Chapeau Faro Lambic - Brouwerij De Troch

DavidST

Texas

3.48/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 350 ml bottle into a fluted glass. This pours a brownish color with a small fizzy extremely short lived off white head (only a few seconds, perhaps the shortest lived I've ever seen). It smells of vinegar, funk and a little sugar malts. The feel is thinish. The taste is okay, you get some funk, sour notes, vinegar with a load of sugar to combat everything but way too sweet.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 04:57:40 | More by DavidST

harpus

Alabama

3.25/5  rDev -3.3%

03-27-2013 14:27:18 | More by harpus

spycow

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -3.3%

01-14-2013 04:49:53 | More by spycow

schopenhauerale

British Columbia (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +4.2%

11-28-2012 08:33:45 | More by schopenhauerale

Archemedies

Massachusetts

2.5/5  rDev -25.6%

11-21-2012 01:21:34 | More by Archemedies

falloutsnow

Illinois

2.93/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

From: Sal's Liquors, Addison, IL
Date: None
Glass: Drie Fonteinen gueuze glass

De Troch's faro is a dark take on the style, perhaps the darkest of the three faros I have been able to try. The result of using all that amber candi sugar is a very sweet and easy drinking faro: there will be no problem enjoying this as a sweet and slightly tart, not-too-complex, easy-drinking beer. Not sure if I'd seek it out again, as Lindeman's faro is more readily available and more robust in flavor, but this was an average, but still very drinkable, faro.

Pours virtually no head, just a few wisps of off-white foam that quickly dissipate, leaving no lacing. Body is amber-red in color, the color of dark red wood stain when out of light, red-brown-orang when in. Carbonation is minimal, but what little there is, is visible in the transparent body.

Aroma is slightly sweet, musty, moldy, and mushroomy, with the slightest bit of dried lemon tartness. Not a very strong aroma, nor particularly interesting when noticed.

Tasting opens with Belgian brown candi sugar sweetness, slight oak and aged oak mulch, very light lemon tartness, opening up mid-palate to oak barrel, sweet candi sugar, and slight vinegar flavors and tanginess. When the beer reaches the back of the palate, there is more noticeable tartness with some light dried lemon and continued strong Belgian brown candi sugar. Aftertaste features a lingering light tartness on the back of the palate and throat, with some residual brown candi sugar sweetness.

Beer is light to light-medium in body with minimal carbonation, a bit watery, resulting in the beer moving fairly slowly, but still enjoyably so on the palate. Finish is expectedly dry, from sugar and acids.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2012 00:11:51 | More by falloutsnow

t0rin0

California

3/5  rDev -10.7%

09-02-2012 19:40:30 | More by t0rin0

cofeeguru

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +19%

07-26-2012 18:35:19 | More by cofeeguru

zonker17

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -3.3%

05-16-2012 20:42:12 | More by zonker17

matjack85

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +22%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I found this 375ml green, corked and capped bottle at Sal's Liquors in Addison, IL for $4.99. Never had a "faro" before so I looked it up to see what it is. Turns out to be a blend of part lambic beer and part non-lambic light beer that has a boatload of sugar added to it (either brown sugar, molasses, or caramel).

The beer poured out a mostly clear, dirty penny copper color that made just a short lived off-white rim for a head and left no lacing. Lots of tiny champagne-like bubbles rise quickly to the top, but it's also loaded with unattractive floating particles.

It has that nice sour lambic smell to it, plus some sweet sugars.

Sweet, but not as sweet as other reviewers make it out to be. It has a great puckering sour apple flavor to it along with tart baking cherries to help tame the generous amount of brown sugar-like sweetness. More than enough tartness to balance out the sugar. I thought it was delicious.

Anazingly light for a beer this sweet, and despite all the bubbles in it, I thought the carbonation level was on the low side.

Probably a good accompaniment to any fruit pie, but I enjoyed it all by itself as well. I'll be back for more of this.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 08:47:40 | More by matjack85

Stoffel

Texas

3.5/5  rDev +4.2%

01-02-2012 13:49:50 | More by Stoffel

Rochefort10nh

New Hampshire

3/5  rDev -10.7%

11-25-2011 23:24:33 | More by Rochefort10nh

Exiled

Texas

3/5  rDev -10.7%

11-24-2011 18:11:48 | More by Exiled

PEBKAC

New York

1.25/5  rDev -62.8%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

Bottle from a place void of joy. Poured into a slender-ish Rare Vos glass.

Soft, brittle inch of white foam. Color & clarity of Lipton iced tea.

Smells of vinegar & caramel aged in a bucket made of wood.

Tastes of cider vinegar spiked with loads of white table sugar. Cream soda, Sweet Tarts, lime, & popsicle sticks.

The texture of carbonated syrup. Sort of like a Shirley Temple.

I have such a headache.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2011 04:44:59 | More by PEBKAC

jjanega08

Minnesota

3.88/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

No freshness dating on the bottle.

A= When I popped the top the cork bubbled on top which made me a little nervous. The pour however was at first a little dead but soon livened up to a quality level of carbonation on the beer with a small hea that dies fast. Typical of most lambic styles.

S= The smell is your typical sour beer with a bit of a deep barrel flavor and overlying sweetness.

T= The taste is again the deep sourness with an overlying sweetness that takes it over. The barrel flavor is deminished and the sweetness is a little hard to deal with. The sourness is good but a bit over taken by the sweetness. The taste is mostly a sweet cherry flavor.

M= The mouth is a bit flat. I usually deal with more lively lambic.

O= This is my first faro and it's not bad. A little too sweet but it has good flavor. I would for sure try other faros but I may not try this one again.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 03:59:29 | More by jjanega08

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

(Served in a chalice)

A- This beer has a slightly dense iced tea brown body with big bubbles forming a ring that fades. There are big bubbles that gently glide to the surface at the edge of the glass.

S- The old damp wood aroma has a very light tartness with some dark fruity sweet notes to and a very faint cherry vinegar hint in the finish.

T- The soft tart wood note fades to a candy sweet finish with a touch of tartness that is overpowered. There is a slight cola hint in the finish aswell.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with a tight zippy note that doesn't do enough to cut the sweetness.

O- I like this a bit better than soda pop but it is in the same camp. The sweetness gets to be a bit to much after half a glass, but it is still a bit softer than other faros I have had. My wife, who only drinks diet coke, enjoyed this beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2011 20:34:32 | More by rhoadsrage

SFLpunk

Vermont

2.13/5  rDev -36.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

375ml Freenet glass cork and capped champagne bottle. Bought at Knightly spirits OBT, Orlando, FL. No date.

Pours crystal-clear brown without and head. Nose is like red wine vinegar and sugar-in-the-raw. Palate is sickly sweet. Tastes like sugar-coated tobacco leaves. Earthy and raw. Not a pleasant beverage at all. (I like funk and sours, but this was a drain-poured...undrinkable.)

Fail.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2011 23:00:42 | More by SFLpunk

Bung

North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Fairly deep amber. Ample off white head. Quite a bit of floaties, I don't think it was poured very carefully.

Vinuous fruit aroma, brown sugar. A bit of red wine vinegar.

A nice tartness up front. Gets pretty sweet after that, candied and brow sugar. Very ripe red fruits.

It is sweet, but not as bad as I was expecting. Drinkable, you just have to be ready for it.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2011 19:55:32 | More by Bung

wschmit

Illinois

3.83/5  rDev +14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle into Perfect Pint.

A: Not much of an off white head, dissipates immediately with very little lacing. Otherwise, a slightly hazy brandy body with plenty of medium-flocculating dark brown floaties.

S: Very cidery...mostly acetic, not lactic, acid. Sweet, some wild yeast characteristics--horse blanket, funk, the usual. Pretty good nose.

T: A bit too sweet, and very much apple-flavored. There's a touch of barnyard, but not much. Overall, alright--what I expected.

M: This would be nice with some more carbonation...it's on the low end. The body is a bit thin, almost watery.

D: To me, faro is the stepping stone between fruity lambics and the good stuff. I think this falls into that category, but just barely. It's sweet, but not overwhelmingly saccharine, and the tartness helps that.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2011 03:59:12 | More by wschmit

jera1350

Minnesota

3.83/5  rDev +14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours an amber color without much of a head except for a ring around the outside of the glass. Some spotty lacing.

Red wine vinegar, black grape, silage and sour apple notes are all present.

Very sweet and quite tart. Sour cherry and apple, honey, vinegar and red wine grapes. Decent complexity.

Not much carbonation at all here. Even so, I actually kind of like it with the taste. Lighter body that is smooth and kind of slick.

I have to say that I really dig the flavor here. Apart from that, I think the beer is just above average overall. This makes me want to seek out more lambics as this one seems to be rated quite a bit lower.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2010 00:50:14 | More by jera1350

scottyshades

Florida

3.55/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

$5 bottle with a pop cap and cork too....
A: Pours a transparent brown color with a tiny tiny head that dissipates immediately

S: Overripe/almost rotting fruit (in a good way), champagne, raisin, fig, dates. Pretty much an overall apple cider vinegar nose

T: Whoa, extremely sweet. Lots and lots of fruits, overripe and dark. Lots of champagne yeast notes, and very very vinous in general. Also tart fruit

MF/D: smooth feel to it, low carbonation, and anything but dry.

Notes: Possibly the most unique beer I've had to date

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2010 23:44:59 | More by scottyshades

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev +18.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served in a wine glass.

Faro numero dos. Who'da thunk it, eh? W0rd. It pours a clear tawny amber topped by a fleeting half-finger of glowing off-whit foam. The nose comprises funky oak, light sour cherries, rum raisin cake, dank greens, brown sugar, and light white vinegar. Sweet and sour sauce ain't got shit on this, what! The taste does away with most of the sour notes, though some very subtle vinegar and tart black cherries remain fairly unfazed. The grand coalition, though, is composed of the brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins, maple syrup, and candi sugar. The body is a smooth medium, with a light carbonation and a slightly sticky finish. Overall, I wasn't sure what to expect here, but this was overtly drinkable. I want more.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2010 18:38:25 | More by TMoney2591

Vdubb86

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a wine glass

Thanks to TMoney2591 for letting me share in this since I had no desire to buy it on my own.

This beer pours a deep orangish amber hue with no head. The smell is of oak, rum raisin, bit of vinegar and cheddar cheese for some reason. The taste is a bit of white grape, some oak flavor, and raisin (without the rum). The taste isn't foul, but it's kinda weak in my opinion. Has a nice light champagne feel to the palate and is pretty easy to drink. Not bad for something that I thought I wouldn't like. Though overall it by style is still more wine like than beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2010 17:56:48 | More by Vdubb86

jrallen34

Illinois

3.35/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

12.7oz bottle into my Rodenbach Grand Cru glass....Light tan head, not much carbonation. The beer is a dark coca-cola, really likes like a pop more than a beer...nice aroma, vinegar, wood, tart cherries, just not overly strong wish it was more of a pucker and there is a weird musky finish...The taste is insanely weird, its balasmic vinegar but a really really really sweet version. First time a lambic has made me pucker from sweetness. Almost a liquid prune taste as well. Very unique, just not for me. A sweet oud bruin?

Interesting but tough to drink.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2010 22:14:57 | More by jrallen34

womencantsail

California

3.03/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks to Bobby for sharing this one.

A: The pour is an amber sort of color with a minimal off-white head that dissipates quickly.

S: A chemical/solvent aroma right off the bat with an intense candi sugar aroma and some sweet dark fruits.

T: The flavor has some decent dark fruit flavors in the form of plums, prunes, and figs, but again the same chemical character. A bit of cork, too.

M: The body is medium with a low to medium level of carbonation.

D: This beer could have actually been pretty decent if it wasn't for the chemical nature of it.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2010 06:25:29 | More by womencantsail