Liefmans Goudenband

Have a few bottles sitting in the cellar ageing but decided on a young specimen, now available in bulk from the Dianella Liquor Merchants (conveniently down the road). Tasted from the 37.5cL bottle just below room temperature and poured into a Grimbergen chalice. Deep cola brown body, ruby tinges, with a large fluffy off-white head that became dense and laced webs down the glass. Tart, spicy fruit and complex malt nose, dried grapes, plums and berries, leather and cured beef, peppery alcohol and yeast, and a little burnt sugar. Lovely inviting nose continues into the mouth. Creamy and smooth, light bodied and mild in carbonation. Intensely flavoured yet delicate, low vinous notes, dried fruits, prunes, raisins and sweet sultanas, a little tart and only lightly sour, sugary malts and toffee, and an odd balancing hint of herbs. Quite dry and a little short in the swallow but made up for by the mouth-feel, manages to reach into every corner of the mouth and leaves a lasting impression. No noticeable alcohol, which amazed me as it was quite wine-like. Deceptive and beautifully blended Old Brown, and a perfect beer for my No. 300. Absolutely lovely drop, perfect for the winter months and another gem from Liefman’s.

1996 vintage, 750 ml bottle. Cloudy amber/brown with a decent sized head. Aroma and taste does have a bit of cork flavor but thats fine. Some tartness, some leather. Dry and sweet with a lively mouthfeel and a bit of a sweet finish. Not that tart but it held up very well. To steal a phrase, "the bottle was dusty but the liquor was clean".

Muddy brown with chunks of yeast sediment. No head. The lactic or brett over powers almost everything. You can get som chocolate and dark fruit in the nose. Sweet and sour, like one of those Charms lollipops, but heavier on the sour. Quite full bodied, but the sour finishees puckering. I guess that’s the way its supposed to be.

Bottled. Dark copper. Sourish; vinegar. Champagneish, round and full-bodied.

Bottle. My first Flanders Oud Bruin. Dark amber with ruby tints and a bubbly light tan head which left good lacing. Sweet malt and sour aromas with a little ester in the background, but somewhat muted and subtle compared to say a Belgian Dark Strong. Taste is nicely balanced between sweet and sour, with almost no bitterness and dry but very slight metalic finish. There is almost no hint of the relatively high ABV, and it gets better the more you drink. Palate is divine, fine carbonation results a light touch despite a medium body. Eminently quaffable.

(bottle at Léon de Belge in Essen/Ruhr) Dark and reddish amber body with sediments in the glass and a small beige head. Fruity (apples) and slightly acidic aroma with traces of caramel and tobacco. Initially sour but also roastmalty and fruity (apples, cherries) with well balanced tart, dry and sour finish. Very complex and excellent.

Pretty damn good beer. Nice tart slightly bready aroma. Very well balanced in body and flavor. Interesting tart aftertaste that gets my homebrewing motor running. Not a style that I’ve tried too much of. Guess I will have to explore...

Earthly brown, hazy, slightly brownish head - some belgian lace. Most noticable thing is the abundance of sediment of al sizes. Some particles up to 2 or 3 mm in diameter. The smell is wonderful, with grapes, caramel, yeast, and some barnyard. The taste is very difficult to pin down, tart and sweet at the same time. This beer is a veritable taste collision in the mouth, with what I can best describe as white wine mouth feel and no impressions of alcohol whatsoever. This is an old favorite of mine.