Chapeau Faro

Brewed by Brouwerij De Troch
Style: Lambic - Faro
Ternat-Wambeek, Belgium

Serve in Flute, Tumbler

A: The pour is an amber sort of color with a minimal off-white head that dissipates quickly. S: A chemical/solvent aroma right off the bat with an intense candi sugar aroma and some sweet dark fruits. T: The flavor has some decent dark fruit flavors in the form of plums, prunes, and figs, but again the same chemical character. A bit of cork, too. M: The body is medium with a low to medium level of carbonation. D: This beer could have actually been pretty decent if it wasn’t for the chemical nature of it.

Thanks to hopdog for the bottle. Pours a murky brownish amber with a smaller bubbly creamy off white head. Aroma of oxidized malt, brown sugar, leather, tobacco, light vegetal notes, very musty, cidery, cork, light funky notes, nuts and toffee. Flavor was sweet up front, apple cider, light sour and funky notes, brown sugar, nuts, toffee and tobacco. Too sweet for me and not enough sourness coming through. Don’t really know the style but I’m now interested to research it a bit more.

Bottle - Figured I’d try a faro, though based on what I’d read this wasn’t a style I was too hyped to try. It was about what I figured it’d be. Rosy and clear, with a tiny white bubbly head. Smell is rotten cherries with metal and apple juice. Real sticky sweet, with a little tartness hanging around. Taste is light balsamic vinegar with overripe apples and rotting fruit, with that same sticky sweetness. Feels lightly sticky and oily in the mouth, with an overbearing sweetness. I don’t think I ever need to try another faro again.

Best By July 2011; Sampled July 2010
A full pour summons forth a fingers worth of, dark tan colored head that dissapears fairly quickly. The beer is quite dark colored, even for a Faro, with a concentrated amber hue. It shows a brilliantly clear, dark amber hue when held up to the light. The aroma smells oppressively sweet and of oxidized fruit. There are some dark, oxidized caramel aromatics here as well (almost cola like some how) as well as some sweet-cherry like aromas, perhaps some raisin like notes and even a touch of lactic tartness that is just noticeable towards the finish. This definitely smells over-poweringly sweet.

Very sweet tasting, the finish reminds me of cola and sweet tea, both accentuated by a light lactic acidity. This is nice and light up front, though there is enough sugar here to make it stick to the palate; it is not like malt though that really clings to the mouth. This tastes like sweet tea flavored with fake lemon and oxidized apples. Other than the hint of lactic character, you would be hard pressed to know there was Lambic here.

The aroma on this one is definitely a bit objectionable because of the excessive sweetness, the flavor isn’t quite as bad, but it is not something I really want to try again.

Bottle. Pours brown with a beige head. Sweet/lightly tart aroma with some fruity notes. The flavor is almost sugary sweet with some fruityness and a light tartness. Very drinkable, and enough complexity to be interesting.

I liked this well enough. I know faros are supposed to be sweet but this had a little too much candy taste going on. Serving: Bottle

Tasted from bottle purchased at Binny’s Lincoln Park. Pours a muddy brown-orange with an average white head that recedes to decent lace. Nose of nutty brown sugar with some funk and a smell similar to rye bread. Flavor is caramel with some toastiness, light funk, moderate sour flavors, and nuttiness. Body is medium with average carbonation and a short sour and nutty finish.

Very deep amber, some white skiff. The aroma reminds me of a very sweet version of a flemmish sour. Fragrant, some locker room sweaty lingerings on deep snorts. Sugar, sour cherry with raspberry, just that bit of funk makes this interesting. Warm slightly spicy sweetness and vinegar. Just because this was more complex smelling it doesn’t mean that I like it better than the St. Louis one. I really do not like the taste of this concoction. Neat back of the throat burn? That is odd but there is waaay too much acidity here.. vinegar. I’ll say that what I think the spice is would be vinegar... is that even a sentence? Odd dark and sweet fruit, strong candy. Way darker than St. Louis. A slick beer. Maybe this was a bad bottle but maybe not. This was less than enjoyable.