Liefmans Goudenband

Bottle pours deep dark amber with a strong reddish hue, large rocky off-white head, web like lacing, with lively carbonation.   Sweet & sour cherry nose, slightly vinegary, with notes of oak and musty basement.   Soft on the tongue, subtle dark cherries, slightly sweet yet with a subtle tartness.   Lovely body, but with a somewhat medium mouthfeel.   Finishes very quick, slightly spritzy, but it starts to thin out somewhere in the middle.   Great nose, but could stand to be a bit more hefty on the tongue.   Otherwise quite enjoyable.

Bottled. 375 ml. Dark red colour, medium-sized, off-white head. Woody, sour, slightly peppery, vineous aroma. Tart, woody, vineous, rather sweetish taste. Notes of vinegar and pepper. Acidic. Medium- to fullbodied, with a good mouthfeel. I found it quite complex, yet couldn´t really distinguish all the flavours, but still, for me this was the most enjoyable sour ale I´ve had. Not too extreme in sourness and sharpness, the edges smoothed by a good dose of sweetness and being very palatable in general.

4 year old bottle. Oakey cidery nose. Vinous with cherries, very sour. Flavor is oak, cherries, acidic citrus (more lemon than orange) and slightly musty. More cherry than I expected.

Brown woody but under strong light you will see ruby copper substance. Winter dried fruits, apple, cherry, all covered in dark chocolate. Desert like. Light sour front but rather in subtle way presented, more chocolate malt feel. Earthy notes follow on later sips. Plenty of flavours here but they seem to be a little toned down.

Pours dark copper, aroma cherry. Plums, coriander, and camomile dominate the crisp yet substantial palate. Finish is Jolly Rancher fruity combo with sour twang. I’ll try again for sure.

Poured a brownish red color, with a light tan head, that left light lacing on the glass. Herbal, vegetable, grapes, and oak aroma. Sweet caramel, dried fruits, and other malts, and no sourness. Doesn’t even compare to the 1985 Kriekbier that we just had.

Not as sour as I was expecting - maybe it could be a little more sour to balance the sweetness. Nice nice overripe pear and cherry malts. Creamy, velevety palate. Dessert beer.

I’d stored the bottle for two years, then opened it for a nice meal during the Christmas period. Damn. This stuff is unpleasant. I loved Duchesse de Bourgogne and thought I’d have a treat with this famous oud bruin. Nope. I’ve tried it chilled and I’ve tried it all the way up to room temperature. It tastes like an old beer. There’s flavours for sure - chocolate, vinegar, hint of cherry, etc - but nothing is pleasing. I’ve not enjoyed Liefman’s products, and I think this will be the last time I try any of their products. I struggled through 3/4 of the bottle, but now I’m giving up and tipping the rest in the sink.