Ville De Rivere Geuze - Rivertown Brewing Co.

AmitC

Indiana

4/5  rDev +7.2%

12-29-2012 03:11:12 | More by AmitC

ArrogantB

Colorado

3.68/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle that I received from one of you fine people sometime last year. Bright yellow color. Aroma was nicer than the Rivertown lambic, no cider just lemons and hints of sourness. Flavor was good and wild and occasionally made me pucker. Fruity but still not quite an authentic gueuze. Much like the Lambic from Rivertown this is a fine wild ale but not quite a match for authentic lambic. I hope they keep at it though and I respect them for going down that road.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2013 22:34:15 | More by ArrogantB

Bonis

Ohio

3.2/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Seems like Rivertown is hit or miss on the sours. Ojos Negros, Sour Cherry Porter, and Lambic are all excellent. This gueuze is not. It isn't at the level of Pestilence, but it was disappointing. My biggest complaint with this beer was that it had absolutely NO carbonation. It was as flat a beer as I have ever seen come out of a bottle (excluding some of my early day homebrew). As far as I am aware, a gueuze is supposed to have extremely high carbonation, almost champagne-like. The aroma and flavor were right on par with many beers in the same style. Very sour with notes of lemon and sour grapes as well as some must. Dry and tart. It was just very dull and bland. The lack of carbonation really hurts this beer. I would pick it up if I saw it from a new batch just to see how it is with carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2013 15:33:20 | More by Bonis

vrbulldog22

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%

05-31-2013 02:07:59 | More by vrbulldog22

cwxc818

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%

05-15-2013 02:30:24 | More by cwxc818

vonnegut21

New York

4/5  rDev +7.2%

05-13-2013 19:29:24 | More by vonnegut21

unclejazz

New York

4/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

This bottle was a casualty of a recent flight back from the Midwest, so I had to drinking sooner than expected.

A-low carbonation, yellow/orange hue

S-nice apple and green grape with funk

T-much of the same, a really nice bite on the tongue

M-the carbonation is in the funk and fuzz of this beer. I think it was miscapped, but that makes me wonder if it would have been even better.

O-I enjoyed this beer quite a bit, reminds me a bit of the Bear Republic's Tartare. I would buy this again. Thanks Bowling Green, KY.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 02:35:07 | More by unclejazz

DavoleBomb

Ohio

3.23/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.25

Poured into a tulip. I had always thought of Rivertown as that local brewery that doesn't really care much about beer. Perhaps I was wrong or perhaps some internal changes were made in the last couple years. Anyway, here we have my second wild ale from them. The first one was very good, so I'm leaning toward expecting something from this one too.

2.0 A: Hmmm. This gueuze is awfully low in carbonation. The cap came off very easily, so it's possible it was never put on properly. Anyway, well hazed dark yellow color. Just about a quarter finger of head formed from an aggressive pour and it fell almost immediately.

3.5 S: This probably has a lot to do with the carbonation level not being adequate, but the nose on this is weaker than I'd like. Still, it's pretty good. Plenty of acidity that leans toward acetic. Fresh outdoors funkiness a la running stream and leafy woods. Also some basement/sweat sock funk in there as well.

3.5 T: The taste is also good, but it is just a bit shallow. Lemony acetic vibes with tangy lactic acid, apple fruitiness, and the funks mentioned in the nose.

2.0 M: Lighter medium body. Barely any carbonation. Dead, lifeless mouthfeel. Sad.

3.25 D: I have no doubts that this was a good beer when it went into the bottle. Too bad the technical aspects fucked it up. The reason for this not having the proper carbonation doesn't matter. This is how I bought it so this is how it is reviewed. I haven't heard about this being much of a problem, so pick it up if you see it.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 04:44:32 | More by DavoleBomb

mdaschaf

Washington

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%

03-24-2013 22:31:52 | More by mdaschaf

bauermj

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%

03-14-2013 21:23:55 | More by bauermj

FalconA

Washington

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%

03-04-2013 05:58:38 | More by FalconA

jodan

California

3.5/5  rDev -6.2%

03-02-2013 02:59:13 | More by jodan

raffy313

Texas

4/5  rDev +7.2%

02-24-2013 18:40:03 | More by raffy313

jmarsh123

Indiana

4.21/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Pours a light fizzy head covering that fades fairly quickly, no lacing, super hazy wheat orange sun colored, couple of yeast chunks.

Pours somewhat hazy straw with a small quickly receding head and little lacing.

Tart and funky aromas. Lemon, grapeskin and crackery malt with some funk and oak.

Tastes come off like a gueuze fairly well. Lemon up front followed by some hay funk. Sour tart grapes and drying oak on the back end. A light level of acidity.

Mouthfeel is not quite as creamy as the traditional lambics, but not too bad. Carbonation level is medium.

Pretty good beer and glad someone in the midwest is making good sours on a consistant basis. Probably my favorite of Rivertown's offerings so far.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 18:05:21 | More by jmarsh123

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.89/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Thanks to rudzud for sharing.

Pours a light fizzy head covering that fades fairly quickly, no lacing, super hazy wheat orange sun colored, couple of yeast chunks.

Nose is petty nice, it has done tart sour lambic like but a nice balanced smooth blended addition. Hint if lemony funk, sour tart fruit like but light malt too, fresh citrus spritz, light oak barrel too. Light sour funk and vinous musty aroma.

Taste come on with a nice sourness, cidery lambic, with little lemon and grassy funk. Some tart fruit but seems a little light and watery somehow. However, the nice blending of vintages brings a good smooth taste, light vanilla oak, etc. Little vinous and tart acidic bite, little yeasty funk too, sour almost lacto like creamy sour but wild and not too funky. Juicy sourness but still a bit thin. Finish its dry but not too flemmy, nice sour fruit and tartness lingering with acidic and little lemony funk.

Mouth is thinner, decent carb, light acidic bite.

Overall nice but not great. The blending and barrel round out the sour funk well, but overall just a bit too thin.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2013 02:14:23 | More by jlindros

rudzud

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

Received as an extra in a trade. Shared with JLindros.

A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip a slightly hazy golden hue with a quarter inch white head that fades to leave a thin halo.

S - Aromas of nice sour vinegar, lemons, very light funk, slight sweetness.

T - Taste is solid, similarto the nose with light lemon notes and slight vinegar. Good blending job here with nice light oak notes.

M - Mouthfeel is a bit on the thin side here with a bit watery notes.

O - Overall not a bad beer just watery. Wish the mouthfeel was better as that really affects the overall enjoyability.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2013 00:02:36 | More by rudzud

bradfordjohnson

Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%

02-10-2013 21:29:45 | More by bradfordjohnson

nrbw23

Ohio

2.75/5  rDev -26.3%

02-03-2013 13:34:00 | More by nrbw23

kscaldef

Oregon

4/5  rDev +7.2%

01-30-2013 02:47:17 | More by kscaldef

Texasfan549

Texas

4/5  rDev +7.2%

01-28-2013 00:04:48 | More by Texasfan549

Brew33

Ohio

3/5  rDev -19.6%

01-22-2013 21:29:51 | More by Brew33

AleWatcher

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +13.9%

01-20-2013 14:15:16 | More by AleWatcher

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%

01-18-2013 15:42:28 | More by Thorpe429

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.01/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A taste of Belgium makes its way to the greater Cincinnati area with the rustic, earthen, and unmistakable charm of Lambic. This blended gueuze is both sharp and tart, along with mature musty distinctive notes from nose 'til finish.

The pour delivers a spritzy champage-like pour that does more than those sparkling wines- it retains a dainty white foam character that quickly reduces to a skirt along the edge. Golden rod in color, the hazy ale is classic Belgian- even unblended lambic at times.

Cidery aromas rise first, but carry with it complementary notes of sour grapes, crab apple, and more pungent sandalwood aromatics. Musty aged oak, dusty attic aromas, dried lime, sea air, light saddle leather and vinous wine rot are just a few of the complexities that waft over the olfactories with each return to the glass. Even peppery notes of cumin and cinnamon make a vague introduction before trailing off in obscurity.

Dry cracker-like maltiness lay the foundation for moderate sourness to come. Light in sweetness, the dry malt 'beer' character supports the more wine-like notes of apple cider vinegar, chardonnay, and earthen pungent woods that are reminescent of weathered oak and sassafras. Dried limes, lemons, and apples offer an estery and highly tart taste just ahead of its mild peppery rebuttal. Its quick and snappy finish of sea brine and dried oak offers a terse memory before its thirst quenching closure arrives.

Light and refreshing, even to start- the beer jumps right into a racy acidity that probes the taste buds and evokes mouth whetting properties. Its short-lived middle palate leads to a quick and dry finish of light woodish tannin and a pleasant powdery dryness. The quick closure is lightly astringent and palate stripping- suggesting that each taste is just as refreshing as the first.

Where the beer carries a more somber and moderate stride of intensity, the complete ensemble of flavor profiles of gueuze are all alive, well portrayed, and properly balanced- there seems to be a sense that the beer is dialed down with regard to intensity in taste, sourness, strength, dryness, and overall rusticity. It's a fascinating beer that graduates up from the syrupy fruited versions and into the authentic world of sour.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 06:13:21 | More by BEERchitect

DaBubs

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -6.2%

01-14-2013 13:56:22 | More by DaBubs