Faro

Faro (Belgian Lambic-Style Fermented Wort Drink)

Faro is a traditional Belgian beverage made by sweetening young, fermenting lambic-style wort with dark candi sugar. The sour wort is gently blended with caramelized sugar syrup to produce a lightly sweet, gently sour, deeply amber drink enjoyed at celebrations and casual gatherings alike.

Prep

30 min

Cook

120 min

Total

150 min

Serves

Makes about 4.5 L (≈ 4¾ quarts)

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •3500 ml (3¾ quarts) water, soft, low-mineral if possible
• •400 g (14 oz) pilsner or pale barley malt, crushed; do not substitute with extract for authenticity
• •200 g (7 oz) unmalted wheat, raw or flaked; traditional turbid wort base
• •15 g (0.5 oz) aged hops (3+ years old), very old, oxidized hops only — fresh hops would make this undrinkably bitter
• •250 g (9 oz) dark candi sugar, traditional D2 syrup; dark brown sugar is the closest home substitute
• •300 ml (1¼ cups) water
• •1 g (¼ tsp) brewers' yeast, a small pinch; wild fermentation is acceptable but slower

Steps

1. 1 Safety and fermentation note: This beverage is produced by fermentation. All vessels, funnels, and bottles must be thoroughly sanitized (a no-rinse brewing sanitizer is best). Do not bottle until fermentation is largely complete; pressure buildup in sealed bottles can cause explosions. Use screw-cap or swing-top bottles rated for carbonation, and never fill to the very top.
2. 2 Begin the dark candi sugar syrup: combine 250 g dark candi sugar with 300 ml water in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring, and simmer 15–20 minutes until thick, dark, and syrupy. Let it cool to room temperature; this is your sweetening syrup.
3. 3 Heat 3500 ml of water to about 72 °C (162 °F). Hold and stir in the crushed pilsner malt and unmalted wheat. Maintain this 'turbid mash' temperature for 10–15 minutes, then raise to about 88 °C (190 °F) for a brief 5-minute rest before straining.
4. 4 Strain the mash through cheesecloth, collecting the cloudy wort. Do not press the grains hard — you want a turbid, starchy wort. Reheat the liquid to a vigorous boil and add the aged hops.
5. 5 Boil gently for 20 minutes. The hops should contribute only a soft, cheesy, almost sherry-like aroma — bitterness is not the goal. Remove from heat and cool the wort as quickly as possible to 20–24 °C (68–75 °F); an ice bath in the sink works well.
6. 6 Pitch a tiny amount of brewers' yeast (about 1 g is plenty) into the cooled wort in a clean, food-grade bucket. Cover with a loose lid or cloth to allow gas to escape. Ferment 24–48 hours at room temperature — you want a young, lightly fermenting wort, not a finished sour beer.
7. 7 Taste the wort: it should be faintly acidic with some residual sweetness and lots of malt character. If using wild Brussels-style fermentation (e.g., left open to the air for 2–3 hours before sealing), you may detect the start of sour character; this is traditional.
8. 8 Stir the cooled dark candi syrup into the young fermenting wort. Begin with about 60% of the syrup and taste — faro is meant to be lightly sweet, not sugary. Dilute with a little boiled-and-cooled water if too intense.
9. 9 Transfer to sanitized screw-cap or swing-top bottles, leaving at least 3 cm (1¼ inches) of headspace. Seal loosely for 24 hours, then tighten fully. Allow to condition 2–3 days at cool room temperature for mild carbonation, then refrigerate.
10. 10 Serve chilled in a tumbler or ceramic mug, the traditional way. Faro keeps 2–3 weeks refrigerated; discard if it smells yeasty-spoiled or if bottles are rock-hard when opened.