Beersel Mattina - Birrificio Del Ducato

Cozzatoad

Italy

3.28/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

750ml bottle, found no dates stating bottled on or best before

A- Bright orange/amber colour, slighlty hazy. White head, about one finger. Decent retention (whichi is nice since it's part lambic) and lacing

S- Tartness upfront and pretty distinct though lambic is just 18% of the beer. A hint of funk and a slight fruitiness (pretty much lemon) on the back of things. Lacks complexity

T- Sadly, as the smell suggested this beer lacks complexity. The 3 fonteinen lambic is sure distinct, but what remains is pretty much just tartness, with no other notes. Sourness is mainly upfront. Some herbal/grassy hints, a slight spiciness, lemon and orange notes show up in the finish and in the aftertaste, but still pretty much subdued. It is tasty, but boring

M- Totally flat, no carbonation to speak of. Also very light in body. Feels like tart water if something like that exists

O- Overall still nicely drinkable, but just nothing really worth praises. Let's face it. You don't have to give it a good score just because you need to justify spending loads of money on it. This was the most expensive beer i've ever bought, and totally not worth it's price

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2012 09:13:10 | More by Cozzatoad

IHyphySF

California

3.68/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip glass

A: Nice dark gold liquid small head that quickly evaporates after the inital pour.

S: Grapefruit and citrus smells of lemon and limes. The spices i smell are cinnamon and a slight smell of caradamon. The smell is quite tart and the 3fontinen lambic stands out.

T: Light refreshing saison with a light tartness to it. The mix is interesting and it is hard to classify it because it has that farmhouse funk with lemons and citurs but at the back of your mouth but the sour lambic stands out and has the fruity flavors of cherries.

M: the carbonation in this is quite low and i wish it had more bubbles in it. If it had better carbonation i would have enjoyed this much more.

O: This is a great beer but the prictag on it would make me skip buying another one. If the carbonation was slightly more bubbly i would be into it more and would buy a few more bottles of this. Overall taste is amazing and refreshing would definitely drink this on a warm day. This is one of those expensive purchases to try at least once.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 20:24:33 | More by IHyphySF

craytonic

District of Columbia

3.83/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Popped up at whole foods in DC, I saw "Drie Fonteinen" on the label and purchased it instantly.

Appearance: yellow-hazy pour with a touch of orange.

Smell: spicy floral notes with definite drie fonteinen funk in the back. Spices are coriander, ginger and a few others I couldn't pin down.

Taste: I spent the entire bottle trying to find and enjoy the drie fonteinen element, I wish the blend component of 3F was 100% instead of only 18%. The spices make it interesting but ultimately not interesting enough.

Mouthfeel: medium-light body, average carbonation. Very dry

Overall: decent beer, mostly because of the 3F addition, but very expensive.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2012 02:35:52 | More by craytonic

womencantsail

California

3.9/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The pour is a fairly clear golden color with a tall white head. An interesting fruitiness on the nose, almost tropical, and quite intense. The funk component is there, but not quite as much as just straight Drie Fonteinen lambic. A slight mustiness to go along with some straw and grass. The flavor has the same strong fruit flavor as well as a nice funk and a very good dryness on the finish (despite the sweetness that I do pick up). Interesting beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2012 22:15:11 | More by womencantsail

DefenCorps

Oregon

3.95/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks for sharing, John!

Orange with a thin white head with decent retention and lacing, this looks good. The nose is sour and funky. The saison base beer is clear in it rustic cereal character, along with a fruity, citrus nose. Modestly funky with clove and Brett notes nicely expressed. Nice lambic nose, though not quite as deeply complex.
The palate opens sour with a moderate lemony and lactic acids, but too thin. Nice Brett flavors with some dry, funky white wine, mildly mineral-like with dry and mildly musty grapes. Medium-light in body with a thin and watery finish that's got a nice lactic sourness, this is solid and very enjoyable. Thanks again, John!

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 23:21:16 | More by DefenCorps

UCLABrewN84

California

4.03/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to jmgrub for sharing this one at his tasting.

Pours a murky orange with a foamy tan head that settles to an oily film on top of the beer. Small dots and streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is very sour, tart, and funky along with some spice notes. Taste is the same with a dry woody aftertaste. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that displays the lambic much more than the saison.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2012 00:32:11 | More by UCLABrewN84

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml teardrop bottle, 6.2% ABV. From the Italian label: a blend of the New Morning saison, and Drie Fonteinen's contributory lambic, subsequently aged for 18 months in the bottle.

This beer pours a hazy, sparsely pepper speck-strewn medium golden amber hue, with two fingers of dense, thick foamy eggshell white head, which leaves some consistent blocky, mesa-esque lace around the glass as it gradually sinks away.

It smells of sour fruit, a bit of cherry and apple identifiers, with an underlying white cereal graininess, and a soft funky yeastiness. The taste displays nice floral, honeyed pale malt, and a much more moderated tartness, with the fruitiness dropping away a tad, letting the yeast character grow in kind. The funky earthiness is given almost free rein, amongst a clattering mineral note, that does little beyond, oh, providing the distraction that keeps things quite relatively sane.

The carbonation is softly frothy, the body a subtle medium weight, yet edgy and prickly at the same time, laying waste to the prospect of outright smoothness. It finishes a little more sweet than one would expect, bit still in the realm of the nicely sour lambic family.

A blend of an Italian farmhouse ale and hipster-friendly Belgian lambic. Works for me, the saison softness taking the edge off of an overly (big surprise) influential lambic. In the end, a pretty drinkable baby Frankenstein. Hey, it's my first exposure, if only in a small dose, to 3F, and the name now makes sense, as the place name ode that it is.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2012 05:00:51 | More by biboergosum

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

From the bottle at the Hill Farmstead Anniversary Party, Friday night portion. I didn't write down the name, but thank you very much. From what I remember, this is a saison that then used Drie Fonteinen gueuze dregs. Served in a Hill Farmstead wine glass.

Pours a medium yellow-golden color that is mostly clear. Good fluffy white head with some ringy lacing on the way down. The nose brings quite a bit of funk along with some floral character. Bit of barnyard and hay. The flavor brings flowers and funk. Really like being on a farm with all of the elements there. Good body of straw and hay. Slight bitterness in the finish to go with the good amount of funk. Light to medium body with above average carbonation. Dry finish. Really good bottle. Glad to have tried this.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2011 18:45:22 | More by Thorpe429

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.1/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

By the glass at Max's today.

The beer pours an orange amber color with good head retention and lacing. On the nose... oh boy! I pick up considerable sour funk, along with honey, vanilla and light wine. This smells like a serious sour lambic or gueuze. The flavor profile replicate the nose, though I'm surprised by how dry it is, and how dominated by brett this beer is. The sour isn't over the top, but it still completely dominates the flavor profile. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a fairly long, sour funk finish.

Mehhh... this is a solid beer, but I just think it could be so much more. The aroma profile really makes one think this will be incredible, but on the palate, it's kind of one dimensional. Still a solid beer, but it could be so much more...

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 20:39:50 | More by johnmichaelsen

Converge

Alberta (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle poured into a 13.5oz tulip.

A - Pours a deep golden-apricot with tons of haze. Small bubbly white head. Minimal retention and lacing, but that was expected. A rather unique looking brew.

S - Soft funk and tart fruitiness. Some peach, white grapes and apples. A little barnyard funk for sure, with some hay and other odd aromas. The lambic definitely dominates the nose, with only a touch of spices coming through from the saison. Subtle sweetness of powdered candy. Overall, this smells very nice and very inviting.

T - A little less interesting than the nose. Soft bretty funk, dry earthy herbal notes, bitter spices and subtle grassy hops. Pungent, yet rather thin and mild. Fruitiness is reserved, with some acidic lemon, white grape, and tart apple. A fair amount of peculiar complexities; chalk, salt, and even cheese. Light funk and tart notes linger nicely. Fruity notes and floral esters grow as it warms.

M - Slightly thin, but not overly so. Smooth feel. Moderate but light carbonation. Finishes quite dry.

D - This will, in all likelihood, be my only chance to try Drie Fonteinen, and even though the lambic portion is only 18%, it pretty much dominates the profile, and leaves little trace of BDD's Nuova Mattina. While an interesting experiment, the product yielded isn't all together tremendous. All around drinkable and tasty however, and a brew I was happy to try. Probably not worth the price though...

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2012 05:56:21 | More by Converge

mdaschaf

Washington

4.1/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Paul for sharing, review from notes.

A: Pours a hazy amber color with one finger foamy, off-white head, decent retention with sporadic lacing.

S: Very fruity aroma, does remind of a lambic slightly with a little tartness to it. A little musty/funk and a very floral aroma at the end.

T: Nice grassy flavor up front mixed with some light fruit, mostly apple and grape. There is a little bit of funk, but the flavor profile is a lot less lambic driven than the aroma was.

M: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Dry finish.

O: Different, not really similar to many beers I have had, and for that I give it some props. The sour fan in me would have preferred a bit more from the lambic, but at only 18% of the beer, I didn't expect it to be over the top.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 15:41:13 | More by mdaschaf

largadeer

California

4.15/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks, Craig. 78% Saison with spices, 18% Drie Fonteinen lambic. Pours a glowing but cloudy amber with a tall head that retains nicely. Spicy, floral nose with citrus, ginger, mild funkiness and oak, slight sourness. Palate is light but flavorful, citrus forward (orange, pineapple, lemon) with moderate but indistinct spiciness, some herbal hop bite and a balanced, integrated sourness. The finish is bitter, spicy, strongly tannic. This is surprisingly good.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2012 04:15:20 | More by largadeer

ferrari29

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Beer poured from bottle into a stemmed wine glass

A - Beer pours with a nice white, one finger sized, white colored head; plenty of visible carbonation; lacing was moderate in appearance; orange, light amber colored body; opaque

S - Deep, deep, leather and oak, wooden barrel nose; smell of rich red vinegar; not much else here, slight touch of malt, but its mostly covered up by the sourness that emanates from this beer

T - Well-balanced sour; one taste from the palate ensures a wide spectrum of flavors, sourness; deep earthy oak flavors; and touch of lime tartness; I really liked this one

M - Moderately carbonated; rich with leathery sour goodness; dry aftertaste and flavor washes away very quickly

D - Overall, this was a fantastic drink; I really love the Gueuze tone on this farmhouse ale; brewers found the perfect balance and walked a very fine line between your traditional farmhouse ale and a typical sour-forward beer; it could go either way

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 02:21:59 | More by ferrari29

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750ml teardrop champagne style bottle poured into tulip 29/7/12

A hazy amber orange, a few tiny bubbles streaming up the side feeding a thin but dense cream colored head leaves some random lace

S lots of barnyard funk, citric hops, a little chewing gum and some white fleshed fruit, floral notes add a nice touch, smells great

T a little mint and dry cereal I didn't smell, slightly sour cider notes, smells good but missing a little complexity the nose had

M the tiny bubbles work well for it here making it feel creamy, slightly acidic and just a little tart

O 4.25 would be a nice option with this one so slightly higher here, interesting beer that was very easy too drink, no issues downing the big bottle solo

a nice mix of funk without going over the top, not at all what I was expecting but a pleasant surprise indeed

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 02:41:29 | More by wordemupg

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750ml bottle into a 25cl Duvel tulip. Major thanks to Dan for sharing this very interesting-sounding brew.

A: Warm, slightly hazy amber body with 1/2" of ultrafine tan head. Ok retention, spotty lace.

S: Interesting. Floral funk, grapes, and some terrific flinty minerality. I want it to smell like Geuze, and it's obviously not quite to that level of funkiness. There's almost a ginger-like spiciness to it, which is fascinating - reminds me of Buffalo Rock soda. Hugely complex, very nice.

T: Starts out smooth and fruity, with powerful funk building in toward the long, clean, mineral-laden finish. Very, very enjoyable.

M: Exceedingly soft, lightly carbonated medium body. So, so, creamy and delicate.

O: This was a great beer, but I could never quite shake the nagging feeling that any blending with lesser beer is a waste of 3F Lambic. I'd love to see what this beer does with some time on it...

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 21:04:51 | More by woosterbill

timtim

District of Columbia

4.48/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

pours a slightly hazy orange-amber with an off-white head that sticks for a bit and leaves some lace. nose is well-integrated ginger and green peppercorn on top of oak, a slight funk, bright citrus, some malty sweetness, flowers and earth. taste follows suit and exhibits undercurrents of sour and funk, but it's if they were meant to be there. spicy finish with a warming sensation that seems to well up in a gingery green peppercorn kind of way and meld with a tiny bit of a hop kick and barrel notes. spices seem to amp up and play off of the oak. medium body with soft carbonation and a silky feel. very nice. good harmony. definitely not overpowered by the drie.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2012 12:48:38 | More by timtim

shleepy

California

4.75/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottle from K&L (Redwood City), poured into a wine glass.

A: Bright orange, cloudy, medium head.

S: Geuezy funk with a hint of sweet peaches or apricots.

T: Yum! Balanced sourness, fruitiness (the aforementioned peaches), and spices. Maybe could use just a little less herb flavor, but it creates an interesting effect.

M: Light and very drinkable.

O: Awesome. Would buy regularly, if it wasn't so expensive.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 22:11:59 | More by shleepy