– aka 3 Fonteinen Straffe Winter

Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7.1%
Style: Lambic – Faro
Other Notes: Blend°53, Season 19/20

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Strenge Winter – previously known under a slightly different name – is a special brew and blend. On January 19th 2018, we brewed a full barley malt beer wort, with pilsner, amber and munich malt (but no raw wheat). Whilst on the coolship, we added brown candi sugar. We left this beer to age for over two years on both barrels and small foeders. Prior to bottling, we blended the beer with some young 3 Fonteinen lambic and added a tad more candi sugar. This beer is brewed to Armand’s original recipe! (but #notlambic). Strenge Winter is a blend of 3 fonteinen full malt beers and candi sugar. Spontaneously fermented. Matured in oak barrels. Extended bottle ageing. Unfiltered. Unpasteurised.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.16
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, blend°53, season 19/20, bottled on 27th February 2020. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy copper amber orange colour with a very thin white head that disappeared almost immediately, while leaving only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, prunes, green apple, lemon zest, caramel, wood.
Taste: As you’d expect from the aroma, lightly sour, tart, prunes, green apple, caramel, lemon zest, wood.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Although not lambic nor faro, it wasn’t as sweet as I thought it would be, but it’s got interesting aromas and flavours.