Girardin Framboise

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

Serve in Flute, Tumbler

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I have a strong penchant for raspberries, so any brewer advertising the fruit generally gets my attention. After a long day walking around Amsterdam, I decided to enjoy something easy at In de Wildeman. When I say ’easy’, I mean in no way to insult Girardin, but generally fruit lambics are less challenging in complexity and that was just what I was looking for. The pour yielded a clear red tea color with a light film of white cream dissolving to a milky ring around the flute. To the nose, fresh raspberries stand out - an aroma of real fruit not syrup. Cherries and strawberries are also apparent and together with the raspberries vividly remind of a fruity yoghurt. Light brown sugar provides some balance and additional sweetness. The flavor is straightforward but delicious with almost the sole taste of raspberry jam and strawberries. As it wraps around the tongue there is a slight syrupy texture that smoothens out on the back of the palate while the perfect carbonation tingles at the tip. Some sourness produces a smiling finish that could have been more pronounced. Refreshing and flavorful.

[Sampled with the duo Svoger & Svogergylp on Orø.] Sampled at Bolund Bugt beside the old shipwreck where I spend some of my youth. Nice grassy flavor and aroma. Sparkling like champagne in great balance. True real lambic framboise flavor. Quite fantastic.

UPDATED: OCT 20, 2008 Poured mostly clear orangey-amber with a short dusting of pinkish-white head. The aroma picked up rich, tart raspberry skins and seeds with a lovely level of funk and tart overtones.. very, very engaging. The flavor was sour throughout with raspberry vinegar, some lemon zest, and wheaty tartness.. the seeds seemed so fresh, yet there was some age and wisdom evident.. sour, long finish. Medium-bodied and again very engaging on the palate with lingering sour raspberries.. really good stuff!

2/29/08: Thanks to Facto for bringing the bottle. Poured clear, brighter raspberry with a short cap of white head. The aroma picked up fresh raspberry seeds and a bit of funk to it.. drier yeasty notes provide another layer. The flavor had tart raspberry seeds, dry floral notes, and dusty funk rolling along.. a little sour and well-balanced, with a great sweet/sour contrast on the finish. Moderately sour and funky on the palate, again with nice balance. Very enjoyable beer! 7 4 7 4 14

Bottle, Delirium Cafe. Pours a brilliant ruby amber with a frothy one inch off-white head. So much fresh raspberry in the nose, hard to believe that this is an authenticly produced lambic. Just a light touch of cellar funkiness. The flavor is bursting with raspberry, zero acidity, this is crazy drinkable. Only slightly funky. Medium bodied with a touch of clingy fruit and perfect spritzy carbonation. A wonderfully drinkable beer!

Deep clear garnet pink pour with a small pinkish white head. The nose is pure raspberry flesh and raspberry seed with hints of tartness and hints of farmy funk. The flavor is fantastic- raspberry flesh bursting around mildly acidic funk with hints of wood and tannic acid. The palate is light and refreshing with low carbonation and a dry finish.

05-01-12 Petite bouteille: Très belle couleur rouge foncée, sans réelle mousse et très légère effervescence. Arômes: explosion de framboises avec une bonne touche d’acidité. Moyennement sucrée, avec une bonne note d’acidité et de surette, mais bien balancée. Les framboises sont bien présentes. Corps moyen et enveloppant avec une texture ronde et soyeuse en bouche. Très bonne lambic aux fruits qui se boit facilement.

Mine was a little corked. It is clear that the ingredients in this beer are totally natural. Absolutely no artificial add-ons at all. Pure quality and a nice thirst quencher. Nice complexity between the sweetness and the sourness in this brew.

Pink color, no head. Raspberry aroma. Good lacing. Not very sweet, some raspberry flavor, but not on the foreground like Lindemans or Mort Subite. It's a permanent fight against the raspberries and the lambic. Raspberries are first, the lambic dominates the middle, then the strawberries fight back in the aftertaste. Exciting beer but not the best Girardin can offer.

Bottled: LIght hazy red coloured. Dense beige lasting head. Head has a light red touch. Raspberries and a light sourness in the aroma. NIce. Flavour has a pleasant sourish fruitsweetness. Wood and tart note, though not as obvious as in other lambics from this fine brewery. Quite refreshing and cleansing. A nice treat.

Huge, clean raspberry aroma with a steady undercurrent of barnyard tones. Clear, reddish brown body with rocky, pink-tinged head that coats the glass and lasts throughout. Raspberry flavour shines through the light, tart, farmy, lambic character making this seem more like a fruit beer than a lambic, never-the-less it is very enjoyable. Light, refreshing body with soft, fine-bubbled carbonation. Sampled at GBBF 2005.