Liefmans Goudenband

Brewed by Liefmans (Moortgat)
Style: Sour Red/Brown
Oudenaarde, Belgium

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

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Bottle - 37,5 cl at Akkurat. Yup... this is pretty damn near perfect, deep ruby red, thick long-lasting head. Perfect carbonation. And that aroma... sweet and sour, rich and complex. Taste is the only aspect where I’m left wanting a little more.. I could go for more flavour. Perhaps cellaring will do the trick. The palate is perfect, rich and sweet but thanks to the tartness never cloying. I love this beer!

Vintage 1982 tasted 2007. Wow. Probably the best beer I have ever had. The 25 years have done wonders for the flavor of this masterpiece. Tasted at the original brewery (which now only brews as the fermentation and packaging are done elsewhere). Bottle pulled out of the cellars which still contain cases and cases of 1980’s era Oud Bruins, so check it out if in the area. Hazy reddish brown. Some head. Amazing portlike aromas. Sourness: acidic and tart and horse and sweat. Rich sweetness as well. Wonderful delicate balance between sweet and sour. Huge sour flavors and major sweetness battle, or rather dance. An incredible experience. Thank you Liefmans for having the forsight to keep that cellar.

I love this. Complex and perfect balance of sweet and tart and sour. Most pleased. Serving: Bottle

Aroma: Winy, brandyish, alcoholic, woody. Almost like a retsina. Green apple, yoghurt and sour raisins. Mouthfeel: Smooth and not very big. Astringent. Taste: Begins with a piercing fruity sourness on the edges of the mouth, somehow remniscent of berries. Musty, yeasty. Some balancing sweet background. Great, very satisfying. Not overwhelmingly sour. Wood on the palate. Finish: Sour and dry. Like a dry wine, but more dense. Overall: Great stuff. Extremely appetizing and quite drinkable, despite its strength. Very, very appetizing. Top stuff, here.

330ml bottle. Pours hazy burnt brown with lively carbonation. Sour grapes and alcohol on the nose. Sugary sour grape taste, some citrus hops on the palate, a different ale, but fantastic nevertheless

Very dark brown beef with a beigish off-white head. Aroma of smoked wood and sour cherries. Taste is first uncomplexily sour, then tart and the aftertaste is sticky sourish which lingers on for a very long time. Very complex and awesome beer. Instantly one of my alltime favourites!

Bottle from Presporska pivoteka, Bratislava. Dark red-brown with medium beige head. Aroma, sour, cherry, hints of chocolate and caramel. Taste, starts mild, then continues apples with light sweet notes. Nice sour finish. Very nice complex beer.

Taste this many times. Bottle Red-brown clear ale with a small, creamy, beige head. Fruity aroma with notes. The flavor is a touch fruity, but sweet more than anything else. Alcohol is well-disguised. Medium-body. Finishes fruity. One off my favorites from Liefmans.

My first Goudenband was 2005 vintage and it blew my doors off, since then I’ve had some 2006 that was just so-so, and I thought my first impressions may have been wrong, but tonight I found a bottle of the 2005 and again, maybe the best single thing I have ever put in my mouth. Nose is super complex leading with that awesome Belgian yeast of grapes and apples, caramel comes in on the back end and just a hint of the sourness to come. Mouthfeel is medium with some carbonation, but more of a light sour fruit bite. Taste is fermented apples and white grapes with a slight sour chase. There’s alot of depth here. Absolute classic.

Pours a very dark amber with a thin white head. Slightly sour aroma that is a nice balance of maltiness and sour fruit. Perfectly balanced sour ale that is not to sour nor to sweet. A nice amount of maltiness and sour fruit combie to give this a beer an extremely smooth very drinkable taste. The best sour ale I’ve had yet.