Liefmans Goudenband

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

The aroma is very fruity, sweet, and earthy with notes of wild yeast, raspberry, other berries, and rhubarb. The color is a deep red hazy one with a fine though fast disappearing head. The flavor is sweet, sour, and metallic from the wild fermentation with notes of rhubarb - somewhat undescribable. It ends on a pretty earthy note - with no hints of the ABV. A little disappointing for me - but my expectation was high.

(Bottle 75 cl) 1991 vintage at 5,1% ABV: extremely pretty reddish brown beer, typical flavor blend of malty sweetness and sourness. Prickly feel to your tongue. Unique. 190893

1998 vintage: Riva turned the sourness down and the alcohol up. Still a great beer indeed but very different from the original. 7/4/7/3/14=3,5

37.5 cL bottle. Pours dark brown, unfiltered, amber rim, lacing light brown head. Aroma is sweet and bread malty (schwarzbrot). Flavour is first sweet, going into a burned caramel note and ending dry bread like.

Bottled, 1987 vintage. Cloudy nut brown. Acidic nos with lactic acid and coffee, and also hints of blood and metal. Vinous with clean maltiness. Very complex. Citric finish with dash of bitterness.

Bottle wrapped in paper. Dark brown color with a head that disappears. Aroma immediate hit of sour fruitiness, cherries, unripe plums, sloes, slightly vinous, with an underlying maltiness. Flavor is a complex sour fruit flavour, again, cherries, plums, sloes, plus crab apples and a sour wine element. Then there is the underlying maltiness that gives the finish a fine, sour taste.

Bottle, 8% at Kafe Belgie in Utrecht. Sour vinegar aroma. Semi-stable light brown head. The flavour is a little sweet with a distinct sourness to balance. The sourness is like vinegar and fresh lemon. Good mouthfeel. Very drinkable in spite of the acid flavours, not puckering, but burns my throat a bit. Very flavourful and good. I do not really taste the alcohol much.

Bottled. Brownish red colour, mediumsized brownish head. Aroma is bitter fruity with strong cherryish notes. Flavour is plummy, bitter and has hints of cherry and strawberry. Long dry bitter aftertaste.

Bottled. Cloudy orange brown coloured with a yellow head. Light acidic aroma with notes of caramel, fruits and wood. Light acidic flavour with notes of fruits and wood. Dry woody finish. Good flemish sour ale.