Hello again everyone. For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be trying a 2011 Goudenband produced by Brouwerij Liefmans located in Oudenaarde, Belgium.
This will be the first Liefmans that I’ve had in a long time. I’ve always enjoyed them though, so I should walk away satisfied if all holds true.
From the website, liefmans.be, we find this bit of information regarding the Goudenband.
Liefmans Goudenband is a brown beer of high fermentation, brewed with special malts. This beer will mature for 4 to 8 months in the cellars. The taste of this typical provision beer evolves positively over time.
Let’s pour.
This 8.0% ABV beer comes in a “pajama” wrapped 25.4 oz. bottle.
It poured a murky, brown to burgundy color with a khaki tinted head. The crown was sized ok and somewhat smooth with just a touch fizz. Both the retention time and the lacing were decent and stuck around for a few moments.
The nose released hints of tart, soured cherries. It had a very unique and enjoyable earthy/vegetable type of fragrance as well as a tiny bit of woodiness. Like a very relaxed red wine bouquet. Very well balanced and harmonized. I really liked the aroma. It was very nice.
The sourness and the tartness were a little more reserved within the taste. Still duly noted however. Touches of black cherries and slightly roasted malt. It even had a nutty taste that was like walnut or something. Quite yeasty, earthy and woody as well. Pretty good I thought.
The mouthfeel was medium bodied. Dry, chewy and sticky but smooth. A medium to low amount of carbonation tickled the throat. A slight warmth and a good dose of flavor was left behind after each drink also.
Well, I think we have a very nice beer right here. It really hit the spot when I tried it. It was very easy to drink and it really opened up a lot as I worked my way through the bottle. The tarty,sourness really began to sedate as it warmed, which let the earthy/woody components shine. I could easily see myself sipping on this during the Fall as the weather starts to cool. I may see about finding another bottle or two just for that occasion. Have you guys ever tried the Liefmans Goudenband? What did you think of it? Feel free to leave a comment if you would like. I’d love to hear from you.
As always, thanks for reading guys. I really appreciate it.
Until next time. Cheers.
Score: 4.0 out of 5
Grade: B+
