Brouwerij Boon
Belgium
Sighted at: d.b.a - NYC, Table and
Vine - Northampton MA
One of the most well respected lambic
blenders in Belgium,
Frank Boon vintage-dates his beers as the
great wineries do. The
1994 Boon lambics are quite the best lambics
currently available
in the United States.
Faro Pertotale - Non Vintage (375ml
Bottle)
Faro, once one of the most popular styles
of beer in Belgium,
is now only being produced on a commercial
level by one brewer:
Frank Boon.
Faro style beers are unique, as they are
young Gueuze beers
that have been dosed with extra candy sugar.
The resulting beer
is low alcohol and moderately sweet (though it
still has the lambic
sourness as a base) and was enjoyed as a
session beer... something
that you could have three or four of before
heading to your next
destination. Boon's interpretation does not
stray from that mark
- ruby red, sweet and malty with a dried fruit
nose (prunes?).
A definite favorite, and a good way to pass
the time on a warm
summer's evening.
Gueuze - Non Vintage (12oz Bottle)
Gueuze beers, a combination of old and
young lambics without
the addition of any fruit are best classified as
"sweaty"
beers - a combination of strong yeast smell
and a salty taste
can turn some novices to Belgian beers off...
but to those that
can appreciate the true epitome of the Belgian
brewing style,
the Boon Gueuze is considered one of the
best.
As there is no fruit or candy sugar added
in the secondary
fermentation, every error or flaw is noticeable -
so it falls
to the lambic blender to make sure that the
right balance of fresh
and aged lambics are used... and having
sampled Gueuze beers from
Hannessens, Belle Vue, Cantillon,
Lindemans, Liefmans and Boon,
I have to say that the Boon is the most
complete Gueuze I have
sampled.
Though Gueuze beers are difficult to
explain (and trying to
explain the difference between a good Gueuze
and a bad Gueuze
is nearly impossible) - the Boon Gueuze is a
medium amber (think
light maple syrup) beer that is quite bubbly. On
all levels you
are treated to a variety of sour flavors ranging
from sweet/sour
to salt/sour and every combination in
between.
This is the lobster or sushi of beers...
once you get over
how different a Gueuze is from everything else
you know, you realize
that it is the perfect, if unclassifiable, beer.
Framboise Boon -1995 (750ml
Bottle)
After my first taste, I put down my glass
and exclaimed "Frank
is God"... and when it comes to lambic
blending, he most
certainly is. Framboise beers are Gueuze that
have raspberries
added in the secondary fermentation. The
resulting beers can range
from sweet (Lindemans) to extremely sour
(Cantillon). Boon's 1995
falls comfortably in the middle, with a strong
raspberry nose
and a raspberry sweetness when tasted, but
the fruit is not so
overpowering that you lose the taste of the
sweet underlying lambic
beers that the beer is built upon.
If you find the 1995 Boon Framboise lying
around, grab it immediately,
bring it home, covet it, keep it safe and when
you need to taste
perfection, open the bottle and enjoy -
preferably someone special
to share such an intimate moment with.
(Avery Glasser)
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