Artisan Beers:

Our resident beer experts (The Beer Guys) Jeff and Dan can answer your questions on Savi's selections.

More future beer reviews by the "Beer Guys" are coming soon.

Beer Notes (From Dan) using a beer rating format or guideline style:

Liefman’s Goudenband Oud Bruin; SCORE: 48/50

Style: Belgian Sour Brown - Oud Bruin

Total Rating: 48/50 Great Example of Style, Great Beer

Retails for $9.99

Aroma: Overall light aroma with rich fruit esters and strong malt character. Esters include sour cherries, plum and figs. Malt aromas include chocolate caramel and orange. A low sour aroma hides among the malt, as do slight diacetyl hints which blend complementary. No hop aroma. As beer warms sour aroma becomes more apparent. 10/12

Appearance: Pours a clear dark reddish brown, light cream to tan colored head which dissipates quickly but laces well around the glass. 3/3

Flavor: Malty front with fruit complexity blending sour notes with caramelization. Malt flavors are typical to pilsner and caramalts with notes of caramel, chocolate and orange. Fruit esters include dark plums, cherries, raisins and figs. Spicy phenols exist and can represent themselves slightly different in each bottle but were not apparent on tasting. As beer warms malt and sour notes become more pronounced. No hop flavor. Hop bitters are low to absent, balance is instead achieved with wild yeasts lactobacillus and saccharomyces. 20/20

Mouthfeel: Medium to medium full, light carbonation teases the tounge and act well to blend sweet with sour. 5/5

Overall Impression: Argued as one of the most complex beers on the palate that exists. Liefmans Goudenband is a malty, fruity, aged, slightly sour Belgian brown ale (Oud Bruin) Blurring the line between beer and wine this beer can take on characteristics of a Shandy and Port while representing its malty origins well. Sure to impress any beer connoisseur, Liefmans is also a great introduction to the sour Belgian styles. Younger bottles will have a more malty taste and will be better tolerated by those new to sours, while those who are looking for something more adventurous may want to purchase and cellar for a year or two. Time will increase sour notes, with lactobacillus becoming less pronounced and saccharo and acetobacters becoming more apparent. Carbonation will also increase slightly but not enough to overwhelm the malt, keep cool if aging bottle bombs can happen. Overall: a fantastic beer, one of my all time favorites. Prost! 10/10

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