Girardin Dominicus

Brewed by Brouwerij Girardin
Style: Lambic - Faro
Sint Ulriks-Kapelle, Belgium

Serve in Flute, Stem glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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bottle-conditioned 750ml. early pour is bright and luminescent cedar/red apple in color with a medium-sized red-tinted head. later pour is moderately murky, and the yeast helps open things up (less red apple skin and candy sugar, more funk). exceptionally rich nose, a combination of mild-to-moderate farmhouse/goat/dusty character, mild oak, and semi-sweet brown sugar/maple syrup - it smells like the flour, breads, meats, equipment and walls of a rustic kitchen. the balance of acid and sugar is remarkable: it’s quenching and far too easily quaffable, with the acid attacking the underside of the tongue while the candy sugar tempers the mild egg/sulphur note. the sweetness is not excessive, the acidity is not overdone, it’s pleasant and enjoyable in all aspects. this is belgian table beer, plain and simple, and it’s exceptionally nuanced and subtly decadent. thirst-quenching, pairs perfectly with a mixture of cheese and meats (good fats to play with the acid), and I could drink this with every meal. the best bottled faro in existence.

Bottled@The Chriso Pre-GBBF Shindig 2011 "Donkey Dork Lord Edition". Amber colour, small off-white head. Aroma is fruits, wood, caramel and some slight spicy notes. Flavour is sugary, wooden, mild sourness as well as some mildly tart wooden notes. Very nicely balanced and not overly sweet.

Nice faro - much better than the green one from the same brewery. Sweet and sour with no hint of the flat, dull elements that can be found in other faros (fari?). Spring and fall in one little bottle.

Bottle (thanks to hannont for sharing)... Poured a cloudy, golden, burnt orange with zero head. Nose had cedar, wood-like incense, and dominant yeast. Some acidity, funk, and tartness that meshed with spices and light fruits, along with wood (especially what came off like cedar). I could see this may be awkward and astringent to others. But I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Bottle at the Hill Farmstead second anniversary party courtesy of someone, but I can’t remember who. So whomever you were, thanks. Pours an amber ruby with a medium sized white head. Musk, acid and funk on the nose. Medium bodied, very lactic, but rather soft. Funky, musk, lots of sweet toast on the finish.

Clear, amber body with a lightly brown, creamy head. Sourish aroma, clear Girardin touch with fruit, barnyard: very complex and well balanced. Moderately sour, lightly sweet flavour. Very nice and complex beer. Drinks very easily. Maybe tad too sweet.

Bottled, thx rlgk. Pours copper with a small white head. Smells and tastes rubber, sour, pepper, abit wood and suger.

Bottle from Kempisch Bierfestival. Pours copper with a small offwhite head. Lemony lambik aroma as well as caramel. Sweetened and slightly spiced lemony lambik. Semi-dry. When the startingpoint is Girardin lambik, you can never go completely wrong.

In short: A slightly sweet acidic lambic with an unexpected red-fruits flavor. Very original
How: Bottle 750ml. Exact age unknown
The look: Slightly cloudy light-copper body topped by a small beige head
In long: Nose is musty, rustic, a bit funky and with a good amount of unexpected red fruits. This is supposed to be a faro (according to ratebeer current style) so I was really surprised by the color and aromas. Taste has a little sweetness but it is a lot less sweet than what I expect from a faro. The sweetness felt like red fruits sweetness. In a blind tasting I would have sworn this was a fruit-lambic with an unusual fruit (some exotic red fruit of some kind). The beer ends with a sharp acidic tartness that is a bit reminiscent of raspberry pits. Acidity level is pretty much the same as a regular fruit Lambic but there is no almost no sourness. This was a strange beast for sure and drinking a full bottle was actually quite easy (compared to most lambics). I think this beer is both underrated and probably wrongly classified as a Faro (which could explain the underrated part). That’s my opinion and unless someone tells me the things I write in my ratings don’t make any sense I will continue macerating spongy clocks in the noisy lights of the coral reef.

Bottle: Thanks to Benzai for sharing: Small (off) white head turns into a lacing quick, on top of a clear dark orange colored beer. Smells like a pilsner with some good malts and sweets added as well as some bacteria. Taste is more Lambic-ish with sweets, malts and some dried hops. Aftertaste of elderly dried hops with a touch of sour, sweets and wood. Low carbo, tingly mouthfeel, medium body and a watery texture.