Oud Beersel Framboise - Brouwerij Oud Beersel

Seanniek91

New Hampshire

3.83/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Served from a 375ml corked and caged bottle into an Allagash Coolship tumbler. Served at cellar temps.

Appearance- Very dark purple/blackish color with very bubbly thin off-white head that left as soon as it came. Poured a little too vigorous and spilled some sediment into the glass.

Smell- Tons of sweet raspberry, some oak, and grassy floral notes. Much more "wine like" then "beer like" even for a lambic. Not much yeasty aromas and obviously no hop notes.

Taste- Raspberry up front, then mild funky yeast. Light tartness. I get a little oak, but nothing to serious. Mostly raspberry with little funk characteristics. Rather one dimensional, but still tasty none the less. Finishes rather dry.

Mouthfeel- Quick champagne-like bubbly carbonation. Light tartness, but not mouth puckering. Smooth and crisp. Dry on the palate.

Overall- Maybe it's because I drank a Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus the other night, but this raspberry lambic is lacking in taste and mouthfeel of a traditional lambic. Tasty, but I won't buy it again when there are better lambics out there.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2013 18:49:16 | More by Seanniek91

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Pours dark red with a brownish hue. Head disappears to a slight ring. No lace.

Nice fresh raspberry aroma. Some tart notes, but this smells great.

Tart raspberry juice, and then a ton of bitterness akin to biting a raspberry seed. Bitterness, fruit, and a bone dry pucker finish. A bit unbalanced but still drinkable. Some fruit on the palate at the end.

Lighter bodied, some acid, some carbonation.

Overall, not bad. The bitter is a bit off-putting, but still pretty decent.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 00:27:34 | More by OtherShoe2

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

First had: on tap at Pinocchio's, Media, PA

Poured a orchid-amber color, hazy, with a small bubbly head that mostly dissipated, initially leaving a few specks of lace on the glass. Aroma of raspberry candy, and a pleasantly mild must. More of the same in the taste, raspberry candy, a little sweet, a little tart, crackery malts, slightly musty, with a bit of a woody/earthy element, overall providing a rather dry finish. Light-medium body, ample carbonation, easily drinkable, but not something I'd want more than one serving of in a session.

Serving type: on-tap

03-10-2013 17:31:47 | More by Rifugium

mactrail

California

4.01/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Served in a Delirium Tremens tulip. Dark red-amber in color. Carbonation is just right, more like a Champagne. Really a nice taste of raspberries. Very berry. A hint of sourness along with wood makes for a touch of high-class vinegar. A dry touch of seeds and stems. Fruity and just slightly sweet to enhance the fruitiness. Aroma of woody, musty and cidery notes.

Between the Framboise and the Kriek, these are great drinkable Lambics to try. On tap at the recently-opened Fathom in San Diego.

Serving type: on-tap

03-03-2013 06:02:54 | More by mactrail

merc7186

New York

3.39/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Bottle into flute glass.

A: Dark Purple Hue, Passes Mild Light, Thick Purple Head, Some Lacing

S: Semi Sweet Raspberry, Cranberry

T: Mildly Tart Raspberry, Mild Cranberry

M: Decent Carbonation, Light to Medium Bodied, Mildly Tart

Overall, kind of a bland framboise, mildly tart which is good but not true to the style.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 00:01:15 | More by merc7186

Beejay

Virginia

3.53/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: A fairly dark purple color, a small amount of light pink head on top that quickly dissipates back into the beer.

S: There is a nice rich raspberry aroma, some wheat bread, a touch of tartness, and almost a little touch of vinegar.

T: Bready with tart raspberry notes. There is almost a cranberry type tartness to it. Nice fruit flavors, although the finish is a little odd for me.

M: Medium in body, the carbonation is very fine in size, and fairly present. The finish is dry with a bit of tannin.

O: Overall good, but not something amazing. The cranberry like flavor is interesting, but adds an odd feel to it.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 03:00:44 | More by Beejay

Brenden

Ohio

3.43/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This one is a thick red color, too thick to see through, with a vaguely orange tint. The head, just off-white with a slightly pinkish edge to it, is a little too spritzy but does stay for a long time; unfortunately, that's only as a foam that pretty much gives up on making an effort at lacing.
The nose is more lambic with less fruit to it, though raspberry tartness is throughout with the sourness. It needs the elements to come together a bit more and mingle properly; as such, it's almost enough of everything, but each note separates then comes back confusedly in an inconsistent manner. More raspberry overall would be good, and there's not quite enough sweetness to balance the tart. It's not bad by any stretch, just not up there with the really good ones.
The feel was too thin and, while the style is light, didn't have much keeping it interesting. Crispness is consistent enough but low, just enough to keep it from unpleasant.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2012 01:15:11 | More by Brenden

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.95/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served from tap into a Trappe Door tulip. Poured ruby red with a two finger very light pink head that subsided to one finger slowly. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, raspberry, sugar, and funk. The flavor was of sweet malt, raspberry, sugar, and subtle funk. It had a light feel on the palate with medium-high carbonation. Overall this was a fairly good brew. I have had this one multiple times in the bottle and couldn’t pass it up on tap. I definitely did not make a mistake here. Unfortunately, this one didn’t shine as the last bottle that I had. All of the right flavors were there, but they just weren’t as intense as I remembered the bottle being. The mouthfeel was a little light on the carbonation aspect compared to what I enjoyed about this out of the bottle. Still an absolute must try regardless of serving type.

Serving type: on-tap

07-10-2012 11:01:15 | More by thagr81us

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Tulip glass ready. Best by 01/19/2015.

Mucky mulberry in color with a carnation pink head of an inch or so that settled down to a half of a centimeter and stayed there for a little while.

Richly funky nose with horse blanket, barnyard floor, and sweet raspberry pulp. Smells only faintly sour. Dank and overripe like a moldy jam. Blackberry preserves in the nose with a nuance of honeycomb. Great nose, sans the much-needed acidity. No lemon or straw notes to be found.

Lemon shows up in a zesty tart way, cutting away the grease from the fermented funk flavors. Raspberries are still fleshy, but contribute to the tartness just as much as the sweetness this time. Hint of bitter almond in the taste. Rather thin in body. My complaint is that it's a little attenuated, which allows a very tannic barrel wood to come through--it almost overshadows the fruit. Burps more raspberry in the finish with some lingering pucker.

A decent example of a fruit lambic/framboise. Lacking in the way the fruit is presented. Two ways to go with it, if you ask me. Tart raspberry with a whole lot of pucker or fresh raspberry with some pleasant fructose sweetness. This one halved each category, and almost pulled it off. Would pick up again.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2012 02:34:20 | More by thecheapies

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

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

Appearance. Pours a deep ruby red with a little haze and a very small, light pink head that doesn't last long.

Smell. Red raspberries and a hint of funk.

Taste. Red raspberries again. A little sweet and a little sour. Not much else going on, maybe a little wood tannin. Tastes good.

Mouthfeel. Light+ body with medium+, fine and lively carbomnation.

Overall. Really refreshing and easy drinking. I could drink this all day long during the summer heat.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 03:49:46 | More by Rutager

cps98

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A – Pours with a reddish brown hue which wasn’t overly appealing. A 1 finger bright white head was present of a couple of seconds but disappeared very quickly. No lacing was seen.

S – Raspberry was the dominant factor but also had this basement mustiness present. Smelled rather nice.

T – Again raspberry was the dominant flavor along with a nice tart finish.

M – Carbonation was on the high end. Was a nice medium bodied dry lambic.

O – I really enjoyed this beer, even after the not so appealing appearance. Very nice tartness, and the raspberry flavor was perfect.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 17:46:53 | More by cps98

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.55/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Churchkey. Served in a snifter. Reviewed from notes.

Pours a dark pink color with a short white head and just a few spots of lacing on the way down. Thin collar. The nose carries fresh raspberries along with a bit of earthy must and just a touch of acidity. The flavor is predominantly raspberries, but also has a slight medicinal quality. Body is light and dry with some medicinal character. Very light acidity. Could be a good starter lambic.

Serving type: on-tap

02-10-2012 03:14:44 | More by Thorpe429

legalpete19340

Virginia

3.93/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Poured dull grapefruit juice pink into the glass with a small off white head that fell quickly. No lacing or coating.

S: Comes on strong with raspberries and strawberries. There is the slightest earthiness in the background. I can almost smell the sourness.

T: Starts out sweet with a face full of berries: raspberries, strawberries and a bit of blackberry. Then a very dry chalky note before it moves into a surging sourness that ends with an intense puckering effect. Right in the middle there is burst of whole wheat bread before the sourness begins. Almost like unripe strawberries and toast.

M: Thin and flat.

O: I think I see the appeal of this beer even though its not my personal favorite style. Seemed to hit the fruit notes and add a bit of malt and sourness for intrigue. I wish it were less sour and the juicy berries were allowed to flow more.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2012 02:44:03 | More by legalpete19340

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Oud Beersel Framboise

Appearance: Hazy and cloudy, in a ruby hue of red. Short livid, fizzy head. Well carbonated, as the cork gave a solid pop when removed. All the senses will soon be soothed.

Smell: Perfumy, fruity, and very wine like nose. Aromas of funk, berry wine, must, and sweet old basement(?).

Taste: Sharp acidity upfront, with a raspberry tartness. Gives way to a Cabernet/Port flavor that lingers. Fleeting grain notes remind that this is a beer. Slightly pungent alcohol character and fermented berries give off winesque vibes. Not all that sweet, though fruity. Little bitterness, though perceptible. Muted funk, like when your parents tell you to turn the George Clinton records down. Oak-y and dry in the finish. Fresh berries all day. Not the most complex, but a lot going on.

Mouthfeel: Light/medium bodied, good amount of carbonation. Semi-dry champagne like finish.

Overall: This is probably the most wine-like beer I have had to date. Still, the fingerprints of Lambic are all over this one. Its the type of beer that should make fans of sweet beers, beer geeks, and sour fiends all start clamoring to get their wine glasses. Better than most.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2012 21:15:36 | More by Stinkypuss

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

375 cl bottle shared as a sampling of three fruit lambics with friends, purchased from Etre Gourmet.
Bottled in June 2011.
Poured into a New Glarus flute (courtesy of A).

Oud Beersel's Framboise was a seriously fruity lambic that downplayed the sour and tart aspects of its base and instead opted for a marginal imbalance towards the added raspberries. This was an enjoyable beer, but the plastic element in the aroma was off-putting, and I would have liked a bit more sourness/tartness in general. This could be a good transition from Lindemans fruit lambics to more sour varieties, or for one who feels like something sweeter and fruitier than a typical gueuze/lambic.

Pours, into the glass, a light red to pink head of fairly small bubbles, about 2cm tall. Head descends quickly, leaving little lacing and reducing to a ring around the glass. Body is deep red to dark magenta in color, with visibly active carbonation.

Aroma is fairly sweet, coming from fairly fresh raspberries, a bit of plastic, some mildew / unfinished old basement scents, and extremely mild vinegar.

Taste is rather sweet, at least compared to the Drie Fonteinen and Cantillon krieks. Anticipated raspberry sweetness is the dominant flavor, followed by mild tartness, light yeast, and a malt component that further tips the flavor towards sweetness and not sourness or tartness.

Body is medium-light to medium, with noticeable but not aggressive carbonation. Pleasant, excellent for sipping and trying to discern the flavors. Finish is dry.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2012 18:16:32 | More by falloutsnow

CuriousMonk

Virginia

3.43/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On tap at ChurchKey poured in a sampler glass. Pours a reddish color with a pink head. Aroma is of tart raspberries, yogurt notes, light funk, some musty old aromas and subtle wood and vinegar. The flavor follows the nose, lightly sour with lots of raspberry and almost raspberry yogurt like flavor, some subtle funk like hay and some musty old notes with the vinegar. The body is light with a dry mouthfeel.

Serving type: on-tap

01-04-2012 19:27:50 | More by CuriousMonk

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

3.58/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Another bottle from Oude Beersel courtesy of me.

Dark red nearing purple. Pink head. Smells of fresh raspberries and new pool toys. Funk is rather subdued. The flavors are mostly raspberry syrup and a bit of funk. Sweet with very little sour punch. Medium body with mild carbonation. Certainly not the worst framboise out there but I've had much better.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2011 19:04:30 | More by beerwolf77

Bitterbill

Wyoming

3.48/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

375ml caged and corked bottle, best by Oct 6, 2013 with an abv of 5.0%.

A nice pop when the cork came out, it pours an extremely dark red with a 1 finger head of foam with some brilliant lacing.

The nose is hugely of raspberries, the sweet kind ;^), and has a bit of yeasty smell to it.

The taste is not what I expected; raspberry sweetness tempered by a mild tartness, light yeasty tones, and a somewhat earthy malt flavour. The latter is on the back end and is a let down from how the beer first tastes. I'm swishing the beer in my mouth and I can't say I get any of the oak at all. Not a bad brew but I expected more, I guess.

Medium bodied, ditto for the carbonation; a nice mouthfeel and it's easy enough to drink. I'm glad I tried it but a repeat isn't necessary.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2011 00:27:27 | More by Bitterbill

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.28/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Very pretty mostly pinkish with a slight purple edge to it, nice pink head, very frothy and big at over 1.5". Aroma was definitely sweet fruit raspberry forward.

While Oud Beersel makes great lambics and gueuze, I feel the framboise suffers the same problem that Lindemans framboise does. It forgoes a nice sour mouthfeel, for a balance of tart/sour and sweet. Too much sweetness here for my tastes. Its still good, but not as good as their other efforts.

Highly carbonated mouthfeel is nice, but I just can't get over the sweetness. Can't pull any oak out of this one.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2011 17:03:29 | More by Beerandraiderfan

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.1/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the hudson st. stackhouse the other day.

The beer pours a slighty hazy, orange amber color with red highlights. The nose is pretty impressive in a lambic sort of way, as I pick up considerable sour funk and vinegar, but with some nice fruit and vanilla poking through as well. The flavor profile replicates the nose pretty closely, except the sour funk dominated the flavor scene a bit too much for my palate. Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied, with a fairly long, sweet tart, sour finish. Alcohol is barely an afterthought in this beer.

An impressive lambic, though at least for my palate, a bit less sour funk and a touch more fruit would have been appreciated.

Serving type: on-tap

12-13-2011 16:28:13 | More by johnmichaelsen

warnerry

Michigan

3.85/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Best by 6 Oct 2013

A - Pours a clear pinkish brown with half a finger of white head. Very small spots of lacing. Also, even a gentle pour results in some suspended sediment.

S - Initial smell has no fruit, just some tartness and a bit of funk. However, subsequent whiffs are loaded with raspberry aroma, both tart and sweet. The funk and raspberry never seem to blend together, but appear as distinct aromas.

T - Nice amount of tartness makes the tongue tingle initially, followed by a rush of raspberry, some earthy funk. Finishes tart, oaky and dry.

M - Light and crisp, with nice carbonation.

O - A good framboise. Definitely in the middle of the sweet/tart spectrum compared to others of the style. While it didn't blow me away, I could see revisiting this one in the future.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2011 00:30:40 | More by warnerry

TempeBeerMan

Arizona

2.8/5  rDev -25.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

A friend left an unopened bottle this in my fridge after finding a first bottle not very appealing. Perfect excuse for a review! Poured into a large champagne flute.

A – Pours a cloudy brownish-mauve (never really seen this color before) with zero head and lots of tiny bubbles, like a champagne.

S – Strong aroma of raspberries, and tartness. Almost like smelling a raspberry Jolly Rancher.

T – Sweet raspberries followed by an acidic and slightly metallic grapefruit/earthy aftertaste which lingers for a long time. Not much else is there. I hate to keep comparing it like this, but everything about this Framboise is more like raspberry flavored champagne than a raspberry beer.

M – Thin and fizzy. Finishes dry like…you guessed it!

O – Not my cup of tea, and I have had much better Framboise that have stronger beer characteristics. However, if you are looking for a raspberry champagne for New Years, you could do a lot worse.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2011 00:54:12 | More by TempeBeerMan

samie85

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A- Pours a grape juice red color with a violet, one finger head, and some raspberry or yeast particles suspended throughout.

S- Huge raspberry with some slightly acidic notes, but raspberry is the main star here.

T-Tart and slightly sour/acidic raspberry notes with some funk and lemon notes.

M-Moderately carbonated with a light body and a drying and prickly feel.

D-Pretty easy drinking and not too sour for those beginning to experiment with sour beers. Very approachable and nuanced beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2011 18:59:28 | More by samie85

KickInTheChalice

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on tap in a tulip at Hopleaf.

Appearance: My pour is a full ruby color with a thin wispy off-white collar that leaves no lacing.

Smell: The aroma is mostly sweet and slightly tart raspberries. There is a soft funky, leathery, and oaky aroma as well.

Taste: The flavor starts out with a blast of sweet raspberry, a flavor that pretty much dominates each sip. Toward the end a more acidic and vinegary tartness comes into play with a little bit of oak as well, but my overall impression is that it is a sweet raspberry beer.

Mouthfeel: This lambic has a moderate acidity, carbonation on the light side, a slightly syrupy nature, and a body that is medium for the style.

Overall: Raspberry sours are among my favorite style and fruit treatment, but this one was just done with a flavor that is a little too casual for my liking. Simply sweet, there is just not a ton of complexity here to ever pique my interest.

Serving type: on-tap

11-08-2011 23:02:51 | More by KickInTheChalice

oline73

Maryland

3.33/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

I had this on-tap at the Churchkey. Poured into a snifter.

Appearance: Pours a clear ruby red color with no head at all.

Smell: Tons of raspberry with a good amount of sweetness. There is a very mild vinegar note as well.

Taste: Sweet raspberries up front yield to herbal bitterness. There is also a mild, woody characteristic as well. Not in love with the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with tingly carbonation and a very dry finish.

Overall: I thought there was an odd taste in the finish of this one. I don't think I would have another.

Serving type: on-tap

11-03-2011 22:21:16 | More by oline73