Cantillon Faro

Brewed by Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Faro
Brussels, Belgium

Serve in Flute, Tumbler

7th March 2010. Draft at Moeder Lambic. Cloudy brown beer, thick frothy off white head. Milky sweet beer - very sweet. Sweet prunes and figs and plums and then more milky sweetness. Just a little tartness in the background but it’s swamped by the sweetness. All this is good but then there is some off putting paint in there as well and this just makes things a little too weird to score any higher.

25cl draft @ Moeder Lambic, Brussels. pours hazy copper, off-white head. aroma, nice wooden nose with outstanding sweetness and mild notes of residual sugars. flavors, a lot more true to style, not sure how you can possibly bottle a faro - some fruit elements, and this one keeps a sugary approach while at the same time keeping a mild tart - wood aspect. Carbonation is close to zero. Some floating sediments to be noted. This is tasty, regardless of what many argue pointlessly about Faros not being deserving.

In short: Euhhh… A very sweet (candy-ish) unblended lambic. D’uh
How: Hand-pumped at Moeder Lambic Fontainas, Brussels Belgium
The look: Clear amber body topped by a large bubbly off-white head with good retention
In long: Nose is a mix of candy and barnyard. Body is juicy and carbonation is very soft. Taste is liquid candy, a tiny bit of funk, some caramel, red apples. Sweetness comes out strong and makes the beer feel a bit syrupy. Nothing special here. I much preferred the 3 Fonteinen Faro. I’m not sure I see the point of Faros anyway. Sweetening lambics should be a criminal offence, punishable by flagellation, plus surgery to enlarge the ears.

On draft at Moeder Lambic. Dark amber with very low carbonation. Aromas are of sour apple skin, wood, and brown sugar. Wood and apple flavors dominate wtih a tart lemon and sweet sugar finish. Unusual, but the sweetness is low (and balanced) enough that it keeps things refreshing. Good stuff.

Draught at Moeder Lambic and at from a jug at Cantillon Brewery, Sept 2009. Pours golden amber, topped with a thin tan head. Mildly sweet candi sugar aroma, tempering but not elimination the lactic acid tartness. Flavor retains some of the tartness, but sugar definitely is the primary flavor. There is a slight herbal character in the background as well. Better balance of sweet and sour than most other faros; not as heavy-handed with the sugar.

aroma is sweet white grape juice--almost candy--and oak. it pours a thick and cloudy dark orange with no head. flavor is again grape juice, with a sticky sweetness but not much other flavor and an odd bitter finish -- imagine drinking grape juice after brushing your teeth. thin-bodied but somehow syrupy and, again, flat. i don’t know, not a huge fan of this, it felt watered down and just odd.

Draught at Moeder Lambic Fontainas, Brussels. Murky amber with dense frothy white head. Sweet nose and taste of apricot, peach, leather, caramel and candy sugar. Soft and rounded mouthfeel. A touch of sweetness in the finish. A good introduction to the style.

On cask at Cantillon during open brewing session. Poured a deep caramel amber with a very nice tan head. Aroma of caramel, sugar, and some lambic funk. Taste is toffee, raisins, brown sugar plus a fantastic unblended lambic base. Really nice sweet and sour mix. Moves to medium body from the edition of the sugars/caramel.