Brouwerij Lindemans is coming up from the cellar in April! I start with the Faro and move on to Cuvee Renee later in the month. Now per the description from the excellent resources at Beer Advocate, here is what a typical Faro should be, “A blended Lambic with the addition of candi sugar for a lighter, quite sweet and more palatable beer. Commonly spiced with pepper, orange peel and coriander.”
Now I have had this beer for just over 2 years. I purchased it and the Cuvee Renee at the same time from Vendome Liquors near Toluca Lake.
It was a multi-step process to get the beer in a glass. First you peel off the silver foil protecting the neck of the bottle. Then you pop the cap. And then you pry the cork off. (That is something that I still have yet to master gracefully). Once open it pours an amber orange color with little to no head to it. The initial aroma is simple syrup to me. Also a touch of apple cider Very sweet smelling.
The taste is also extremely sweet. But it is counteracted by a bubbly character and a slight bitterness at the back of the finish. There is a slight hint of tartness tucked into as well. But overall this is not that far removed from an apple cider that uses a more sugary varietal of apple.
The Verdict: Between the sweet and the bubbly, the sweet is winning the time war. I have not had many Faro’s so I do not have a comparison vs. what a vintage from 2012 would have tasted like. (I did not have the foresight to buy one to taste then). But I have the sneaking suspicion that this lambic would just keep getting sweeter and would also probably get drier as well. I can totally taste how this would be a gateway to stronger and tarter lambics though.
No doubt, you’ll probably enjoy the Cuvee Renee a lot more than this beer. I know it’s not entirely scientific but had you considered buying a fresh bottle to side-by-side on future cellar reviews? (of course, of those that are available to purchase).
If I had been smarter a few years ago, I would have done exactly what you said. Sadly, I did not. Which makes the review a bit incomplete in my mind. And you were also right, I enjoyed the Cuvée much more.