Geuze Cuvée J&J (Joost En Jessie) Blauw (Blue) - Brouwerij Drie Fonteinen

JDV

Texas

3.15/5  rDev -32.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle shared by miketd. Thanks Mike!
Pours rich and murky yellow. Smell is funky and sour and very gueuze like. Taste is tart, sour and very similar to the Rose but maybe a bit sharper and more tart. Medium body. Decent, but too mild flavor-wise aside from the neutral sourness for me.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2008 18:37:18 | More by JDV

kingcrowing

Vermont

3.5/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

750ml corked and capped bottle poured into an acbf sampling glass, 2003 vintage.

Pours a very light cloudy almost whit color. Nose is all kinds of funk and tart that just kills your sense of smelll.

Taste is all wet blanket and old funk, pretty similar to the oude gueze but still pretty drinkable given the harsh and tart finish.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2010 02:19:02 | More by kingcrowing

Arbitrator

California

3.9/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Shared by alfrantzell, who was overheard remarking, "This isn't made by Cantillon so it's not a real gueuze anyway." That comment was as real as the Narke Xantus tasting notes he ascribed to me.

A: I had the pleasure of sitting across the table. I was in full adrenaline mode, having stayed up most of the night before; my heart was pounding in the low 100s, and I was staring at everyone with an intense, but haggard, paranoia. When I saw Arne apply some pressure on the cork, I went into The Zone. Time slowed down. I observed his wan, dullard face adopt a soft grin. I saw the cork slip just a millimeter past his fingers. I should have reached out and caught it, but I wanted to see what would happen next. Yes. Yes. The bottle was about to burst, all over Arne's pretty face. Yes. OOMPH! The cork shot out, just inches past his eye. Arne, still grinning, had no time to react. If he had been standing just a bit closer, he'd be a pirate right now.

Anyway, the beer was grossly overcarbonated to the point of injury. It gushed. In our glasses, it poured a faintly glowing light amber / orange body with good head, good retention, good lace.

S: Wood. Tannic as hell. Sulfur, fresh produce -- I suppose blueberries, but there was a general berry / fruit character to it that went beyond just one fruit -- and funk.

T: This is very, very woody (cue largadeer: "That's what makes it amazing! Most tannic gueuze I've ever had!"). Lemon zest, lactic sourness, restrained blueberries and some other fruit (white grape?). Funk was there, but it was not a strong or defining characteristic. It is expressed as horse blanket and must.

M: Carbonation is high, making it quite foamy. Otherwise, the beer is dry, astringent (tannic).

D: It was quite good.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2010 20:01:51 | More by Arbitrator

BearsOnAcid

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours similar to the oude geuze. Hazy yellow color and lively carbonation. Smell has a very musty brett character. Earth, mushrooms and sharp lemons. Flavor is strikingly similar to Millenium Geuze for me. That dry, woody, strong brett, and earthy/soil/mushroom flavor is coming forward the most. Lemon acidity is moderate. A bit more acidic than Millenium. I actually prefer this much more. The flavor isn't totally driven and dulled out by that unique brett flavor. Carbonation is prickly on the tongue. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2010 00:57:59 | More by BearsOnAcid

trappistlover

Arizona

4.1/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

(sampled at Dak’s Memorial Day tasting. Huge thanks to Rusty for the share!!). Pours a cloudy, yellow apricot. Aroma is funky and has some nice grape, vinous qualities. Taste is sour and vinegary. Thin bodied with an oily texture. Smoth, sour finish. This was really good and I’m really glad to have tried this.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2011 23:04:47 | More by trappistlover

drabmuh

Maryland

4.15/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served at a tasting, side by side, with the J&J Roos. First thing is first. The labels of these beers are great. Oil paintings of a silhouette of a nude female torso profile, its just such a pretty painting. I understand that these beers were originally brewed for the brewer's wedding and the roos was for the wife (naked woman on the label) and the Blau was for the husband (naked man on the label). Great concept.

Beer is yellow and hazy, just like the other one. Head is small bubbles, white to off white.

Aroma is a strong funk and completely sour. More funky than the Roos but still amazing smelling.

There is a lot of citric based sour in this beer. This reminds me a lot of a Cantillon Helena but totally different. Beer is tart and there is a slight sulfur taste really late. Overall this beer is very similar to the Roos, slightly less sour, slightly more funk, and there's some sulfur in the palate. I understand that most people like the Blau over the Roos but I'm the opposite. Both are great but the Roos is slightly better.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2010 17:36:22 | More by drabmuh

rfgetz

New Jersey

4.22/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The Great Lambic Summit

Pours a mysteriously dark (for a geuze) copery gold color with hige poof of minature white bubbles. The glass is sheeted with lace after each sip. Scent is a wonderful blend of many subduded notes such as barnyard, earth, chalk, horse, musty oak, slight metallic tones even some fruit. Taste is more aggressive than many geuzes i have had, bold flavors from many complex notes including big musty wood flavors, balanced tartness, earth and clay, hints of tart cherry as well. Lighter side of medium bodied, highly active carbonation, light chalkyness, wonderfully dry. A treat that i would not even have put on my radar due to its rarity.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2010 17:27:16 | More by rfgetz

jrallen34

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Bottle graciously provided by Eric, redeeming my De Heeren experience that left me speechless and without a drop of their special nectars. Sadly the beer itself didn't redeem my experience, maybe too high of expectations on my part but based upon the seasoned palate of Alex and Sean who shared that their previous bottle was much better, it might be high time to drink these bad boys up. Especially considering this beer was about a month old straight ouf of De Heeren where you presume they are being stored at proper conditions and not waste deep in a flooded basement or off site completely. But I digress(if you want the full store just bm me)....As everyone mentioned, be prepared when opening, highly carbonated. Golden pour with a decent amount of head, not as much as you would expect though, a good thing. Good retention and lacing...A decent nose of funkyiness but it its weirdly acidic and stale to me. Lots of oak was surprising, sterile in a weird way for me...Taste was slightly better but still a sterile presence to it, inhibited in some way. Oak, lactic, sour horse blanket. The right players are there, just not working completely. Don't get me wrong this is still an excellent beer, but I was expecting in the range of Loerik and it was more in the range of Oude Gueze Vintage. The taste is more of a 4.25 but just can't give it a 4.5.

A beer worth trying for sure but starting down the wrong side of excellent.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2010 23:55:32 | More by jrallen34

AgentZero

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Big props to TurdFurgison for bringing this one out at my Bachelor Weekend Tasting.

A - Huge head, apparently this beer exploded (luckily some knowledgable BA's knew to open this outside. Some dragging lace on the sides. Head dissipated quickly to a partial cap.

S - Grass and barnyard up front. Sweet notes, also very light.

T - Great barnyard funk and horse blanket. Nice hay and farm smell. Not always a fan of these, but this is outstanding. Very light and sweet, great funk.

M - Super smooth, no bite on the backend like I was expecting. I think this is actually the highpoint of this beer, the complete lack of harshness.

D - So easy, even with the tartness. This is a great beer, not quite mindblowing, but doesn't disappoint on the hpye.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2010 21:55:02 | More by AgentZero

Damian

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Drank from an e 75 cl bottle purchased at De Heeren Van Liedekercke, Denderleeuw, Belgium
Botteldatum 6/5/2003
Served in a Drie Fonteinen tumbler

Review #675

The beer poured a hazy, medium amber and was topped by a three-finger, tight and bubbly, eggshell colored head. The head slowly faded to a thick cap of froth. Spotty drops of lacing trickled down the glass.

The aroma was super powdery and dry initially. A bit simplistic. As the beer opened up, the nose turned far more complex. Super funky and musty. Lots of barnyard and cellar characteristics. Leathery with strong notes of oak. There were also some crisp, fresh and dry, grass-like notes that added to the overall complexity.

The flavor profile was crisp, bright and Champagne-like. Remarkably dry with strong white grape notes. Good amount of lemony tartness. Slightly wheaty. Fairly acidic. Musty. Earthy hops came through on the puckeringly dry, tart and tannic finish. The beer turned funkier as it warmed but did not display the complexities found in the nose.

The mouthfeel was quite Champagne-like as well. Super creamy, plush and smooth on the palate. Supple. The liquid contained an ultra fine bubbled, zippy effervescence.

Geuze Cuvée J&J Blauw is a remarkably crisp, dry and refreshing beer, but it did not quite live up to my expectations. For a nine-year-old gueuze, it tasted surprisingly fresh and bright.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2012 03:42:30 | More by Damian

levifunk

Wisconsin

4.35/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle shared with the usual suspects.

a - super carbonated. the cork blew off with the slightest touch and proceeded to gush. be prepared.

s - huge funk. like blue cheese that smells diaper. lemon haygrass. a slight sulfer picked up that isn't desired.

t - green apple, grass and herbal finish. lemon AND lime. sweet dryness. basically imagine a gin & tonic lambic.

m - very carbonated (overly). light body. this one definitely improves once it has sat a while.

overall - I feel like this is a world-class brew/blend on its way down-hill. I'd say open it if you have it.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2011 23:20:56 | More by levifunk

wagenvolks

Texas

4.38/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Wow. Never thought I'd get a chance to try this one...xpimptastikx is a hero amongst men for sharing this bottle with me, himself, and two others at a recent tasting.

Blauw sports a creamy, light custard head that is superbly retained atop a hazy caramel-colored body. Aromas of wet Earth and wild berry vines. This gueuze embodies the definition of barnyard funk. Soily, hippy funk. And it is so good.

Vinous greenery bites into the palate, with a soft undertone of fruit and fresh-cut grass. A bit of funk, but Blauw has more of that lactic bite I've come to expect from a good Belgian gueuze. Mouthfeel is uber-carbonated and light on the palate with a nice drying, tannic finish that doesn't wear down the tongue. Paired well with blue cheese and aged cheddar. Such a great beer, and worthy of the hype. Thanks Mike!!

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2010 16:55:01 | More by wagenvolks

womencantsail

California

4.38/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Another round of thanks to Jer for opening a ridiculous number of bottles.

A: The pour is orange/amber in color with a towering white head and a staggering level of carbonation.

S: Seems to be a bit more composed than the Roos. Lots of wet oak, hay, lemon, green apple, and grass. There's a nice acidity to the nose along with plenty of "green" funk.

T: The lemon, green apple, and lactic acidity is more pronounced on the palate than the nose lets on. Plenty of must, oak, along with hay and grass. A definite funkiness that I would put under the "barnyard" umbrella.

M: The body is medium with a high level of carbonation and a bone dry finish.

D: Again, the better of the two (Roos and Blauw), but one that I wish I had a bit more frame of reference on (meaning, I wish I'd tried them when they were younger). Still, a really great gueuze.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2011 01:25:23 | More by womencantsail

Sean9689

Illinois

4.45/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Another huge thanks to Alex (MasterSki) for acquiring this bottle for our sour/wild tasting. Poured from 750ml bottle into Bell's Tulip.

Holy shit, Alex just tried to kill Dave while opening this one! This one is a gusher! Luckily, Dave didn't die but the only problem is he went after the cat who was sprayed with the Blauw nectar. The cat made it out alive, but I can't look at Dave the same ever again.

A - Pours mirky burnt orange with a HUGE white fizzy head. I had to let this one settle down a bit before pouring some more into my glass. The head on this one is crazy-big! Lots of sticky white lacing is left behind by the enormous head.

S - Holy super-funk! I thought I knew about funk until I poured this beer and took a whiff. I now have a new appreciation for all that is funk from Brouwerij Drie Fonteinen! Lost of stinky cheese notes but really all I can say is FUNK!

T - Uh...funk? Yeah, that's it! Very acidic as well along with some lemon citrus notes. Not quite as mind-blowing as the smell, but excellent, nonetheless.

M - Light boded. SUPER DRY...in fact, the liquid absorbs the saliva in your mouth and then tries to turn your face inside out. Okay, maybe not that bad, but it has a very dry finish. Nice fizzy carbonation which is champagne-esk and works well with this beer.

D - Not as drinkable as the previous two wilds I just had simply because my palate would be stripped of all taste buds after finishing this bottle. However, it's an oustanding beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2009 15:28:55 | More by Sean9689

SpencerDB

North Carolina

4.45/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle thanks to Craytonic at our local tasting. Popped next to Roos. Thanks Matt.

Explosive gusher pour. Came out golden yellow with a largy frothy white head.

Nose is sharper than roos. Full of pepper, full body sharpness of funky, blanket, bandaid, lemon rind, with an acetic finish.

Slightly messy acetic and peppery mouthfeel. Very spritsy/carbonated. Excellent lambic.

I enjoyed the Roos better, but if we had only opened this one, I still would have thought it was exceptional.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2011 19:09:59 | More by SpencerDB

cosmicevan

New York

4.45/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Notes taken from 9/29 from the craziest bottle share that i have ever been a part of. Thanks so much to the NYC and Hoboken crew for letting me participate in this incredible day of drinking long time wants and insanity.

Thanks kindly to Josh for sharing.

a - a GUSHER!!!! gorgeous murky orange color with a thin fizzy head that hung out forever. streaky slippery lacing.
s - musty. barnyard funk.
t - musty barnyard funk, just like the nose. Really funky. very enjoyable.
m - dry finish...musty!
o - overall holding up amazingly well. really good, really funky, and really musty.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2012 20:59:44 | More by cosmicevan

illidurit

California

4.47/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle shared at RBSG 08 Grand Tasting. Cloudy dark gold color with a nice bubbly head. Aroma is explosive with oak and lemon. Very sharp. Flavors of lemon juice, crabapple skins, vinegar. All with an even woodiness throughout. Very crisp and drying on the palate. Very intense but easily drinkable for sour lovers.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2008 18:32:30 | More by illidurit

stcules

Italy

4.47/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Side by side tasting with the Roos.
Bronze color, a bit darker than the Roos. A lot of foam, maybe even too much, but beautiful.
The smell is a bit lighter than the Roos, but more murky.
Then at the taste, definitely intense. Leather. Definitely more prickly, more raw, but absolutely interesting.
The Roos is delicate, tart, but very smooth. This one is more male, intense, prickly.
Great couple.
Full mouthfeel. Less Spicy than the Roos.
Anyway, great beer.
And great drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2008 11:32:30 | More by stcules

egajdzis

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured a hazy golden color with a large white head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of brett, leather, funky cheese, horsey, and green apple. Taste was bretty, with green apple, and lemon peel, and a sharp, sour finish which didn't seem to come together as nicely as the Roze. Thanks to Steve for sharing these!

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2008 00:34:15 | More by egajdzis

pepsican

Iowa

4.47/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Murky amber pour with a nice sized white head. Oaky, dusty, leather aroma. Oh man. Zesty lemon, oak, leather, dust, and funk in the flavor. Tart finish with plenty of carbonation. This one was much more mild in the flavor than in the aroma which was very nice. Man oh man was this good.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2009 03:33:13 | More by pepsican

Overlord

California

4.47/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to a generous Jerz. Managed to take down a few notes in regards to this brew.

Pours a pale gold with a white frothy, gigantic head. The most carbonated sour ale I can recall. Incredibly bubbly, long-lasting carbonation.

Smells like cheese, unripe citrus, a bit of farmhouse/barnyard mustiness, fresh cut hay, and mold. Really smells wonderful.

Taste is very good, but way overcarbonated. The funk gives way to sour tones, though it isn't bracingly sour. Fresh, still-green grapefruits and lemons dominate, with cobwebs of must, dust, funk, and earthy loam add layers of complexity. There definitely is a sweaty cheese component to both the aroma and the smell.

Rich lively mouthfeel. I don't know ... I guess you can wait for the carbonation to die down, but I really feel like I've got to ding the crazy bubbling problem.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2010 21:03:06 | More by Overlord

treyrab

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Huge thanks to Joe for whipping this bad boy out for our Philly Tasting Part Deux. Have wanted to try this gem for a while, and I'm glad Joe pulled through big time. The wait was worth it, and the beer delivered.

A: Pours darker than expected. A nice golden copper with an absolutely awesome spritzy white head. Compared to the other Gueuze's we had at the tasting, this was a few SRMs darker in colour. Very spritzy and lively, yielding a two finger white head.

S: Awesome dank wet basement, fresh picked mushrooms (with dry soil on them), cobweb, sour lemon, oak, slight dry vanilla. Really a cornucopia of scents here; very complex.

T: Equally as mesmerizing as the scent. The dank, musty flavours in the scent meld into the flavour nicely. Awesome basement and dry mushroom. Intensely sour, but not overly lactic. A perfect blend of sourness. Very dry with a nice oak character that lends a touch of sweetness to an otherwise dry, our ale.

Overall, this beer DELIVERED. Top 5 Gueze's I've had. Interested to see if this one develops more.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2011 14:09:40 | More by treyrab

Jwale73

Rhode Island

4.5/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Much thanks to Chris Lively for sharing this rare beer. Served in a wide-mouthed, stemmed tasting glass. Poured a hazy, tawny gold with a lush, bright white head that exhibited excellent retention, while forming generous, delicate strands of lacing, as it receded. Nose was somewhat musty, earthy, horse blanket and predominantly acidic lemon. Taste consistent with nose, however, musty quality present in the nose is somewhat overshadowed by a huge citric acid presence (sour lemons) that culminates in a tart finish. Mouthfeel was light-bodied, lively and effervescent, culminating in a dry, although not quite clean finish; however, definitely a palette cleanser. This is a truly exquisite sour - so easy drinking and flavorful. The question is how do I get more.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2009 00:17:27 | More by Jwale73

craytonic

District of Columbia

4.5/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Shared with dirty south tasting krewe of kkipple, habmike and SpencerDB to celebrate Spencer's new job. Done side-by-side with Roos.

Appearance: Amazing head retention for such an old lambic; stuck around for the entire glass. Also some good lacing. A bit darker on the pour than roos. This one was also a gusher. Pour itself is a yellow-orange with touches of amber.

Smell: Much more sharp and heavy than roos, harsher and more pointed funk. Cheese elements also, but sharp. Lots of sweat, funk and angry oak.

Taste: Again, this one is very sharp. Sharp funk and sharp cheese with a harsh oak and sour/bitter lemon finish. Sour, more so than Roos, also. Much more the pointed, dominant male of the two beers, which the label states in no uncertain graphic terms.

Mouthfeel: Lots of carbonation, more than I expected. I like them closer to still with the faintest carbonation but I think the carbonation helps with the heaver and sharper flavors here. Certainly more heavy than the Roos.

Drinkability: Very enjoyable, not as soft and mellow as Roos (which I preferred) but still an amazing beer. Blauw beats the roos only in terms of presentation. I feel that having the two side-by-side perhaps made me grade this one more harshly than I would had I sampled it by itself.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2011 05:14:09 | More by craytonic

Treebs

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

And this is what Sean finished the tasting with. Had this back to back with the Roze. 750 ml bottle served in a Portsmouth tulip.

A: Much darker amber color than the Roze. A nice frothy white head forms on the pour and slowly recedes to a thick collar and thin cap. Splotchy lace is left behind.

S: Sour raspberry, tart cherries and some oak. Light sweetness and mild funk as well. blends really nicely together.

T: Dark sour cherry with a nice pucker. Almost like a warhead candy with out the artificial sugar flavors. Tart raspberry, vanilla sweetness, some woody oak and nice funky cheese on the finish.

M: Light bodied with a crisp, drying mouthfeel. The sourness gets in there gives you a nice pucker. A real jowl hitter.

O: I enjoyed this just a tad more than the Roze as it had more a sour kick to it. The Roze was more vibrant, but this beer went deeper in flavor. Huge thanks again to Sean (Sean9689) for sharing this rarity!!

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 14:51:56 | More by Treebs