Finally Full on Faro: Lindemans Faro

Sampled: Dec. 27, 2010

For all my lambic and sour ale adventures, Faro was a new experience. Lindemans produces a Faro, a Brussels-style wild ale embellished with barley, unmalted wheat and candied sugar. Considered cheap and light in the 19th century, the Lindemans version wouldn't qualify as either. Like all Lindemans, it presents well with its 12-ounce corked bottle and intricately scrolled label. The silver-on-black motif helps it stand out from the fruit lambics, considering how far Faro deviates from the kriek, peche and framboise.

Before the head dies down, a biscuity tone dominates. Once all but the thinnest lace vanishes, the sour tones push forward, led by a thrust of candied sugar. The candied sugar created confectionery tones which do not carry over to the taste, such as the slightest chocolate. In addition to apples, I distinct vein of kiwi runs through Lindemans Faro, backed by thinner lines of lemon and lime. Served almost ice cold, it quenches and challenges.

The sour textures grow more rounded than in many sours, never jabbing the palette. Yet it results in the same mouth-watering sensation after every sip. Given a little chill, it pleasures the taste buds similarly to Duchess Bourgogne or other Flemish sours ales. If anything, Lindemans Faro possesses a complex yet approachable quality, essential for a style from which many drinkers recoil. This faro could serve as an easy gateway for drinkers wanting to explore sour ales but not prepared for the lip-puckering power most sour ales wield.