Lambic Doux
Brouwerij Timmermans-John Martin N.V.

 

Draft at La Becasse, 2L pitcher later blended with Timmermans Oude Gueuze.
"Half-Half" is a near extinct Brussels blend of 50% Lambic & 50% Faro.

Golden orange and frothy, minimal spotty lacing, looks a bit generic.
Aroma is bland apple juice with witbier spices, wheat, orange peel, coriander.
Tastes like apple juice, thin and bland, flabby feel, light carb.

Overall it's artificially sweetened and boring, but was perked up with the addition of the Oude Gueuze, which is also sweetened, but less so than this was. As a blend it was pretty drinkable and thirst quenching. Sadly my drinking buddy had tapped out, so I was left to finish the massive pitcher myself. Hit the spot after a walking a few miles around town on the rainy cobblestones of old Brussels.

 

more like a apple cider. sweet. dry.

Bottle shared thanks to kermis. Hazy orange with a thin off-white head. Smells like an apple cider with some lambic funk and baking soda. Very sweet, with subtle white vinegar notes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

@ La Becasse

Looks like apple juice with just a touch of present carbonation to form a slim ring around the glass.

Even has a apple juice thing going on with the smell and taste. Sweet like straight sugar sweetness. Although sweet, the lambic provides a nice dryness. There are hints of beer coming through a little grassy and musty.

A nice thirst quencher and the ambiance work nicely for an enjoyable beer stop while in Brussels.

 

 

 

Served on-tap at A La Becasse cafe in Brussels. The server assured my Belgian host that it was a cask beer, but my internet research shows this is likely a mistaken translation (maybe the words for "barrel" versus "cask" or something). It was poured first into a blue and white jug, then served to the table with two generic cups for drinking. Far from the strangest serving types I've seen in Belgium. My expectations were high for this beer.

A: 1/4 finger head, thin and without cream. Clear cider gold. Appealing.

Sm: Light apple scent. Cidery. Reminiscent of sour apple sweets like the jolly rancher apple flavour.

T: Cidery built body. Very simple but refreshing. Sour apple candy flavour comes through alongside other vaguely cidery notes. I'm rather disappointed. It's just so lacking in complexity that it could never be a great beer. That said, it's refreshing and understated.

Mf: Too wet - almost watery, giving it an unexpected softness.

Dr: Easy to down, but nothing special. Refreshing but very disappointing considering how difficult it is to find. This is a beer that may suffer from rarity-induced hype, though it's certainly pleasant. It's just more of a cider than a beer.

Sampled at La Becasse; July 2010
Pours from the crock with a clear, light amber, golden hue. It is topped by a large bubbled, but flat head. This smells very much like apple cider with a deep smell even yielding notes of caramel, sweet tea, a faint vinegar like note as well as a sweet nuttiness.

The beer is quite sweet tasting, but still thin bodied and simplistically very cider like. There is a touch of caramelized apple character here. A faint tartness seems more apple like than from lactic acid, despite the fact that it must actually be from lactic acid. There is perhaps a touch of acetic acid here that accentuates and brings out an apple cider vinegar like flavor in the finish. After having the 3 Fonteinen Faro a couple blocks away it is amazing how absolutely pathetic this beer is. It tastes like apple cider juice with no complexity and lots of cloying sweetness.

Trying this for the first time at "a la Becasse" in Brussels. Served in a pottery pitcher. Pours a clear apple juice gold. A few bubbles for head the die quickly leaving you with a glass of light apple-pear smelling beverage. Smooth and clean tasting, a hint of tart. Like sipping non-carbonated hard cider. Very different - actually completely different when compared to the more famous and more consumed Belgium blondes and brunes. Delicious and a very pleasant experience overall.

Thanks to Mike for hauling this bottle back from Belgium.

Light golden color with a big white head.

I get a lot of fresh pear in the aroma, a some apple and sugar sweetness, but in the end the pear takes over.

Again, sweet pear is a major player in the flavor. It does have a mellow tartness that I didn't expect after the sugary nose. Well balanced. A little vinegar, and some are saying tomato in the finish, which I can see.

Very fun to drink. It walks the thin line of balancing sweet and tart.