Faro

Faro is one of the lesser-known branches on the lambic family tree, but it’s an important one nonetheless. The word “Faro” was originally used to reference a lighter version of lambic, and first appears in Brussels around the first quarter of the 18th century. By the mid-1800s, Faro was being made by blending second runnings (Meerts) and lambic to create a lower ABV product. The production of Faro has since evolved, and what we see labeled as Faro today is typically a lower ABV lambic-based beer that’s been sweetened. Because of this sugar addition, modern Faro is not a shelf stable product and is only bottled using artificial sweeteners or pasteurization. If served out of a cask in a bar or taproom, it is frequently dosed with Belgian candi sugar and served before refermentation can occur.

Our own wort production, fermentation, and blending is guided by the lambic brewing tradition, so it’s that history that we typically look to and draw inspiration from when making new beers. With a maturing stock of Meerts and spontaneously fermented barrels, we see blending the two as a logical progression and one we’re in a unique position to pursue. Our take on Faro is primarily inspired by the older 1800's methodology and brings together Meerts and 2 and 3 year-old Méthode Traditionnelle (M.T.) barrels in a 50/50 proportion. Although the selected M.T. barrels exhibit sweet oak and apple cider characteristics, there is no added artificial sweetener or unfermented sugar in this beer. As a nod to contemporary Faro production, we used amber Belgian candi syrup to bottle condition, but this sugar has been allowed to fully referment in the bottle to produce carbonation, a hint of color, and subtle dried fruit and caramelized flavors.

ABV: 5.0%
Yield: 772 750mL bottles, 14 kegs