Chapeau Framboise Lambic - Brouwerij De Troch

FeDUBBELFIST

Pennsylvania

2.05/5  rDev -44.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

12oz green bottle, corked and capped. Served in a Cantillon wine glass. $7.00 for the single.

A: A small bright head practically fizzes out before it can even sustain itself. A slender white ring of tiny bubbles remains as the collar. The body is a medium dark yet faded plum color and it is 100% opaque. Minimal lacing.

S: Raspberry followed by, umm, plenty more raspberry. Luckily the aroma come off very natural and not artificial like some less successful lambics. Slightly one dimensional but light scents of lime come through beneath the dominant raspberry. A long, sustained inhale brings about some very clean alcohol, starfruit and something stale.

T: Overly sweet. Again, one dimensional.

M: Sticky sweet with not enough effervesence to cut through the syrupy texture. Moderate tartness and mildly acetic.

D: Tasty at one sip and tiring after a few more. Too sweet for my tastes.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2011 01:19:47 | More by FeDUBBELFIST

mjc410

Virginia

2.65/5  rDev -28%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Hazy, near opaque, purple red. No head formed, just a ring around the glass. In the nose, it's wholly sour-sweet raspberry. The fruit smell really comes through, though. The high point. Taste is very acidic, with notes of oak, slight horseblanket, with of course an extreme raspberry flavor. It is sweet, but not to the point of cloying. Leaves a sweetness on the lips, but an uncomfortable acid burn in the throat. It's smooth an relatively light. More carbonation would be a plus. Overall, the high acidity just kills me, and makes even 6 oz more of a fight than a pleasure.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2006 11:48:33 | More by mjc410

PEBKAC

New York

2.65/5  rDev -28%
look: 2 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

The exact same alcohol content of Robitussin... interesting.

First off, a pain to open. Capped & corked Juicy Juice justifying it's price tag.

A strong sizzle on the pour & then it rushes back down. A murky rusted brown, it's full of floaters ...chewy.

Raspberries steeped in simple sugar, with a touch of tartness & vinegar. I smell cherry Lifesavers too. It smells wonderfully juicy.

Cider vinegar up front, but then a bum rush of cherry grape Juicy Juice that's just loaded with sugar. After shaking that off, the raspberries come through with a good blend of tart & sour & sweet, in that order of concentration. A dry woody finish helps wipe the initial horrible impression from my mouth, but not my mind.

Almost, but I just can't get past those traumatizing juice box summer camp memories fast enough.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2008 01:02:04 | More by PEBKAC

smcolw

Massachusetts

2.78/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Good head and excellent lace. Very red and nearly brown. Cloudy with a lot of sentiment!

The overall smell is mainly sweet. The aroma reminds me of sour raspberry jam.

The flavor is very sweet. Reminds me of a cherry lifesaver. Frankly, it's too sweet to me, I think it could use some sour counter-balance. The sourness shows up only in the aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2008 02:25:56 | More by smcolw

Bamabrew22

Alabama

2.83/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

This was my first trip into the world of lambics, and I gather that they are an acquired taste.

Cap and cork to open it up. Poured pretty thick into the glass with a murky brown color and little to no head. Smell was of fresh raspberries with an acidic bite. Tasted like fruit juice with alcohol in it, really acidic and effervescent fruit juice. Could definitely perceive the sourness of the lactic yeast coming through which seemed to fight with the pectins and acid in the raspberries. This one was a tough one to drink for me, but I'd like to try others before I give up on the style. Won't be my last lambic.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2007 16:23:48 | More by Bamabrew22

Gusler

Arizona

3/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I can't see through the "Purple Haze", little purplish head and some lace. Ripe raspberry nose, sweet, the front cloyingly sweet, the top skeletal, finish is sour chased by the sweetness, light acidity, but the best I've tasted from this brewery, I can at least drink this one. As not to appear totally negative in relation to this breweries beer, I think they would make decent “Desert” beers and many might like the fruity sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2002 16:32:14 | More by Gusler

SkunkWorks

New York

3.08/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

This is my first lambic aside from the Sam Adam's "Lambic" so take the review with a grain of salt. From notes:

Poured into a wine glass.

Thin, red head. Body is dark red, appearing like red wine. Head retention is very weak and it leaves behind no lacing. The aroma is all raspberry and nothing else. The taste is intensely raspberry with a lot of sweetness up front and some sourness in the finish. Overall, way too sweet and way too much raspberry for my tastes. Its fairly medium bodied, lightly carbonated (almost no carbonation) and fairly unbalanced as there's no bitterness to balance out the sweetness. The drinkability is high on this one since it basically tastes like a wine cooler.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2009 02:08:21 | More by SkunkWorks

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.1/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle from Beertopia in Omaha, NE
No visible bottled on date
Poured into a fluted glass

De Troch's Chapeau Framboise is a fairly typical, sweet-style take on the fruit lambic style. The sweetness of the fruit and the flavor of the raspberry is over-emphasized by the natural raspberry flavoring, and the sour and wild qualities of the lambic base are largely ignored in favor of these characters. Perhaps a good introduction for those wading into this style, but as someone who prefers more sour, vinegar, and other lacto- flavors, I see no need to revisit.

Pours a 1cm head of small and medium-sized bubbles, whitish-pink in color. Head descends rather quickly, leaving no lacing or residuum. Body is pinkish red with a tinge of purple. I chose not to pour the dregs in, so the body remains clear; carbonation is easily visible because of this.

Aroma is high on the raspberry, or "natural raspberry flavor," as the case may be. Overall presentation is sweet and raspberry-like, a bit like a liquid raspberry "hard candy." No detection of sourness or other "wildness."

Taste follows smell, with dominant flavor being of raspberry. Reminded, several times, of a sugar "hard candy" with raspberry flavoring, which is essentially what this consists of. Mild tartness in the back of the palate on closing out each sip, reminding you that this is indeed a lambic base.

Beer's body is medium-light to medium. Mouthfeel is very pleasant, soft: the carbonation creates a gentle foaming on the palate, rendering this quite smooth and pillowy. Finish is rather dry, slightly sticky.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 15:56:45 | More by falloutsnow

fattyre

Georgia

3.15/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This beer pours a clear reddish orange with a white clingy dissipating head and a moderate mouthfeel. The smell is tart and winey with overwhelming raspberry. The taste is very slightly sour with SWEET raspberry- very much like a jolly rancher candy. An okay framboise that would definitely benefit from having the sweetness toned back quite a bit.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2003 18:16:56 | More by fattyre

Mora2000

Texas

3.15/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This is the best of the Chapeau lambics I have tried.

The beer pours a pinkish color with a white head. The aroma is full of tart raspberries with a little bit of sugar mixed in. The flavor is actually not too bad. It is a mix of sweet and sour raspberries, although the sugar is pretty artificial tasting. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2011 22:33:43 | More by Mora2000

krkearney

Pennsylvania

3.2/5  rDev -13%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle. Pours a deep ruby with hints of brown, topped with a fairly small off-white head. Tangy raspberry syrup aroma; with raspberry seed, cork and some mustiness. Aroma is a bit on the syrupy sweet side. Flavor is sweet-tart, reminiscent of raspberry candy, with not much else going on. Although it's not quite cloying, it's still too sweet for me. It is otherwise easy to drink, with medium body and little carbonation. Too sweet for me.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2008 02:20:26 | More by krkearney

kojevergas

California

3.23/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Bottle into Chimay goblet in the Oslo pub in Salthill, Ireland. Reviewed from notes.

A: Half finger tan-colour head of very poor retention (especially considering the low ABV). Dark red colour.

Sm: Overpowering raspberry scent. Pleasant.

T: Raspberry body with sweet tart finish. Simple but sweet. Not difficult to balance, being only one note. Pungent and strong for the style, but a bit simple to be of truly good build. A standard lambic, but not an exceptional one.

Mf: Decently coarse and rather wet. More dryness might coax out the flavour, but at the same time a lambic ought to be refreshing. It's a hard balance to navigate, and this beer doesn't do so as successfully as it should.

Dr: Easily downable but of very low ABV. Its sheer expense, particularly in Ireland, will keep you away.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2011 19:31:37 | More by kojevergas

BeerImmediately

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml into chalice.

Pours with a pretty typical framboise appearance... faint pink film over a slightly opaque, deep pink to ruby body. No visible carbonation. Touch of lacing.

Aroma is strong and sweet. Fresh raspberry, light musty quality (hay), and a touch of oak. Pretty inviting if you're into sweeter beers.

Flavor is pure Jolly Rancher candy. A bit sweet, but there is a touch of tart pucker. Mouthfeel is pretty thick and syrupy, given the style / ABV.

If you need a dessert beer that won't get you hammered, this is a decent one. Not terribly expensive, either.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2012 19:55:03 | More by BeerImmediately

womencantsail

California

3.35/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks to Bobby for sharing this.

A: The pour is a dark reddish color with an off-white head that has some decent retention, actually.

S: Reminiscent of Lindeman's Framboise, but maybe a little bit less sugary and a little bit more tartness. Raspberry jam and a hint of vinegar.

T: Again, thoughts of Lindeman's come to mind when I taste the beer. It's sweet raspberry jam and a hint of cranberry juice, too. Some slight vinegar tartness and a bit of a corky mustiness.

M: The body is medium with a sugary stickiness and a low level of carbonation.

D: Eh, this was a beer that is not bad flavor-wise, especially compared to the other Chapeau beers, but the sweetness can become overwhelming.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2010 20:09:10 | More by womencantsail

GCBrewingCo

North Carolina

3.38/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The beer poured hazy ruby brown color with little head, make that no head. The aroma when first poured had a slight skunk to it. After a few minutes of warming the aroma of raspberries and lambic are noticeable. Also present is a cork aroma. The flavor is raspberries and slight sourness. The finish is raspberry and dry. The body is very light and the beer very flat. The drinkability is good.

This beer does not have the attributes I normally associate with a lambic. It is fairly one dimensional.

Heavy 12.7 ounce green bottle. Had a large crown cap and a cork underneath. Lots of dark sediment in bottom of bottle.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2003 23:36:22 | More by GCBrewingCo

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.43/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Color is a dark, hazy raspberryish red, with a small, if extant at all, head. Aroma speaks a different story: vast, sharp and tart, and all raspberry. Got to give it to De Troch, they can nail a flavor! It's all there and it's all reaspberry! Full-on flavor, too, very sweet, though many will discredit a sweet beer, or an un-sour lambic, for that matter. I think it's fine, though not near the best.
Encompasses as interesting region of brew, for which we take a vacation from the consideration of other beers. Hops, malt, body, texture, etcetera, don't play as important a part as they might elsewhere, and we suspend our judgement. It's a light, dessert beer, and tastes of fruit, doing that job quite well. And it's good for that, too!

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2003 03:12:10 | More by feloniousmonk

Bunnyhop

Georgia

3.48/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A clear, reddish orange Framboise Lambic, with a white, clingy, dissipating head. The smell is most definitely raspberry (fancy that!). The taste too is raspberry, with a thick sweetness, slight malt, and a very light sour finish. The body was thin to firm in my mouth. Overall, this was a bit too sweet for me, but still relatively good for a Framboise Lambic (there are others I prefer over this one).

(source: Frugal Scot; Fernandina Beach, FL)

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2003 16:02:25 | More by Bunnyhop

Morris729

Texas

3.6/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark rusty brick red color with a bubbly cola-like head. Nose is tart raspberries along with a faint musty yeastiness. Taste is sweet raspberry jam along with a strong tart and acidic raspberry flavor. Some barnyard funk is also apparent. Would pair well with some dark chocolate.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2006 00:11:40 | More by Morris729

zaphodchak

Virginia

3.6/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Cork was soaked through.

Even a relatively high pour yielded minimal white suds. Body is very dark hazy red-amber. No lace.

Aroma is spot-on, tart, mellowed raspberry.

Sour, pretty funky, and raspberry that doesn't beat you over the head. Nice clean finish despite being quite sweet and sour; this doesn't coat your mouth or demand to be chased with water.

Minimal carbonation, very fine-grained. Given the state of the cork and absence of head, I'm not sure this is normal.

This is what it sets out to be, and it's pretty good. The wet cork is worrisome though; not sure what's to blame for that but thanks to the cap, all remains well.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2011 05:26:56 | More by zaphodchak

ADR

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had a choice of fruits and raspberry is my favorite jam, so...

Cap and a cork on the bottle. Opaque and murky maple syrup color, some dark chunks. Initial carbonation was gone pretty soon, little to no head. Very raspberry aroma. Flavor is of fruit but was very fresh. I could almost taste the seeds and some stems. Medium body, a little cloying but there was minimal beer quality other than a slight malt muskiness in taste and up the nasal passages. Astringent at finish. Because there was no over-sweetness to it, I'll give this Lambic a head's up on a lot of American Fruit/Wheat brews. I tried to give it a medium high score as my skills at evaluating Lambics are minimal. Not a beer for me but its fun to taste unique styles in the world of beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2002 09:00:13 | More by ADR

granger10

Wisconsin

3.65/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Is this a beer? I don't know if it is, but I do know that this tastes good. Has a very strong raspberry taste to it. Very crisp texture. Starts out tarty but eventually becomes sweeter and finishes very sweet. I liked it a lot for a change of pace. Good for a dessert. However it's too expensive to buy often.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2003 16:44:20 | More by granger10

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Chapeau Framboise

12 oz bottle. Served in a lindemans flute. Pours a deep reddish color with a pink head and lacing down the glass. Aroma of sweet raspberries. In the taste, sweet fruity raspberries with a small tartness upfront and a touch of sourness in the finish. Fairly sweet lasting the duration, but the aftertaste leaves a more-ish sour note. Mouthfeel is lightly carbonated and light bodied with a slightly syrupy feel. Overall, not a bad Framboise. A little sweet. The nice fruity tang and modest ABV make this an ideal breakfast beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2011 13:05:33 | More by Stinkypuss

avalon07

South Carolina

3.68/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured from a bottle to a tulip glass. Had a ruby color and a slightly cloudy consistency. There was a half inch of foamy head that quickly dissipated. Deecent lacing.

S: Smelled of little more than strawberries. Pleasant, though.

T: A fair taste of strawberries and a slightly vinegary quality. Not bad.

M: Typical of lambics, this one was highly carbonated and had a smooth finish. Light-bodied.

D: On the whole, this is a light, lively, drinkable lambic. Not one that will knock your socks off, but solid.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2009 14:55:45 | More by avalon07

MUSHROOMCLOUD

Texas

3.73/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - 1" purple tinted head. Falls to a ring quickly. No lace. Purple-red colored lambic.

S - Syrupy raspberry wrapped in funkiness.

T - Rich raspberry and sour lemon fruit. Acidic and tangy. Lots of funky wood.

D - Medium bodied round mouthfeel. Mid to high levels of carbonation. Sweet.

D - OK drinkabilty.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2006 02:51:14 | More by MUSHROOMCLOUD

allengarvin

Texas

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark brown color, tinted slightly red, with a tan head. Aroma is strongly strawberry, with some nice musty lambic scent. Very sweet raspberry flavor, but no particular lambic flavors apart from acidic tartness. High carbonation and a spritzy mouthfeel.

I enjoy sweetened lambics, though I prefer a more traditional one. This one is not bad, but not much stands out compared to Belle-vue, Lindemans, or Liefmans, unfortunately the most common varieties in stores in the US.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2005 02:08:54 | More by allengarvin