★ Review: 3 Fonteinen Framboos (Framboise) 2011 Vintage

3 Fonteinen Framboos (Framboise) 2011 Vintage

4.4

   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 18/20

adamjackson (522) – Canaan, New Hampshire, USA – AUG 12, 2012

Thanks Leighton for sharing. Enjoyed in a HIll Farmstead Glass. 

A – Murky and dark ruby red appearance. Minor level of haze and1 finger head that faded fast. Surprised at the lack of carbonation in this. The tight bubbles stuck around for a while. 

S – Wow. Up front huge raspberry jam scent. Naturally, it’s funky but not over the top. 

T – Nice level of lacto and solid raspberry like a jam or more like raspberry yogurt. Not very sweet though, more acetic than sweet. Funky, dry and mellow at the finish. 

M – 25% carbonation. Medium body. Earthy and dry finish. Grape skin tannins sort of puckering finish. 

O – This beer reminds me so closely of Hommage. Naturally, it’s more raspberry than the hommage. Still, it’s an exceptional beer and happily shared among a group of friends. Delicious. 

3 Fonteinen Framboos (Framboise) 2011 Vintage
3 Fonteinen Framboos (Framboise) 2011 Vintage
3 Fonteinen Framboos (Framboise) 2011 Vintage
3 Fonteinen Framboos (Framboise) 2011 Vintage
This was a very enjoyable beer. However, it’s NOT as good as Hommage. The descriptions tell you just why that is:
Hommage: Made with 30% raspberries from the Payottenland, and 5% sour cherries. In commemoration of the late Gaston Debelder, founder of the 3 Fonteinen blendings;
Framboos: Made with 30% raspberries from the Payottenland. In commemoration of the late Gaston Debelder, founder of the 3 Fonteinen blendings;
In short, Hommage and Framboos are not the same beer but the big differentiation is that Framboos contains no Kriek additions where Hommage does. This may be why I preferred Hommage to Framboos. Both are fantastic beers but one just tasted better. Another factor is Framboos is still very fresh while Hommage was an ’07 vintage so brewed around ’05 and thus 4 years older than then ’09 brewed Framboos we had last night. This certainly changes the taste that and these are completely different blends of lambics. Either way, I like Hommage more but this was still an absolute treat to enjoy. 

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