Lindemans Faro Lambic - Brouwerij Lindemans

Overlord

California

1.25/5  rDev -65.5%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

I got this primarily to finally try a Faro. And that's what I did! I have nothing else good to say about it!

Pours a ... you know what, let's get right down to it, Sometimes, you gotta give people the bad news with no preamble.

This is pure piss-awful. Jesus H. Christ. A horrible surgar-y cereal graininess lingers as one experiences Belgian candi gone amuck. Sour? I don't know, there's a bit of musty rancid-ness on the aftertaste, but the horrible sweetness obliterates all. At least with Lindemans' fruit offerings, you can say: "well, I knew I was getting raspberry syrup." There's absolutely no warning with this foul smelling, over-sweetened mess.

AYAIYAYAYAYHYAIYAYAA

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2010 08:36:13 | More by Overlord

nrbw23

Ohio

1.35/5  rDev -62.7%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1

A- Pours a murky redddish brown color with a thin whiteish colored head. Head is pretty small, has little retention and no lacing is left behind.

S- Picking up a bit of wood, funkiness, barnyard and sour apples.

T- Is pretty horrific. Quite a bit of funkiness and tart. Sour apples and vinegar everywhere. A bit of sweetness at the finish.

M- Fairly light in body and carbonation was pretty nice.

O- Ok looks like I knocked off the Faro style is about the only good thing I can say.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2011 19:15:01 | More by nrbw23

twelvsies

Maine

1.6/5  rDev -55.8%
look: 3 | smell: 1 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

I really wanted to like this beer, I really did. I'm not a fan of Lindeman's other lambics - too artificial and sugary sweet. I'd never had a faro, so I was excited. I thought this would be a little different. It is, but in a bad way. Popped the cork and poured very dingy and brownish into a lambic glass but with some nice reddish highlights. Not much head, as per the style. I almost didn't even want to take a sip after the first whiff. I can only compare it to a bowl of dog food that ol' Rufus spilled his water into and sat there for a few days. Moldy, soggy, dog food. Oh and a sweet sugaryness. Taste wasn't nearly so bad but not really good enough to redeem the beer. Just too sickly sweet, I can't do it. I need to try another faro now to see what's up for real with this style. Viscous chewy clumsy mouthfeel. Yuk. I wish I could be a little more positive but this was just pretty awful. Sorry Lindeman's. First drain pour in about 5 years. Too bad.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2009 16:16:40 | More by twelvsies

DefenCorps

Oregon

1.78/5  rDev -50.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

I grabbed this at State Line yesterday. While this is the second faro I've had (the other being the Chapeau faro), this is the first I get to tick.

Clear amber with a dense, white head that settles into a thin cap, leaving some lace, this beer looks good. The nose belies this beers lambic base. A mild musty funk and woody aroma are immediately noticeable, but as this warms up, I do get a rather noticeable sweetness. Sugary and rather intense, like cake frosting, this aspect isn't particularly enjoyable. It is, however, better than the taste. Wretched candy sweetness, this tastes like sugar water. The sourness and funk are completely overwhelmed here, this is like cheap store brand soda with an artificial fruit and sugary sweetness and the carbonation lending a refreshing finale to this beer. I really don't get much flavor here, this is just rather wretched. Medium in body with moderate carbonation, this is sweet on the finish with a blend of regular and brown sugar. Avoid.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2010 01:10:50 | More by DefenCorps

BeerBelcher

Ohio

1.8/5  rDev -50.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

I like lambics. Earthy, funky, sour, weird...these are positive descriptors in my book when it comes to beer. I've visited Cantilon and really enjoyed the beers I tried there. But I did not like this beer one bit. It was sickeningly sweet and definitely gave me the impression that it wasn't done baking yet.

I should mention that this is my first Faro...in fact I think this is the last beer style on this site that I haven't tried. When I visited the Cantillon tasting room, I asked if they had any Faro available for tasting, and the lady behind the bar explained to me in broken English that Faro was not highly thought of...like it was a "low" style of lambic. And after having taste this beer, compared to the gueuze that I've had, this beer seems not very complex...instead it is sickeningly sweet, cereal-y, and unpleasantly astringent. This beer was dark and far maltier than I expected. Imagine a way too grainy beer, with a ton of some sort of sweeter-than-sugar artificial sweetener added. It also had a weird skunk smell when I first opened it, which dissipated after a few minutes.

I diidn't like it...and wouldn't recommend it to others. I bought this bottle at the Winerak in Zanesville, OH.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2009 01:04:36 | More by BeerBelcher

ChadQuest

Illinois

1.93/5  rDev -46.7%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Not much if any head or lacing, it just isn't there. Clear with no haze. light mango color.
Smell is somewhat funky with an under attenuated sweetness, but i guess that is how this style is made, with loads of sugar.
This one doesn't strike a good chord with me. One of the first things it made me think of is a sour apple cider, it reminds me of this alot of ways, because the sugary base sticks to your mouth like apple cider, and because of the acidity. one of the big things i like about wilds is the dryness, not here, at all.

Serving type: on-tap

06-03-2011 04:28:43 | More by ChadQuest

Scotchboy

Idaho

2.13/5  rDev -41.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

Capped & corked bottle poured into a tulip.

A: Pours an attractive bronze color with traces of turbidity and a small white head dissipates relatively quickly, leaving behind minimal lace.

S: Interesting nose...upfront its a BO-like funk, faint apple cider vinegar, hints of tartness, Brett, and even cherry?

T: Strange stuff...immediately you taste a lactic sourness but its instantly overwhelmed by a malty, sugary sweetness...hints of wheaty malt, finish is really odd and off-putting as the Brett return with funk and mixes with the candi sugar. Blech.

MF: Moderate body, with a bit of dryness, lower carbonation.

O: Just too funky and weird with the sugary sweetness. Ugh.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2012 14:30:10 | More by Scotchboy

Bendurgin

Maine

2.15/5  rDev -40.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

Poured this into a tulip. The pour gives a clear clean looking honey color with a big quickly reducing white head with runny lace. The smell is tart like apples with a bit of cedar. A little bit of candied sweetness in the nose also. Holy sweet! The pallet is toned down from from any tartness found in the aroma and it becomes a very sweet. The taste reminds me of white grape juice. It's actually really tough for me to come up with anything else on this. The mouthfeel isn't offensive, it's kind of syrupy but it's not bad.

Honestly, I do not enjoy this beer. That being said it is the first of it's style I've had. Maybe it's not for me but I'm pouring this out. I just can't drink it. The smell was nice but I really don't like the taste. I was still expecting a bit of sourness with me sweet.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2010 04:48:44 | More by Bendurgin

PEBKAC

New York

2.2/5  rDev -39.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

$5.50 bottle from Whole Foods. I'll save that Chapeau for when I'm feeling really low.

Odd brew code on the bottom right of the label: L F04JFA. Cork slid out just using my fingers. Caught that cork sleeping. :) As a side note, this little bottle seems to weigh in at a solid pound while empty.

Ommegang Anniversary glass. Couple inches of flimsy off white/slightly tan head. Body is a clear(though dull), iced tea color.

Smells like a mix of stale sweat & Gouda. Follow through is composed of dry/sticky beer residue, lemon-lime soda, & raisins.

Taste upfront is sweet tea & cheap balsamic. Middle turns into Lindeman's kriek(cherry juice with a buzzing medicinal quality). Moderately bitter herbals near the end, aged hops(?) finish more like orange laced tobacco.

Feel is syrupy, & only broken up by the slightly less biting acidity. My tongue feels tingly & irritated like I just ate a pesticide loaded peach & cut my tongue on the pit.

I could of been half way into a sixer of Yuengling with that money. :|

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2011 07:54:28 | More by PEBKAC

ArrogantB

Colorado

2.25/5  rDev -37.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

375ml bottle $6. This looked a little bit like cuvee rene in the glass but darker. The smell was odd, not what I would expect from lambic, sweet but almost artificially sweet. Same for the taste, just too damned sweet with no funk or sour. I have no clue why they would send this as opposed to the Cuvee Rene Kriek.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2010 20:53:23 | More by ArrogantB

Dukeofearl

California

2.33/5  rDev -35.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

25 cl bottle tasted in the hotel room on my wife and my recent trip to Belgium and the Netherlands. 2.50 euros at a local souvenier/beer store in Brussels, near the Mannekin Pis.

Color- a moderately clear amber-brown with no head or carbonation whatsoever. Aroma is of a basic sour lambic, nothing special, but it did get me interested and excited for something good. The aroma isn't nearly as full and rich and sour as the Oud Beersel Geuze earlier in the day, but oh, well. The flavor is sugar. And sugar. And sugar. And then underneath, some oud bruin/flemish red sourness- not lambic sour, but something else. Keeps it from being awful, but that's not saying much.

This is my first of the style, so I can't compare it to much, but if this is typical, no thanks.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2007 00:38:14 | More by Dukeofearl

lacqueredmouse

Australia

2.33/5  rDev -35.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

Pours a deep golden copper colour with an frothy head of white foam that leaves some egg-white lacing down the rim of the glass. Carbonation is exceptionally fine and extensive, but static, even though the body isn't particularly heavy. It's just really composed of tiny bubbles which is really nice. Yep. A very nice looking brew.

Lots of acidity and slight funk on the nose, with huge notes of oak-barrel dominant. Really quite acidic and vinous. The characters are very refined but intense - it's as though you can smell the fermentation going on as it is served. Nice.

Taste is initially confronting and it gets worse, but, to be honest, it's exactly what I expected from the style. The acidity is present, but there's a huge sugary sweetness trying to overwhelm it. Rather than providing balance, it produces conflict between the acidity and the syrup, leaving both seemingly unpleasant and out of kilter. The oak character lingers above all of this, providing the only pleasant note. Otherwise, I find this sickly but brash, a cacophony of characters committing genocide in my mouth. Mouthfeel is crisp at least.

I just don't get this beer. It's like lolly-water, or like a beer brewed for kids. I found it incredibly difficult to drink, given the sweetness and the odd acidity striking harshly off it. I'm not a fan at all, especially given the really quite pleasant nose, the rest is offensive. I believe it's just the style that causes me so much grief - this may be a stellar example, but I'm not inclined to try another in order to find out.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2009 10:00:53 | More by lacqueredmouse

ptykozoon

California

2.33/5  rDev -35.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Pours a pretty dirty pink cranberry. Good head and a multitude of bubbles.

Nuts, yeast, hints of fruit - though I'm not sure which.. Musky wood.

Sweeter than I had anticipated. Tastes a lot like Sprite, or Mike's Hard Lemonade with a sour tinge.

Lots of soda-like carbonation. Clean and refreshing. Too sweet though.

A tad too straightforward and soda-like.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2010 03:53:23 | More by ptykozoon

jneiswender

Massachusetts

2.38/5  rDev -34.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Served out of a bottle into a two ounce tasting glass at the Belgian Beer Festival in Boston.

A.amber body and an off white head

S. Sour rotten apple

T. Cider...vomit

M.light

D.no thanks. I know these are supposed to be funky but WOW! Too much for me. How do you pair this?

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2011 02:59:18 | More by jneiswender

stcules

Italy

2.42/5  rDev -33.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

The colour is amber. The smell is sweet and acetic at the same time, even if the acetic is low for a lambic.
The sweet is something like candy sugar.
The taste is sweet ad acid, but well balanced. Notes of orange, strawberry.
the taste of acid fade away quicly, the sweet is more persistent.
The body is low, according the style.
It is a good beer for an aperitif.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2002 12:03:25 | More by stcules

BeerAndBourbon

Ohio

2.42/5  rDev -33.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Reviewed from sour tasting notes.

A. Pours amber/ orange with a small head.

S. Wood, apple cider vinegar, maple syrupy sweetness, funky

T. Very sweet, funky, too sweet - the tremendously high sweetness is very odd - like tasting smirnoff coming back up

M. Thin with low carbonation level

D. Not a fan of this one at all

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2011 05:51:57 | More by BeerAndBourbon

bobhits

Kentucky

2.42/5  rDev -33.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

My first Faro and possibly last.

This beer looks and smells very well. Dark color, good carbonation, lacing, all the keys are here. The nose has sour elements, yeast, apples, pears, and other fruity flavors. Nothing wrong here! Then we get to the flavor...the beer makes mention of candy sugar, but wow this is way over the top. The sugar dominates the flavors and I feel off even assuming what the other flavors were supposed to be.

Hopefully more beers of this style will hold back on the sugar...a LOT.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2011 21:14:10 | More by bobhits

Paisan

Belgium

2.48/5  rDev -31.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Amber-brownish liquid, fast receding "dirty" head.
I t doesn't look like beer, doesn't smell like beer, AND doesn't taste like beer.
Sweet, syrupy, not enough carbonation to counter it. A lemonade with some alcohol, pretending to be beer.
I will try a faro from another brewery, but I'm fairly certain this is not my style of beer. I prefer the "real" lambics.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2009 22:23:01 | More by Paisan

pluppykatie

Vermont

2.48/5  rDev -31.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Drinking out of a mini Duvel glass.

Appearance - a nice dark orange color.
Smell - Definitely some hints of sweet in this sour smell.
Taste - A burst of flavor that tapers off.
Mouthfeel - It feels a little oily as you swirl it around in your mouth. An interesting sensation.
Overall - Has a lot of sweetness to it. It's a unique twist to the sourness.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2011 00:53:14 | More by pluppykatie

Bierschenker

Belgium

2.5/5  rDev -30.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

This Faro has a dark red Amber colour. But gives only a small head. It has a medium acidity. It smells like a very sweet Geuze. The odour reminds me of very sweet chemical fruit supplements, with the sour-bitterness of a Geuze. The taste is a combination between a Geuze and a fruit beer but they have not succeeded in combining them in one harmonic beer or taste. The chemical fruit taste totally takes over. Very typical for the Lindemans beers. They are all very sweet and really not bitter, not even their Geuze. Lindemans is known for it’s Woman beers. Very commercial tastes, but not the real deal. Again I am disappointed in this brewer.
There is hardly an aftertaste, again the chemical fruity taste that leaves my throat with a very dry sensation. It is an easily drinkable beer but not for me.

Ut Vivat, Crescat, Floreat.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2005 14:08:06 | More by Bierschenker

Travlr

District of Columbia

2.5/5  rDev -30.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A: Golden yellow colo with very small head that disappears quickly; no lacing to speak of.
S: Aroma of apples, grapes and candy.
T: Flavor is dominated by the cloying sweetness that never lets up - nothing to balance it.
M: Medium body.
D: This one is too sweet, lacks the lambic characteristic sourness to balance it.

Serving type: on-tap

01-04-2010 11:07:34 | More by Travlr

projectflam86

Ohio

2.58/5  rDev -28.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

A- Pours a golden/amber color with a thick white foam head that leaves some lacing.

S- A bit musty with some sweetness and funk.

T- Not as sour as I was expecting. Very sweet and almost cloying with some honey and tang. Still kind of musty with an apple cider flavored finish.

M- Much thicker than most 4.2% brews. Sticky and cloying. Ok carbonation.

O- Overall this was a very interesting beer but a bit too musty for me. Kind of like honey flavored gym socks.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2011 00:32:14 | More by projectflam86

thecarster1

Pennsylvania

2.6/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

a- capped and corked bottle poured into a lindemans signature flute, little more than a fingers worth of head that fades quickly to a spotty layer and trailing.

s- some vinegar, woody, very prevalent sweetness here as opposed to other lambics - because it's a faro.

t- this is interesting, very sweet, some woody, vinegary notes as well, not alot of funk, just a residual sweetness that almost takes on a minty note.

m- light to medium and well carbonated.

d- not the greatest for me just because it's so sweet, this isn't a style that i'd be interested in trying out. i want my lambics and sours to be tart, dry, and funk filled.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2011 23:48:58 | More by thecarster1

Heavenisbeer

Georgia

2.68/5  rDev -26%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Tulip.

A: Opaque, tea-like brown. Very little carb, with a thin white ring lining the edge of the glass. Little to no lacing.

S: Watery. Very light touch of sourness, and a vague trace of prunes and soy sauce. This is my first faro, but the nose is not what I expected from this style.

T: Okay, I wanted to try this style, but the candied sugar addition seemed to me like a good way of ruining a perfectly fine lambic. The taste fully supports my preconceived notions. The funky must of the lambic peaks through the out-of-place sweetener, clashing in the process. A strong phenol presence. Off cider. Overly sweet fruit.

M: Not bad, not great. Just there. A little dryness towards the back end.

O: I understand that the beer needs to be appreciated in the context of the style, so I will judge it accordingly. But I will not be drinking a faro again.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2011 02:31:28 | More by Heavenisbeer

mrandypandy

Georgia

2.7/5  rDev -25.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

325ml bottle purchased at Green's, in Atlanta.

A- Pours a clear ruby/orange with a spritzy/fizzy white head. Head dies quickly, leaves minimal lacing.
S- Faint sweetness, mild barnyard funk. Straining to pick up much of anything.
T- Apple juice. Faint sour notes overshadowed by the sugary sweetness.
M- Medium body, low carbonation.
D- Too much sugary sweetness. I'm struggling to finish.

Overall - I had high expectations for this one and it fell flat. It just reminds me of fermented apple juice, too much sugary sweetness, no complexity. I'll stick with the Cuvee Renee next time.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2010 22:58:54 | More by mrandypandy