Thanks to the Texas crew legion/lumpy. The beer pours dark copper, dark enough that one cannot see through it, and kind of reddish in the light. Has a small but sticky head. Aroma is strong with a wet bark and fresh wet sugar cane sweetness. Definitely sweet, I should have expected it from this brewer but it still took me by surprise. Taste is a bit better, still sweet but it dies down as compared to the aroma. Other lambic-like qualities appear in the background, some oak and a faint sourness. Leaves a sugar candy aftertaste. It’s not all that bad, if only they could cut down the sweetness a bit. This was my first faro (as a lot of these ratings will probably say) and I could definitely see why the style was created; an alco-pop for the masses back in the day.
12.7oz bottle, cap and cork (which was engorged with liquid), Rodenbach Grand Cru smaller tulip glass.

Purchased March 2007 in Brussels, for no other reason than the style is so rare and hard to get, especially in the United States. I enjoyed this beer. Hardly world class, and surely the weakest faro I have had, but like all of Chapeau’s products, it is very drinkable. The aroma has caramelized sugar. A dark brown beer with tons of sediment like all Chapeau products. Sweet flavor with apple, brown sugar, very light hops surprisingly, just a hint of barnyard, from whatever actual lambic is actually in this beer, and finally yeast.

Bottle from Degarth; Date hard to read looks like 02; my third faro; Nose of aplly spices with some woodiness; hazy rust colored with a small off white head; flavor was not all that sweet caramel apple with only a small hint of tartness showing up in the finish as kind of an apple cider vinegar but very light along with some caramelized sugar. Not near as well balanced as the Lindemans or even St louis faros I’ve had.

Bottle, 4.75%. 4-5 years past BB date. Gusher. Quite sour aroma with earth and wood. Dark grey/copper colour, slightly hazy. Very small white head. Some black floaties, probably due to age. The flavour is sour and sweet in good balance. The acidic sourness is better than the sugary flavours. Hint of sherry/oxidation.

Thanks to Goldtwins for sharing this one at Noogfest. Bottle, "best before 1997" I can’t say that this one has gone out of date. Starts with a thin pour, no head. Sweet fruity aroma. The flavor is similar, exhibiting a fruity, sweet cider sweetness. Thin body but refreshing.

Best before March 1997 375mL bottle consumed on 11/25/2005. Astonishingly highly carbonated. Plenty, but not exceedingly so, of off-white head is very well-retained atop a clear copper-amber-pale-gold body, with light lacing and initial vigorous carbonation visible. Aroma of wood pulp, dirt, sandalwood, wet sawdust, cider vinegar, old musty yeast and maybe a touch of vanilla. Little to no wild yeast, though I have little experience identifying Belgian beers of this age, and I also have no idea the percent of lambic in this. The flavor is musty, woody and quite cidery, and of course, sugary. Simple table sugar, or light corn syrup-like in flavor, but actually, not horribly done. Of course I would prefer it to not be there, as it bullys the other flavors, but it’s not quite cloying and not syrupy. Light oak notes are most evident aside from the sugar, while some light acids gather on the finish. If there is brett here, it’s very hard to distinguish amongst the sugar/oak flavor. Finish is lightly tart, just faintly so, with more sugar and a strange, almost vegetal note present, perhaps wet sawdust again. Mouthfeel is not oxidized that much, nor very thinned out. Plenty of carbonation, though low and soft, is still apparent, with a wet, slippery sort of feel. Hmm, I need to learn more about these.

(Bottle 25 cl) Dark golden with a small head with a great fizz. Starts sweet only to be relieved by tartness - and then the two impressions blend beautifully into a row of incredibly refined flavours of which nuts seems to dominate my buds. Excellent and several points better than the Chapeau fruit beers. 280598

Tan-foxy brown beer, clear; just a slim plaque for head. Nose as from soured beer, acetic acid; bit raisin-like as well. Sweet-sour, woody, and obvious taste as from candi syrup. Quite true to style in fact. More fruit acids, here, quite fruity in character in general. Still - a tad artificial. Sugar syrup slickness, not much real body. Oh well, not too bad - certainly wouldn’t refuse it when offered.