unfortunately. The palate is smooth, yogurty. I wouldn’t exactly call it a Flemish Sour, but there really isn’t another category for it. A good and distinct beer, nonetheless.

Taste this many times. Bottle Red-brown clear ale with a small, creamy, beige head. Fruity aroma with notes. The flavor is a touch fruity, but sweet more than anything else. Alcohol is well-disguised. Medium-body. Finishes fruity. One off my favorites from Liefmans.

On draught at Brasserie Erasmus, Brugge. Dark rubyred with a big offwhite lacing head. Sour and sweet fruit nose. Flavours are initially sharp and sour, but with a mellowing fruit yoghurt flavours. Good carbonation, nice mouthfeel. One of the great Belgian classics.

dark hazy brown with red highlights. Aroma is funky with some tart fruit and dark malts. Taste is funky and tart, tart cherry like taste with dark malts, caramel. body is full.

Bottle from Dovetail. WOW. What a bier!!! Wild card from the menu, disgraced only by the Palm Speciale glass it was served in. Far too many levels to properly describe after only one bottle. This is a rate that needs building upon. Dark caramel in colour with off white, abrubt head. Smell comparable to that of Gouden Carolus Christmas. Worth sticking your nose in, I assure you! Brown sugar and a suprising twist of citrus fruits linger. And then there’s the taste... A wonderful sweet start - Christmas pudding, drenched in Brandy, set ablaze. A nutty interlude is followed with a shocking, but wonderful finish: black cherries. Tart, yet still sweet. Perfectly balanced and unique. Absolutely impeccable. The sort of thing where no justice is served by mere words.

Pours brown and more or less flat. Smells of sour fruit, vinegar and sugar. Taste is woody with some sour berries and vinegar.