Oude Lambiek De Cam - De Cam Geuzestekerij

SpeedwayJim

New York

4.22/5  rDev -3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2003 Vintage. Poured from a corked and caged bottle into a Cantillon flute. Shared with schen9303.

Pours near flat. No head, no lacing. Beer is a clear pastel orange. Expected from the style.

Nose is cheese, wet straw, apricot, citrus puree, and rotting wood. Really delicious as far as lambic goes. Super funky and very aromatic.

Opens puckering. Apricot puree tartness. Wet and rotting wood. Oaky. Cheesy. Lemon sour and dried straw. End is more tartness. Dry and puckering fruity finish with a tart, sour aftertaste. Tasty!

Light bodied with near no carbonation. Oily and silky in the mouth and dry and puckering going down. Tart finish with a dry, lingering aftertaste. Extra points for the LACK of carbonation. Really enjoy this one.

A real under-the-radar lambic. Smells great and is really funky, sour, and developed overall. Lack of carbonation is a plus for me in this style. Worth the money.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2011 01:55:42 | More by SpeedwayJim

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A pour at Teresa's Next Door (Wine Glass)

De Cam Geuzestekerij Oude Lambiek looks penny bronze in color with some faint brown and yellow spots. Cant see through this baby. Some faint bubbles on top, nothing major but something.

Smell is very brisk and lively and bold and funky with cheese scents and hay, barnyard scents, faded grain, apple before pear, and just that weirdness that comes with these types of beers.

Holy moly, this is top notch stuff, eleven years has done some things to this. Ripe barnyard with wet hay, grain, faint fruit, lactic quality, sharp lemon. It's sour and it's well integrated. Probably my favorite in this particular style, 2 year unblendeds from various breweries have nothing on this.

Feel is pretty light, this thing while being unblended, still has a lively crisp feel to it. The sour just whisks around the mouth, causing sweet damage. A whole bottle of this, you betcha. If I found a bottle if this now after the street date, I would not hesitate.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2011 07:41:04 | More by onix1agr

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle of the 03 into a goblet. Shared at Delaney's. Reviewed from notes.

A: Still, hazy sawdust-colored body; flat, but leaves spidery legs. Expected, and average.

S: Sour lemon, oak, mustardy spice, and pure, sinus-tingling tartness. Not the most complex aroma out there, but still terrific.

T: Sour, sour, sour up front: lemon, sour apple, and just pure acid. After the initial onslaught subsides, some delicate flavors of grass, mustardseed, grape skin, and lime emerge. Very fruity, sour, and awesome.

M: Flat, slick, and that's it. Not quite watery, but pretty close.

O: At the time I drank this beer, it was the single best unblended Lambic I'd ever tasted; a '96 Cantillon Bruocsella might since have dethroned it, but the De Cam was just magnificently tasty - and I say that as someone who generally prefers an earthier, dirtier funkiness to the kind of pure fruity sourness delivered here. This beer reminded me much more of Cantillon than Drie Fonteinen, and even though I prefer the generally prefer the latter I still loved it.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2011 02:41:08 | More by woosterbill

julian

Washington

4.43/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Crystal clear golden yellow with dark highlights if really inspected closely. An aggressive pour yielded ½ inch snow white head, but to be expected from a barrel aged 3 year old Lambic. Head disappears almost completely leaving little to no lacing. Still, for the style this is par for the course. 4

S: Amazing aroma of barnyard funk, vinegar, musty oak, tart almost like dry green apples. LOVE this funky Belgian aroma. It’s like crack for me. 4.5

T&M: Perfectly balanced (for a Lambic). It’s not too tart yet tart enough to tickle your tongue in just the way that only Belgian Lambic/Guezes can. On the palate is a general Lambic tartness, reminiscent mildly of dry green apples, some vinegar sourness, wet oak and citric acidity. So good. Carbonation is a little low as witnessed from the lack of head in the pour, but this is to be expected from an aged Lambic. This is a seriously refreshing and crisp Lambic that goes down WAY too fast. 4.5 / 4

O: At 5%, this drinks WAY too fast. It might be the most expensive beer I’ve drank in terms of how long it lasted. I can’t get enough of that FUNKY, yeasty tartness and general Belgian Lambic aroma. So good. De Cam knows his shit. 4.5

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2011 16:43:49 | More by julian

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Right before the Tap & Table closed they were doing a beer of the week special. The description they had on this beer sounded like it would be pretty amazing. So I bit the bullet and bought a bottle to bring home with me. The following day I had gone to a friends place and we split the bottle together. Popped the cork out and gave it a pour, the hazy orange yellow liquid didn't produce much head or lacing. The smell was filling our noses before we even had put the glasses to our faces. The funky smell was very prominent, the deeper you breathe this one in the more aromas that come out. It had a really interesting sour grapefruit aroma in there mixed with earth and wood. The flavor of this beer is acidic at first, tart citrus flavors like grapefruits and some apple in there too. The taste then fades into a much smoother earth flavor. The mouthfeel is almost medium bodied. Overall I found this beer to be pretty good for it's style, I can't see myself ever buying it again because of the cost. I don't enjoy this style enough to drop almost $30 on one bottle. However if you like the style and you have the money do yourself the favor and try this, it's impressive.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2011 15:37:33 | More by Knapp85

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Shared this one with my doppelganger by the pool as a part of my birthday weekend! Served from bottle into a Stone nonic. Poured yellow-orange with a half finger off-white head that subsided to a minimal amount slowly. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, cherry, and funk. The flavor was of sweeet malt, cherry, funk, and earth. It had a light feel on the palate with medium-high carbonation. Overall this was a pretty good brew. The cherry aspect on this one was quite nice and enjoyable with the funkiness going on in it. This one was quite easy drinking with the earthy aspect. Glad I got to share this one with a few others as well as this was a nice brew all-around.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2011 14:03:21 | More by thagr81us

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.7/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

poured out a nice amber color with minimal cloudiness and a small white head that would soon fade. aroma is just downright sour. so much critters in here. lacto like i have never seen. reminds me of the early batches of the rr sours when they were fresh. just raw vinegar and straight funk, gorgeous. carried right over into the flavor which again was no holds barred and just deep sour and funk that was incredibly vibrant and tongue lashing. dry finish is an understatement as all sense of flavor is zapped from the mouth and cotton mouth is what you are left with.

overall loved it,

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2011 00:20:42 | More by mikesgroove

auroracrisis

Kentucky

4.22/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml into a tulip. Brewed in 2000, bottled in 2003.

Pours with a tiny, frothy head. Amberish orange color with no carbonation. The head dies after a minute or so in the glass with no evidence that it was once there. No bubbles or even a hint of foam sit on top of the beer.

The smell combines aromas of musty lemons with a barnyard aroma. Wet hay and dank cellar qualities mixed with citrus rind. A lactic quality similar to unpasteurized cheese behind that, coupled with some oak tannin.

Upfront there's a lactic funk, followed by a lime citrus rind like flavor. Barnyard funk is deep within the flavor as well. Wet hay that had been resting in a trough for awhile. As well as the cellar characteristics and old cheese. A bit of oak tannins too. A real distinct soaked grain, fermented wheat type of flavor comes forward too. Something musty and a bit confusing, really. Pretty complex and inviting.

It is welcoming to the palate, with very low carbonation and a moderate body.

Overall, a great musty raw lambic with citrus and funky undertones. I really liked it. A great unblended oude lambic, but not affordable or abundant enough to drink frequently.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2011 06:37:38 | More by auroracrisis

ArrogantB

Colorado

3.68/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is the 2000 batch bottled in 2003 that came to the US earlier this year. Amber orange color with actual carbonation, it isn't still. Aroma is funky lambic and a bit of must. Flavor is sour lambic but nothing mind-blowing. I've had bottles of Cantillon bruocsella that were better and some that were worse. This was definitely not worth the $32 I spent and the De Cam gueuze is better.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2011 21:51:21 | More by ArrogantB

scinerd3000

Pennsylvania

4.97/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Brewed in 2000 and tasted in 2011. Beer was exceptional. Poured a light gold with no head at around 50 deg. Effervescent with sourness on the nose and strong apples. Lactic was smoothed with age and had apple and slight peach notes as it warmed in the glass. Hay and a slight "musk" followed on the back end of the taste. Become more prominent as it warms. Very clean sourness present with slight funk although restrained for an unblended lambic. The taste also lingers long after swallow in a pleasant dry acidic sourness that coated my pallet. Bret character was more subtle than I was expecting and had a restrained presence.

This is a fantastic beer and recommended to anyone enjoying lambics or sours.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2011 20:47:45 | More by scinerd3000

rvdoorn

Netherlands

4.53/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled in 2000, opened in 2011. Poured into my original de cam glass.
Look: The beer pours a golden color without head.
Smell: Very funky nose, barnyard, horseblanket and some leather and earth. Also some hints of citrus fruits and yeast.
Taste: Funk, hay, citrus, leather and dry, bit sharp aftertaste. Very funky, love the taste
Mouthfeel: Medium body with low carbonation
Overall: Beautiful lambic that aged gracefully!

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2011 21:06:25 | More by rvdoorn

callmemickey

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2003 bottle that came to the states in 2011.

A: Orangish-straw yellow body. Slight bubbly head that crashes quickly after the pour.

S: Nice mild funky aroma. Wet hay, musty oak, biting citric hues, mild sweat, and a little cheese-like funk.

T: Amped up version of the nose. Funky like any good lambiek should be, Lots of sweaty/musty barnyard notes with some softer accents of citrus and oak.

M: Medium bodied. Only the slightest hints of carbonation.

O: Nice to have a oude lambiek available in bottle form.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2011 15:58:53 | More by callmemickey

andrewinski1

Maine

4.4/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Cantillon tasting glass. Nice pop with the bottle and there is a bit of fizz when pouring. There are a few bubbles but they don't last long. The color is nice and golden, not too light; no haze.

The aroma is sour lemon and a bit of lemongrass. Pretty clean, not strong in the more funky aromas.

The taste starts out with a bit of sweetness. The taste is nice with a bit of rubber and dirt mixed in with the nice sour flavor. Good balance here. The finish is clean and sour with a strong emphasis on lemon rind.

The carbonation is very very mellow of course, and the body is light to medium light.

This is right up my alley. Glad to have gotten a chance to try this.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2011 01:53:58 | More by andrewinski1

Bendurgin

Maine

4.75/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Andrewinski popped tis one open. Holy crap! Thanks a bunch. Poured into a chalice. This one pours a light straw color with a whispy white layer of foam sitting atop with some thin white lace.

Slightly sour in the arom with basement must to it. A touch of apricot aroma to this adding a kiss of sweetness to the mellow aroma. This has a nice oak undertone to it. Nice light flavor to this. Cedar flavors with a nice sour kick to finish it out. A noticable apricot flavor to this one. Nice and musty with a nice funk.

This one is pretty still on the feel; as would be expected from an unblended. Overall, this one is though to beat. Really unique and one I'd love to have more of.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2011 01:52:28 | More by Bendurgin

pmlondrigan

New York

4.28/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2003 vintage, 2nd in a tasting of unblended lambics today. Poured into a rodenbach glass. Typical hazy brownish orange color. Very little head is produced but still enough to leave a sheet or two of lacing down the glass. Plenty of musty basement with faint high sour notes and a whif of lemon and citrus. Wet saw dust and straw, but all of these aromas are soft and in harmony with one another.
This is a very quite funk train, rather mild horse blanket, mildly acidic on the finish. Sour yes, lip puckering no. A distinct ashy and leathery quality is dicernable. Reminds me of a fine washed rind cheese. This is a fantastic well balanced effort. I am very happy to have shared this with good friends.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2011 02:30:02 | More by pmlondrigan

NittanyBeerFan

Pennsylvania

4.83/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A huge thanks goes out to dyan for this one. A bottle of the 2001 vintage, bottled in February of that year, but brewed in 1996. As a matter of note, it was aged in the barrels for 2 years longer than the 03 version that made it to the US recently. Enjoyed as the 4th beer of our tasting, and this turned out to be one of the big surprises of the event.

Completely clear coppery amber in color with no head at all. There are some wispy bubbles that gather on the surface, but that's about the extent of it. Naturally, as you would expect with any old lambic or geuze, there is no lacing to be seen.

Light and bright in aroma, with some sulfurous notes, sweaty feet, tannins, and briny sea water aromas. Additionally, I find a slight funky barnyard that goes a bit beyond the sweaty feet from earlier, as well as that bone dry feel that is so characteristic of great lambics. The flavor just takes that groundwork and runs with it. Citrusy lactic sourness mixed with a dry and sweaty/briny tasting funkiness. There are extremely notable tannic flavors, hints of sulfur, and again, that bone dry finish.

Light and enjoyable, with some absolutely unreal complexity. Phenomenal on all levels...from the flavors, to the feel, to the aroma. Nothing in this beer underperforms the world class lambic that it is. I need to pick up some of the 03 to see how they compare.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2011 02:23:27 | More by NittanyBeerFan

DefenCorps

Oregon

4.63/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Brewed in 1996, bottled in 2001 and consumed on the 25th of March 2011.

Still, clear amber with a wispy white head, about what I was expecting for an unblended lambic. The nose is sulfury with grapefruit rind, lemon peel, wet, rotting wood. Salty, briny, the wet wood character makes me think I'm digging out a coffin from the bottom of the ocean. Stinky, funky feet, cheesy, this is like a nice Limburger.

The palate opens intensely sour with grapefruit peel, lemon peel, very briny and salty. Intensely funky, this is quite acidic but still doesn't overwhelm the palate. Salty, sulfury and mineraly, the stinky cheese character is complex. Tannic and drying on the finish, there's also a little juicy, lemony character, keeping things fresh. Medium-light in body with light carbonation, the mouthfeel is sublime. Probably the best unblended lambic I've had

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2011 00:03:37 | More by DefenCorps

SFLpunk

Vermont

3.28/5  rDev -24.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

750mL green glass cork and caged. 2003 vintage.

Pours a mostly clear deep golden orange with no head. Nose is musty and somewhat lemony. Some straw and old wood notes too.

Palate is seriously sour and still. Flavors of that musty note come across on the palate. Lemon zest, lime pulp muscat grapes and aging oak boards.

Notes: Disappointed by this. At first I thought the overt musty character indicated a flaw, but it's consistent with most reviewers' notes. Not a fan of the big must, though.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2011 03:49:37 | More by SFLpunk

SkeeterHawk

Texas

4.08/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

I picked this beer up at Hop City in Atlanta when there for a conference. I am on a mission to try every raw Lambic or Gueuze I can find, so this is a real Gem to pick up. I will be savoring the whole 750mL bottle myself...woo hoo!

Appearance: Pours a somewhat cloudy burnt orange color with surprisingly little head for the style, and I poured it very aggressively for the style too, right down the middle of my Duvel tulip. The head was about 1/8" and was off white to cream colored. It was still a solid layer over a minute after the pour. Thought the beer is somewhat cloudy, you can see that there are quite a few bubbles rising to keep the head active. There is some pretty solid lacing left on the glass after drinking the beer.

Aroma: I initially got tons of the wholesome lemon zest, funky goodness that you expect with this style. It very quickly gets earthy, and is starting to go very earthy, so much that it is starting to smell like good dark potting soil. There is some wheat and tons of citrus, man, you can really pick up a lot in the aroma of this beer.

Taste: The flavor is somewhat thin feeling with the low carbonation. Of course the body is light, but in this example, you can tell. The funk is a huge player in this one with tons of earthy and zesty notes, so many, you can hardly pick on any one in particular. There is deep acidity to this beer as it makes you teeth feel really dry after the sip. There is no alcohol noticeable, and the finish is dominated by the tart and dryness of the beer.

Opinion: I must say that the low carbonation in this beer really hurt it, and I guess I never really realized how dependent this style is on having high carbonation. All of the Lambic elements are there, so I would personally just write this one off to a failing cork and would definitely try this beer again in hopes of getting one that was a little more lively. I have never had a review that was this mixed, but I really think that this is a really good beer and that this particular bottle just lost some fizz. I would try it if you have the chance and you like this style. The bottle you get may be more carbonated.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2011 02:20:24 | More by SkeeterHawk

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

4.1/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Huge thanks to Mr. rare/aged/pricey lambic himself sweemzander. My man rinses his glassware with Cantillon Classic Gueuze.

A: Dark golden yellow/orange. Tiny wisp of white head fades instantly and leaves to lace. Pretty much where all still lambics lay.

S: Lemons, dry dusty books, wet straw, moldy gym socks, lactic tartness and what I describe as plastic pool toys.

T: Mild lactic tartness. Light lemon, with plenty of funky barn yard flavors. Not overly sour but enough to grab my cheeks.

M: Dry and gritty. No carbonation.

D: Not as sharp and sour as I had hoped but tasty and very drinkable. Glad I had a chance to try this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2011 00:54:18 | More by beerwolf77

crossovert

Wisconsin

4.33/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 3.5

750ml corked and caged green bottle.

It pours a hazy amber color with a frothy white that leaves surprising lacing.

The smell is pretty enthralling. There is a huge funk that is the main theme with some barnyard and must. There is a definite spice element that is almost woody as well, though the barrels are over 100 years old and are probably filled to the pore with bugs and bacteria. There is some pear and chamomile as well.

It is sour and acidic, with a lot of lemon and vinegar. There is a hint of green tomato. The funk is more subdued in the taste but is still there. The aftertaste is sightly bitter and sour.

The mouthfeel is perfect. It is slightly carbed but still rather flat. It is tart and puckering.

A fantastic brew.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2011 05:59:41 | More by crossovert

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4.9/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a hazy orange-ish color with a small off white head. In the aroma, tart and oaky, white grape fruitiness and somewhat dry. In the taste, dry and tart white grape, and a nice oaky flavor, quite clean and full. A smooth and sour medium to light bodied mouthfeel, with a dry oak and hints of tart fruit in the aftertaste. Whats not to love here, tart and oaky, clean and fantastic.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2011 16:54:22 | More by OWSLEY069

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

4.2/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle split and poured into a Duvel tulip. 5% ABV, "MIII" "2003" (on the cork I believe)

Thanks to sweemzander for sharing this unblended lambic!

A - Mostly clear apricot orange with no head. A wispy white film is left floating on the beer. A few pinches of lace are left over on the glass.

S - Musty, dirty old barn aroma is unique in this brew. Mellow and nuanced, it's not crazy like I was expecting. Light notes of light apricot and peach fruit.

T - Harsh sour tartness and musty attic with awesome light notes of citrus and fruit. Apricot comes through with a bit of white grape.

M - Extremely tart and sour with an acidic feel on the tongue with a crisp finish. No carbonation in this beer.

D - A very nice brew with good complexity and drinkability for it's biting sourness.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2011 15:39:22 | More by BeerFMAndy

rye726

Colorado

4.38/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Thanks to Scott for the chance to try this one. Pours a straw color with a nice beige head. Nose has a great sour presence, but is well balanced. Some earthy funk in there as well. Taste also has a nice amount of tartness. Crisp and refreshing yet soemwhat full body. Great stuff. Will have to pick a couple up for the cellar.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2011 02:13:33 | More by rye726

drabmuh

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Beer poured into a Russian river wine glass. Beer is yellow and really hazy, lazy head that disappears very quickly. No lacing, low carbonation. About what I expected.

Aroma is really nice, barnyard funk, lactic acidity, hay, mild acetic. Very nice indeed.

Beer is thin and mildly carbonated on the palate, the lead off is a little weak but that's ok because it's quite tart on the backend of the beer. Puckering would be a good way to describe it. There is a citric style sourness to it followed by some milder lactic smoothness. Acetic is minimal. The beer overall is quite good. I'm glad I opened it. Very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2011 17:25:46 | More by drabmuh