Liefmans Goudenband

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

Pours a brown coca-cola murk...low head, but has a ring...sweet slight berry smell...wow! what an intresting smooth flavourful brew..alchohol is masked beutifully! magic! this is a very tasty different brew, had a cheese platter to compliment things, worked out very well and tasty. complex beer!

Brillant shimmering nose of ripe apple cores, sour Muscat liquor, soft supple Pluot flesh and ringing aged Balsamic. Clear ruby amber pour, with a fringe of gold and rim of white. Flavor a mildly watered, yet silky luxuriant malt sugar, draped in robes of cassis and sour apples. Delicate and perfumed. Soft and sweet, with dreamy laces of pear brandy and sauteed pork loin. Somewhere a vegetal growth stirs a leafy balance amongst the effusive vapors and the stinging sweet candy. Candied apples, sugared plums and soporific brandy fumes. It’s all so ethereal and escaping. Delicately delicious. Alcohol masked beneath graceful edification. All around a winner.

This beer pours a medium to dark brown color, very clear with no haziness. The head is fluffy, but not explosive. The head does stick around throughout the drink, and laces the sides of the glass nicely. Aroma is sweet and sour, yeasty and fresh. There may be a bit of fruit in there, strawberry or raspberry. The aroma is by no means overpowering. The flavor is mostly sweet, with a nice tartness in the background. The finish is sweet and light, although the beer does leave a bit of stickiness behind. I’d rate the flavor as moderately strong, but as balanced as it is, I feel like I could have another. Mouthfeel is thin, but perfect carbonation (light and foamy) brings out a nice roundness.

Rerated 2009-08-21: Fantastic complexity. Reminds me of a stronger Duchesse de Bourgogne. Fantastic. Floaties in the bottle, but still this is an extremely enjoyable beer. BBD 06/2017. 2006-10-20: 375 ml bottle. Dark brown and clear. Small head that clings to the glass. Sourish raisiny aroma. Aroma is sour and gives an impression of the beer being dry and thin. Red berries. Nutty sourish berry flavours. Restrained sour mouthfeel. Next to no noticeable hops. This time it was a bit disappointing. I remember it as being great the last time I tried it. Will have to revisit soon. 6/3/7/4/16.

2001 vintage, which I didnt even know was this old until i pooped the cork. a 12oz score for only 2 bucks. Now I have had Goudenband a lot over the last 2 years and I was always confused. Drinking it I thought "this is a flemish sour?" Well, then I had a La Folie and I was asking myself "THIS IS A FLEMISH SOUR." But this 2001 vintage shows me indeed this is a flemish sour. Pours with no head at all and no lacing either. Smell is woodsy, wet forest, and slightly sour. Taste is nicely sour with slight fruitiness but a distinct woodsy sourness. Mouthfeel is soft and silky due to the lowered carbonation. Now if I rated a new one i wouldn’t rate it this good b/c its almost completely a different beer. But just in case I will break out an ’05 750 in 5 years.

1/22/07 On tap at the maproom thanks to their $25 minimum credit charge, but hey a dollar off belgians on monday and free cheeses to pair with it, I can’t complain too much. Dark ruby brown, with a small off white head. Sour aromas, red fruit, berries, and oak. Sour cherries, berries, and red fruits make up most of the flavor. Its nicely tart, with a little oak and a little bit watery. Finishes with a cherry and berry flavor.

Rating 10/16. ’05 vintage bottle. The aroma is strawberries, rubbing alcohol and sweet, but actually not in a bad way. Smooth and creamy mouthfeel with fruity strawberry earthy flavors come through. A hint of alcohol rests in the back of the throat, finishing very dry. 3.7

This is a perfect beer. Deep red color, good head, strong balanced sourness and acidity. Not candyish like other examples. wish it was still availible here in Texas. The first time I had it I was 18 at a restraunt in Brussels. I was kind of looking at the bottle that the couple next to me were drinking. They noticed and offered me some. Must have contributed to my affinity for this particular beer.

2005 Vintage. This "Flemish Sour" was served at a recent Lambic tasting as "a Lambic refermented with Candy Sugar". That would make it more of a Faro, no? Anyway, this was served as whisky-colored with a thickish head that falls to a thin skin. Holds a vey sweet, malty aroma (almost like a malta). Mild acid content does not interfere with a flavor that displays considerable malt sweetness above the mild yeasty tartness. Enjoyable.

<font size=-4>Sampled at Delilah’s <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/events-detail.asp?eve Annual Lambic Beer Festival.</font>