effervescent refractions

After being lectured about Faro by Armand Debelder and Jean-Pierre Van Roy, there was really no way I could leave Belgium without tasting the “real” thing. Of course that had been my intention all along, but the sourness of Debelder was more poignant in the critique of his forsaken colleagues than the lambic itself. Pumped and poured into the austere Drie Fonteinen tumbler, the Faro resembled unfiltered apple juice, opaque and topped of a light beige column of bubbly foam. Apples appear again with strength in the slightly sweet aroma otherwise dominated by raw vinegar. Soft goat cheese and gorgonzola provide a fresh and smoothing funk. The flavor is again highlighted by apple as well as cantaloupe, apricots and peaches. Lightly sour and barely sweet, this is a velvety soft drink with a character more likely to soothe than any beer I’ve had. It’s the salubrious comfort of a mother when you’re sick.