Oude Geuze De Cam - De Cam Geuzestekerij

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.45/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

375ml bottle, bottled 01/09, shared at De Lambiek museum in Beersel.

A: Pale amber body (good clarity) with a thin, coarse head. Ok, but uninspiring.

S: Skunk + funk. Earthy + grassy, with plenty of sharp lemony acidity. Not the best. I was surprised to find a skunked Lambic, but this was a quintessentially skunky as any Heineken bottle. Disappointing, although the nice acidity helped make up for it somewhat.

T: Brightly acidic up front, with light dkunk giving way to husky malt, fruity tartness, and big barnyardy funk on the finish. Dirty.

O: I still enjoyed drinking this beer, but the skunk really took away from how great it could have been. I'd gladly try it again, but only if I knew the bottle had been well-kept.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2011 01:27:33 | More by woosterbill

bark

Sweden

3.5/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

“OK then, surprise me with a beer that is matchless, a beer that is like nothing on earth!” I told the bartender at Stockholm’s finest beer bar Akkurat. He pondered for a few seconds and asked back “Have you tried an unsweetened, unblended Lambic? We got a lot from de Cam Gooik that matured just enough!”

So I got a bottle lying in a plait basket. The label said (in Flemish only) that it was bottled on the 15th of Mars 2003 and that the ABV was 6.5%. There was also a note about "1, 2 and 3 years", but I didn't really grasp that one.

The colour is deep golden yellow and somewhat cloudy, the small foam is built by small bubbles.

The smell is sweet sour with stains of dried herbs, cherry stone, smoked meat and bacon.

The carbonation is almost extremely strong with lots of small bubbles.

The complex taste is dominated by a strong sour flavour of gooseberries, iodine, soil, and sour cherries. There is a mild bitterness in the palette, but it is not the type of bitterness you get from hops, more like the taste of lime or ascorbic acid. The aftertaste got a chemical feel and flavours of wood, gooseberries and a touch of salt.

The man in the bar was right: I have never drunk anything that was even close to this stuff. Did I enjoy it? Yes, however more like an oddity than something that would beat a good English bitter or ESB.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2004 21:09:02 | More by bark

craytonic

District of Columbia

3.5/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Shared with kkipple

Appearance: Clear, golden pour, smallish head but aggressive carbonation

Smell: Diapers and fresh asphalt with some white grapes and funk.

Taste: Again with the asphalt and diapers, also some horse blanket and lots of funk. Very dry; very sharp.

Mouthfeel: Agressive champagne carbonation, I called it sprite gone bad.

Drinkability: Glad we shared it, probably one of my least favorite gueuze

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2010 03:18:40 | More by craytonic

roblowther

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

375ml corked & caged, dated Jan 2006. No signs of carbonation, golden apricot in color. Smells, sharp apple-y, and a touch medicinal. Taste is very dry, with a nice finish. Tastes of dried fruit, with a malty note and a nice blended flavor that doesn't do anything too suddennly. The mouthfeel is pleasantly slick but utterly without carbonation. Drinkability is good, due to the nice balance/blending of flavors. A good gueueze, all in all.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2009 00:17:00 | More by roblowther

jethrodium

California

3.78/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

375 ml bottle. 2009 Vintage. The cork shot out as soon as the cage was released. Pours a hazy golden amber with a small white head that has good retention and leaves a decent amount of lacing on the glass. The aroma has a strong mineral note. There is also quite a bit of funk, lemon, light apricot, and some pear. The taste is apricot, pear, some light lemon, a bit mineral, and a light tartness. The finish has a distinct mineral note. Light bodied with medium-high carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2012 22:16:01 | More by jethrodium

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.8/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to drabmuh for opening up this bottle. Served in a SAVOR snifter.

Pours a clear golden color with very head and zero lacing. A good swirl or two brings nothing back up, and subsequent hard pours didn't fare much better. The nose brought plenty of earthy barnyard and funk with some oak in the background. The flavor layered the funk quite well. Nice hay and earth and a dry finish that was quite smooth. Light body and very little carbonation. A pretty good example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2011 21:34:52 | More by Thorpe429

spdyfire83

Ireland

3.83/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

210th Review
37.5cl bottle
Poured in a 3F Geuze glass
Bottled: January 2009

A: Cork shot off as soon as the cage was twisted far enough. Murky straw. 5+ (white) fingernail head on gentle pour - head filled the glass top to bottom.

S: Cheese, funk, straw, lemon, and earthy floral overtones with touch of grapefruit.

T: Strong earthiness with loads of citrus, yeast, and funk. Sourness is soft. Weird after taste that is somewhat unpleasant. I've had better.

M: Light bodied with loads of prickly carbonation.

O: Smells better than it tastes. Maybe it needs age, but just average at this point.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 13:08:10 | More by spdyfire83

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle at a pub in Antwerp. From notes.

A - Tons of carbonation in this muddy looking dark copper beer with a bldone filmy head. No lacing came out and there was a ring of retention.

S - Soury. Grape skin, pissy, interesting.

T - Dusty, carpety, lemon, sourness, and very grapey.. Really powerful and aggressive taste.

M - Extremely smooth with medium carbonation and a medium body. A little sourness in the finish.

O/D - Smoother than a lambic. A feature I quite like about Geuzes. Nice and grapey. Not a bad one.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2011 17:03:39 | More by tbeckett

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.9/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours a clear, orange-golden body marked by a few stray bubbles.

Smell: Tart-smelling aroma of white wine, bales of hay, pear preserves, and dust-covered cobwebs.

Taste: Damp hay, a particularly tart chardonnay, and a restrained funkiness - all with a fist-clenching acidity. Hints of lemon wedges and sliced pears. Pleasing mustiness throughout. Lightly sour finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Mild carbonation.

Drinkability: Some may consider it somewhat tame, but it's still a very tasty, very satisfying brew.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2008 22:59:25 | More by ChainGangGuy

drabmuh

Maryland

3.9/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Shared at my wife's baby shower to the exiled males in the back yard. Served in a bruery glass I think.

Beer is mostly clear and kind of orange but pretty still, was not expecting that at all.

Aroma is oaky with a mild acetic, mild lactic, and this tannic oddness / funk to it from what I assume is brett b

beer is thin and bright on the palate with a mildly dry finish. overall it is a decent gueuze, the sourness comes through on the palate well and the feeling is really nice. I enjoyed it and I would have it again but I wished for a carbonated beverage.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2011 20:18:46 | More by drabmuh

kscaldef

Oregon

3.9/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

375ml bottle, 2009 bottling date

A: Cork extracts easily. Pours golden, slightly hazy. Probably could have coaxed out more head, but I was worried about overflowing my glass, so kept it minimal. Copious bubble trains in the liquid.

S: Apples, peaches, cloves and nutmeg

T: Apples and cheese. Definitely the cheesiest gueze I've encountered, but it's not unpleasant. Not very sour at all.

M: Medium carbonation. Quite dry, but low astringency. Light body.

O: Very interesting to try a gueuze so different from the other's I've encountered. Personally, I'd place it above Cantillon and below 3F.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2012 15:55:39 | More by kscaldef

koopa

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2007 vintage 750ml bottle consumed at Cafe DHVL in Belgium on 4/25/10.

From notes...

Appearance: Pours like a dirty penny w/ small honey folds. The crown is 1 finger, white, rocky, shows moderate retention and moderate lace.

Smell: More dark sweet malt presence than I anticipated. Slightly salty metallic note as well.

Taste: Lots of malt sweetness, moderate pucker and moderate acidity.

Mouthfeel: Thin and lacking in carbonation.

Drinkability: Mouthfeel hurts it a bit and the flavor profile isn't to my liking, but this one is still pretty drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2010 23:11:07 | More by koopa

JAXSON

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottled in 2009. Pours a clear orange gold with a medium head that settles into a thin cap. Nose is lush, juicy, kind of a very brett-forward, melon type nose or something. Definitely more brett heavy than most Belgian lambics I believe. Quite sour upfront, really high carbonation, which I enjoy. Still really bretty throughout, kind of eggy, sweaty brett. Citrus fruits, light fruits, a touch of white grape perhaps. In fact, it reminds me of Cuvee de Castleton a *little* bit, which is odd as I rarely compare genuine Belgian lambics to American sours. Acidity creeps up a bit in the finish. I can see how the components of this might play a role in the 3 Fonteinen blends but I'm not sure the really high carbonation works well with the overly brett-forward elements of this. I prefer the drier, more mineral-forward 3 Fonteinen blends. This is somewhat like Girardin Black but the funk and yeast in the Girardin is tighter, and to me this just doesn't *pop* how I wanted.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2011 02:11:39 | More by JAXSON

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

375mL bottle, 2006 vintage, served at Heeren Van Liedekerke to help me finish off my meal, directly after completing a J&J Roos. This beer's rating might suffer in relation to the Roos but it was still quite good. Even so I prefer tha De Cam Oude Lambiek I had the night before.

It pours a dark golden-orange color, clear with a thin white foam. Very spritzy looking, lots of carbonation. The aroma is nice but not as deep as the aged Roos, some citrus character like lemon rind, tart white wine, that type of thing. On tasting it seemed less refined, I get the funk and oak, but the lemon character is more pronounced than in any other gueuze I've tried. It tasted good but didn't really have a special feel to it. Maybe because I'd been sticking with much older vintages during this trip, or maybe it was just this particular year's blend, I can't be sure.

The beer had a lot of carbonation, it fizzed on my tongue like pop but with a silkier body. Very easy to finish the bottle, it was gone in no time, as was the meal.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2010 09:45:37 | More by TurdFurgison

jibbyvonjibb

California

4/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Orange. Slightly hazy. Low effervescence. Tiny head of small bubbles
S: More yeasty than a lot of other geuzes. Juicyfruit.
T: Medium soft acidity, making it a bit thin. Low carbonation. Subtle tea-like bitterness with a dash of lemon.
O: A pleasant, drinkable lambic. However, it isn't of the best in its category. Its balance is hampered by not enough acidity and too much yeastiness. Comparable to Lindemands.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2013 00:40:55 | More by jibbyvonjibb

womencantsail

California

4.03/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Believe it was Matt that shared this. Perhaps Henry?

A: The pour is a hazed golden amber color with a large, soapy white head.

S: Big time funk on the nose. Lots of must and grass, and some damp oak. Lemon and lemon zest give a nice sourness. There's also a touch of earthiness. A mild barnyard character to it.

T: Nice clean lactic tartness. Musty funk with lots of grass, hay, and wet oak. Lemony sourness along with some lemon zest and green apples. Nice but not super complex.

M: Medium in body with a moderate to high carbonation.

O: Good lambic all around, but could have used a little bit more of each of its traits.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2011 03:37:53 | More by womencantsail

rvdoorn

Netherlands

4.03/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I bought this bottle at the source during the tour de geuze 2011. Bottle date 2006. Poured into an original de Cam glass.
Look: The beer pours a yellow golden color with a very small white head, leaving a nice lacing.
Smell: Vinegar with wooden hints and crisp citrus.
Taste: Malty, sour and tart up front with some wooden bitterness in the end. Also some fruits in the aftertaste.
Mouthfeel: Thin body and medium carbonation
Overall: A nice geuze, a bit too watery for my liking though. Is also missing the balance that is so clearly present in Cantillon and 3 Fonteinen geuzes. Still very very worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2011 20:23:43 | More by rvdoorn

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A huge thank you to Jeffo for the awesome and most generous box this past summer.
375ml, Botteldatum: Jan. 2009, poured into a Cantillon gueuze tumbler.

Appearance. Pours a beautiful yellow gold with a little haze and 3+ fingers of white head.

Smell. Sour lemon juice, green grapes, lightly grassy with some dry, earthy funk.

Taste. Sour lemons, green apples and under-ripe green grapes, light bitter wood and some dry funk.

Mouthfeel. Below medium body with medium+, lively and bubbly carbonation.

Overall. A very nice gueuze with some nice acidity. I wish this kind of thing was available locally and cheap, I'd drink it every day!!

Thanks again, Jeffo.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 02:31:42 | More by Rutager

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.05/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This one was shared by beeruser with funkydelic, StayWhatYouAre2, 67couple, others, and myself at a recent tasting graciously hosted by beeruser! 2009 Vintage! Served from bottle into a Duvel Parra tulip. Poured a hazy golden yellow with a minimal white head. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, subtle sour, funk, and bell pepper. The flavor was of sweet malt, bell pepper, funk, and slight sour. It had a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a pretty good brew. Bell pepper, eh!? That is a new one for me in a beer... However, it really wasn't that bad in this one and actually helped bring out the subtle sourness I picked up on. This brew was very easy drinking and enjoyable. I would love to try one of these with a good bit of age on it to see how it develops over time. A definite must try, even if it is just to try and taste the bell pepper notes I got on it.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2011 18:16:45 | More by thagr81us

spicelab

Australia

4.05/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

375mL bottle dated Jan 09. Had this in a tasting a while back and was very impressed. Expectations..

Violent pop of the cork foreshadows fierce carbonation which recedes just as aggressively to a near-clear golden orange body and, unsurprisingly, a very vigorous bead.

Bright and punchy nose, led by huge green capsicum, plenty of bitter citrus peel, peppery cut grass and an assertive phenolic sweetness underneath it all. Mild dusky Brett character lingers nicely in the background. Not amazing, but close.

Flavours also display that big, earthy jalapeno character, but it merges with thick lemon pith and bitter herbs into a hulking tart beast.

Moderately oily initially, before quickly giving way to a stripping tartness that makes the saliva glands go a little nuts, and leaves the mid-palate rattled.

Classy gueuze with a near perfect nose and a much more raw flavour profile. The green capsicum character virtually imprints itself on the cerebral cortex. Similar to, but better than Mamouche in my view.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2012 07:01:58 | More by spicelab

alcstradamus

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

2009 bottle

Pours a clear yellow/gold with lots of effervescent bubbles and a 3 finger head with webby lacing.

The aroma is a beautiful blend of funky drawers, lemon, pear, peanuts, faux leather, apple juice, Saturday morning, and salon quality hair gel.

The flavor is pretty damn sour for the style. I expected a bit more funk on the flavor an am disappointed in that regard, however the citrus profile here is truly phenomenal. A deep lemon tartness with pear, apple skin, and white grape acidity coating the palate. Perhaps this one needs a few more years on it to develop some funk? I love it, but I would love it 'that' much more.

The body is light and carbonation is high but not stinging. Incredibly dry in the back of the throat, you won't be swallowing any pills after sipping on this one.

Overall this is another high class beer coming from the fields of Belgium, however my rating is slightly lower than it should be because of rating to style.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2010 01:41:49 | More by alcstradamus

Jeffo

Netherlands

4.13/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Part of the mega gueuze lineup, including nine different gueuze. This one actually came out on top, which was a pleasant surprise. Got this at Geers in Ghent some time ago.

From a 37,5cl corked and caged bottle into a snifter
Vintage: January 2009

APPEARANCE: Pours a huge, fizzy, loose, rice krispy impersonating, white head with horrible retention. Takes a few pours to actually get any beer into the glass, so in that sense, it was actually a postive thing that the head was a Houdini fan. Slightly hazy amber orange with higher levels of carbonation evident. Monster, fizzy head quickly fades to a small foam cap, and a whisp remains until the end of the glass.

SMELL: Much like the Tilquin gueuze. Funky notes, with lots of lemon and green apple tartness. Light cheese notes, with plenty of green grapes and white wine on the nose. Very acidic as well.

TASTE: Lemon tartness, funky sour notes, as well as green apples, green grapes, white wine flavors, and a light acidic vinegar flavor after the swallow. Plenty sour and acidic, with tart, sour lemon and apples as well. White wine and a hint of floral bitterness tries to balance the tart, acidic aftertaste. This works well, as the acidic vinegar flavors don't overpower the tart sourness. Well balanced, and more up my alley.

PALATE: Medium body and medium levels of carbonation. Smooth on the palate, goes down fine and finishes slightly dry and puckering.

OVERALL: Definitely on the more acidic and vinegary side of the spectrum, but not as much so as the Tilquin gueuze. This one had lots of tart, fruity esters and white wine notes worked well with the acidic component. This was probably my top choice out of the lineup, and I'd most likely really enoy a bottle myself. I used a little bit of this in my Tilquin - Cantillon blend, which worked out really nicely as well.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 20:00:12 | More by Jeffo

MattSweatshirt

Texas

4.13/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

09 bottle

Holy pop Batman. And a gusher. Voluminous head sizzled down quickly to a finger on a hazy golden body.

Oh yeah the funk and perceptible tartness get the ol' olfactory a roarin and the mouth watering. Lots of green apple, hay, lemon, earth, and cheese.

Lemon and hay. Musty aftertaste lingers. Not as sour as I was expecting based on the other De Cam I have had. Still a good hit of sour.

Has a crisp tingly carbonation. The light bodied brew washes away fast. Dry. Like a champagne.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 07:39:51 | More by MattSweatshirt

ArrogantB

Colorado

4.15/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I had heard reports of potato notes as well as red peppers but I tasted none of that. This was a 375ml of the 2009 vintage. The head on this was amazing, so huge and unyielding, bigger than any gueuze I've seen. The aroma was sour citrus and mild funk. The flavor was good, sour lemons, very refreshing. Overall this was a great gueuze. Its really a shame that we can't buy this in the U.S. because I'd drop some cash on it. As it is I really can't because shipping from Belgium is just too much. This reminded me more of a 3F than say Cantillon.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2011 02:39:06 | More by ArrogantB

Goldorak

Quebec (Canada)

4.18/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Apple cider colored peachy yellow brew, the head and lacing lasted a whole 3 seconds.

Smell: Definately a woody, old cask aroma. The funkyness is there, but more subdued than say 3F or Cantillon. In fact, it had a surprising freshness, almost minty herbal aroma that went leathery further on.

Taste: Low end carbonation pushes the acidity to good levels but without getting too astringent or "burning", the funky flavor tastes a bit more corky than woody, it again reminded me of a dry cider, especially in the finish, it's drying and tart but oh-so easy to drink and makes you drink more and more! I'm glad I finally got to find one of these rare beauties!

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2007 14:53:34 | More by Goldorak