Faro
Brouwerij Timmermans-John Martin N.V.

FaroFaro
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From:
Brouwerij Timmermans-John Martin N.V.
 
Belgium
Style:
Faro
Ranked #4
ABV:
4%
Score:
85
Ranked #21,769
Avg:
3.72 | pDev: 8.33%
Reviews:
19
Ratings:
42
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 11, 2024
Added:
Jul 22, 2005
Wants:
  5
Gots:
  3
Formerly Tradition Faro Lambic.

Timmermans Tradition Faro is a beer made by adding candy sugar and water to lambic to mellow its acidity. In the 19th century, Faro was very popular in the Brussels area. Various folk traditions were associated with it, and this ambrosial drink flowed abundantly, thanks to its relatively neutral but extremely pleasant flavour. Today, Timmermans Faro is still brewed using the methods and recipes of days gone by, and meets with unanimous approval.
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Photo of Beginner2
Reviewed by Beginner2 from Illinois

3.67/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25
As someone who is somewhat lambic-shy, I liked Timmermans Faro.
Mind you, this is only my third Faro and the other two I drank ten years ago while checking off obscure beers on a list.
But the important thing about Timmermans is to not expect it to have the sophisticated tart-sweet balance of other lambics. This Faro is just sweet, but the underlying tart keeps the sweet in check.

Poured into my Lindeman's tulip, this Faro Looked slightly above average. Some haze, more foam than I expected and I give Look points for a nice cage and cork. Smells of malt, candy, sweetness. Sweet Tastes get balanced by the cidery under-lying lambic, a master's secret. A bit cloying in my mouth, but that does not distract from this nice dessert beer.

I give extra Overall Hugs for two reasons. This Faro is versatile, as I also had it with a garlicky soup to start. Second reason is I've been reading how John Martin's son apprenticed at Timmermans; but has gone on to start other beverage ventures such as distilling in a building that served as a hospital after the Battle of Waterloo. An interesting repurposing of a famous site.
Mar 11, 2024
Photo of Bluerabbitbell
Reviewed by Bluerabbitbell from Pennsylvania

4.06/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2/12/24 Poured from bottle purchased from Apothecary Ale House in Morgantown WV. Drinking by the wood stove after our trip break from Harrisburg.
Beautiful hazy copper. No lacing or head.

Aroma....Sweet, tart, candy sugar perhaps alspice. Apple Cidery.

Taste ..... Firstly, very sweet, like drinking apple cider that has sat in the fridge to the point of getting spicy! Definitely can taste the candy sugars, that has mellowed the tartness that is still present.

A rare style to check of the list!
Feb 11, 2024
Photo of flagmantho
Reviewed by flagmantho from Washington

3.88/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Poured from 330mL corked & caged bottle into a tulip. Produced 6/9/22 -- though this might be the "European style" date code.

Appearance: nice golden hue with a little bit of haze to the body and a strong effervescence. Head is a finger of pillowy light-tan foam; it's pretty!

Smell: lightly tart with a nice malty sweetness that gives the feeling of like "malt candy". It definitely works for me.

Taste: a little bit more tart up front than the aroma would suggest, and overall a bit sweeter as well. I like it, but it feels somehow insubstantial -- almost like I'm drinking lemonade or something. Just kinda simply sweet and tart. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but a little more complexity would be nice.

Mouthfeel: medium-light body with a good carbonation and, while there's a decent bit of creaminess here, it does overall seem kind of thin.

Overall: considering that the faults I find with this beer are that it's too light, it is very drinkable indeed. But for cost, I could probably quaff this stuff in the sunshine all day.
Sep 08, 2023
 
Rated: 3.74 by Silke_Neryn from Sweden

Jun 06, 2022
 
Rated: 3.86 by TMoney2591 from Illinois

Feb 14, 2022
 
Rated: 3.88 by Eltrandos from France

Sep 14, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by paulish from New York

Oct 16, 2019
Photo of kitch
Reviewed by kitch from Hong Kong

3.6/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A 375ml corked and caged bottle with a best before date of 26th September 2019. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.

Appearance: A clear copper amber colour with a two finger white head that had decent retention, eventually dissipating to a thin layer over the top while leaving some sparse lacing.

Aroma: Dusty and musty gives way to some sweet-ish candi sugar, apple, pear and dried fruits.

Taste: Sweet yet not overly so like in so many Faro’s. The slight sourness on the finish balances the sweetness and makes it easy on the palate. Plum, apple skin, brown sugar with a very light funk.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied with soft carbonation.

Overall: I didn’t really enjoy the aroma, but luckily the taste was much more to my liking. It wasn’t overly sweet like so many Faro’s I’ve tried. I enjoyed it.
Apr 18, 2019
 
Rated: 3.93 by HopBelT from Belgium

Oct 20, 2017
 
Rated: 3.78 by AlexFields from Tennessee

Jun 30, 2017
Photo of StJamesGate
Reviewed by StJamesGate from New York

3.63/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Deep goldenrod with barely a whisper of foam. 3.75
Orange blossom honey, touch of cider vinegar, and slight wine cellar floor. 3.75
Rock candy sweetness, slight yellow apple skin, hints of white balsamic, vague cheesiness, slight port barrel and maybe some herbs. 3.5
Almost medium (due to residual sugars). 3.5

3 years past date, but that shouldn’t matter with a lambic, right? Or at least I’d hope, but any Brett character is buried by an avalanche of sugar. Even the apple notes, which I’d put down to Belgian esters, are actually - apples, 15% juice. Even if it were lively, that’d be something in a champagne kinda way, but this is surprisingly flat. I don’t know if it’s the beer or the style, but basically alcopop. 3.5
Jan 20, 2017
Photo of Ciocanelu
Reviewed by Ciocanelu from Romania

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Clear amber color with a bit of light beige head. Aroma is malty with some Belgian sugar and a hint of balsamic vinegar. Taste starts sweet with a bit of caramel, malt and sugar. Medium body and carbonation. For a sweet lambic, it's quite good. Not overly sweet and it also has a rustic feel to it.
Jun 16, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by chrisroarshack from Alaska

Apr 24, 2016
 
Rated: 3.48 by BeerOps from Illinois

Jul 20, 2015
 
Rated: 4.22 by Zerga from Belgium

Jul 18, 2015
 
Rated: 3.66 by Skunkdrool from California

May 26, 2015
Photo of chinchill
Reviewed by chinchill from South Carolina

3.63/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
On tap at the Mariner Inn (aka Six North) in Stonehaven Scotland.
Deep, dark amber body with a very good head.
Very good feel: near medium body and medium carbonation.
A little funk and tart in the nose
Flavor: very different frm the aroma. Still some tart but much sweeter than tart. Lightly spicy with hints of cherries and other soft ripe fruits.

O: as per style, a touch too sweet for my taste but still much enjoyed.
May 10, 2015
 
Rated: 3.57 by xJMFCx from West Virginia

Jan 17, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by WillCarrera from Ohio

Nov 11, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by Smileitsfreetobehappy from Alaska

Sep 28, 2014
Faro from Brouwerij Timmermans-John Martin N.V.
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 42 ratings