Lindemans Faro

Brewed by Brouwerij Lindemans
Style: Lambic - Faro
St Pieters Leeuw-Vlezenbeek, Belgium

Serve in Flute, Tumbler

Faro? I guess I’ll give it a shot. It pours a clear amber, with a very slight head that fades away to nothing very quickly. It smells of sour fruit, slightly rotten with a funk that will put a boys high school locker room to shame. When I taste it, it does not live up to it’s sour expectations. It is sour yet sweet at the same time. The addition of candi sugar smooths it out here. In fact, this is sweeter than I would like it to be. This almost tastes like McDonalds sweet and sour sauce. And not in a good way. This may be a faro, but it is not very good in my opinion.

Reviewed 08-20-2010. Pour is light and coppery, with a thin foamy white head that rapidly dissipates. Smell is classic lambic, very similar to the Cuvee Rene -- slight citric tartness, grassy notes, a little peach/apricot in the finish. Taste starts off with lactic tartness, accented by the ample carbonation, and gives way to a sweet starchy fruit flavor and a slightly funky finish. High carbonation and thin body make this almost soda-like. Drinkability is much higher than expected -- I’m not typically a fan of the sweeter lambics, but the sweet/sour balance in this is spot-on and the sugar is not at all cloying or saccharine. I know it’ll never happen... but it would be pretty great to get this in cans for the summer.

My first and likely only (for awhile) faro. My assumption is that Lindeman’s pasteurizes it like their fruit beers, which would be the only way of stopping the flora from consuming the sugar and blowing up the bottle. Not a true faro, but I’m glad to have tried it.

12oz bottle from Pinch poured into a snifter...because I can. Pours a nut brown with a half finger of off-white head that dissipates quickly. Aroma is very sour. Sour cherries and sour apples. Taste is medium-heavy sweet and medium-heavy sour. Strong taste of cherry. Almost reminds me of a cherry Warheads candy from way back. Medium bodied with a thick yet slick texture. Also kinda sticky. Soft carbonation and a long sour finish. Overall, very good. I’ve got to find more faro beers.

Pour copper with light beige head and good lace. Aroma sour, peppery, wood, cherry, funk, wine. Taste quite sweet, sour, cherry, candy sugar, wood, funk, fruity. MF light to medium body good carb. Good beer very sweet interesting style not my cup of beer.

Dark copper/red/orange, thin white head vanishes immediately. Nose is slightly dominated by the candy - toffee, ripe fruit, hint of peppery sourness. Similar flavours, nice sour hint and good carbonation. Good example of the style, but it’s not my favourite style.

I’m always down to try a new style, so here is my first Faro. Shared with zep9865 during a mini tasting. This beer pours an orangish amber in color with a light cream colored lacing around the glass. It is very clear and translucent. It smells like it should be tasty. It smells of candied fruit and has some syrupy raspberry to it. The flavors are very sweet but not too sweet. As zep said, my girlfriend would love this. It is so flavorful and full of sweet fruits. It’s almost like a fruity soda and reminds me of cherry Dr. Pepper. It is a little sticky on the palate but I guess I should expect that from such a sweet beer. This is a tasty beer and worthy trying to knock out a new style.

Dark cotton-candy pour with a razor thin white wad that leaves immediately. Aroma of sour plum/cherry skin, completely opposite the flavor. As with most Lindeman’s, this is likely a sugary example of the style. Caramel, cane sugar, and honey dominate. Don’t get much else, unfortunately. Quite syrupy.

amber pour with thin white head. some sour funk in the aroma. flavour was dominated by the sweetness, Belgium candy I assume. some sour funk hidden behind the candy. way way to sweet for me, cloying, couldnt even finish half the bottle. did not like