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

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

NittanyBeerFan

Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to bucketboy for bringing this to the tasting. Beer number 10 overall. Done side-by-side with the Drie Fonteinen red label Oude Geuze Vintage from 2002.

Hazy brownish amber in color, though the body is more clear than the Oude Geuze Vintage. This one haze absolutely no haze to it, and it is very effervescent.

The aroma is mildly earthy, though the 3F geuze briny funk comes through again very strong here. It is accompanied by a well-balanced lactic sourness that contributes citrusy notes. No hint of acetobacter here at all. The aroma rounds out with some aromas of sulfur and mineral spirits.

The flavor is much more tropical fruit-dominated than was the OGV. Dry and tannic with fruit skin tannins, there is a touch of vanilla. I find a strong oaky woodiness, though I know that it can't possibly be from the barrels, as they lost those abilities to impart these flavors long ago. Stonefruits - peaches and apricots - contribute brightening flavors in front of the more prominent funk that makes the sourness almost an afterthought. There is some citric lemon rind, the only hint of lacto in this flavor profile. Overall, I found that this flavor was more developed beginning to end than was the OGV.

Drying and complex on the palate, this was less bright and certainly less briny than the Oude Geuze Vintage from the year before, but the tropical notes really bring this beer up as they augment the earthiness of the mid-palate so nicely. This side-by-side is too close to call without going to the math of the ratings. Two world class geuzes produced in consecutive years.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2011 13:01:11 | More by NittanyBeerFan

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

grub

Ontario (Canada)

4.53/5  rDev -3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

lantern corps beer summit 2010 - day 2, oct 9/2010. xmarcnolanx contributed this one. thanks marc!

750ml corked and caged bottle.

pours slightly hazy pale orange with a huge white head. the head drops fast and leaves lots of lace.

aroma is great. soft and mellow sourness. vanilla and raw oak. white bread and cracker. earthy and slightly herbal. light alcohol. cider vinegar. tobacco and leather. light horse blanket. lemon.

taste is great. much like the aroma with that same great mellow sour character. great depth. medium-low bitterness level.

mouthfeel is great. medium-light body wiht a super dry finish. medium light carbonation level.

drinkability is great. great balance and depth. nice soft sourness that doesn't sacrifice any complexity in its mellowness. an excellent sour.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2011 17:04:40 | More by grub

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

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

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

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.6/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Incredible amount of thanks to Eric for sharing this bottle at Mike's bachelor-party tasting. I had been wanting to try this for quite some time now. Served in a Savor snifter.

Pours with a nice golden hue and a single-finger white head with some good retention as well as a good dose of lacing and a nice collar after that settles down. Light carbonation bubbles atop the beer throughout. How long they would have stayed, I'm not all that sure--try as I might to drink this slowly, I couldn't really help myself. The nose was quite funky with a bit of sourness. A nice oak presence and a lot of horse blanket. This was just extremely pungent.

The taste had some really nice lactic character as well as musty basement notes and some lemon. Good barnyard-y hay character and a slight woodiness. The mouthfeel was quite dry with just enough carbonation. Excellent funk presence throughout with a good amount of sourness to balance. Amazingly complex, this was a bottle I could have consumed all of, and am glad we opened this outside without losing any, especially given the fact that I believe the cork shot out a good 25 feet or more. Cheers, Eric.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2010 12:04:36 | More by Thorpe429

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.53/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I bought a few of these after dinner at De Heeren Van Liedekerke last month, now breaking out the first one. After popping the cork I'm surprised and relieved that it made it home in my luggage without exploding. Huge appreciation for Alex's suggestion to open it outside. While unscrewing the cage the cork started hissing, like a ticking clock in a bomb. A few more turns and it shot like a gun, it may well have flown 20-25 ft to the street, I never heard it land. No lost beer though, glasses at the ready to catch the foam that started pushing through.

This is a classic gueuze, pale golden color with an orange hue, first pours were the clearest while later pours had more haze. Huge foam on top, dissipation leading to some nice lacing.

It smells tart with all kinds of funk. Maybe a little more refined than the 2007 Oude Gueuze Vintage we had afterwards, but it's not far from splitting hairs. A little more integrated, maybe a tad metallic in the nose but whatever, I could not stop inhaling this. Looking for barrel notes I came up with light cedar, probably I'm wrong and that's from some other thing in the beer.

Nice sour bite, some musk and dank basement, all kinds of descriptors that don't sound positive but are. Less wood than in the aroma, less metallic notes, more barnyard funk and dirt. My notes from the Roos I had in October mentioned more citric character than I'm getting from the Blauw. Too bad I didn't try them back to back. A little spicy, but it might be the more than adequate carbonation bubbling on my tongue.

What more to add, if you get a chance to try this I recommend it. If the supplies diminish to the point that it becomes too difficult to land I recommend slightly aged 3F gueuze, both are world class with only small nuances between them.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2010 19:29:37 | More by TurdFurgison

JAXSON

Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Rating from January, 2010.

Cork bangs off, pours a clear medium orange/gold with a tempestuous head that just stick around the upper regions of the glass. Epic. Big, funky nose full of light fruits, slightly vinous. A bit light and tingly on the nose. Crisp, snappy, and lively in the mouth. Tight, dry, but wondrously rich and full-bodied. Not the most funky or sour geuze out there, but just so refined, balanced, and lively. Light oranges, lemons dance about a musty barnyard funk. Near perfect really, and absolutely delightful.***After fantasizing about this beer for the past few weeks, the thing that struck me the most was the really lively, vibrant lime and lemon which kind of fizzed throughout the whole thing. This quality really reminds me of batch 3 Sanctification (the really good batch), so that's the closest comparison I would have to this wonderful beverage.

Since the original bottle in January I've had this a couple times, and it's always been ridiculously good. Perhaps that first bottle was the best, just in how much better it was than most gueuze out there. I think I might have had 1-2 better since, though this is epic stuff.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2010 03:08:04 | More by JAXSON

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

4.55/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle shared by speedwayjim at our tasting. Thank you Jim. Poured from a bottle into my tasting glass.

A: Golden yellow hue. Huge white head. It took several pours just to fill my glass. Soapy lace.

S: Initial aroma is full on damp basement. Green apple skins, lemon zest, fresh cut hay with a nice balanc eof sweet and tart.

T: Huge lactic sour puckers my cheeks. Wet old dusty wood and band aid. Mild sweetness in the finish.

M: Dry as a bone light bubbly body.

D: Fantastic beer. So thankful I was able to try this one. I could drink this daily.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2010 01:32:16 | More by beerwolf77

sweemzander

Illinois

4.65/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottle poured into a tasting glass. Big thanks go out to Jim for sharing this with us!

(A)- Pours a hazy copper color that produced a huge foamy off-white head that dissipated later on.

(S)- Nice and funky with a bit of musty cheese. Some hints of fruit. Mildly lactic. Has an woody oak presence throughout.

(T)- Funktastic! Like the smell, opens and almost closes with woody aspects, however it does also bring some must and lactic bits to the table as well. Good lemon fruit and earthy flavors.

(M)- A great carbonation level and balance with a funky sourness and very up front oak, but really nicely smooth with some fruits and earth coming into play.

(D)- Just a great Gueuze really. Was excited and honored to try it and it did not let me down.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2010 18:15:40 | More by sweemzander

kbutler1

Minnesota

4.63/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Bottle. Nice pop from the cork as the cage is released. Pours a slightly hazed orange yellow with a big fluffy white head that slowly recedes. Pretty funky floral aroma with nice touches of some fruit. Oaky and earthy with some nice fruit almost like blueberry as well. Decently sour and tart with a nice lemony zest type taste but balanced with other fruit like sweetness. Hints of oak and earth. Light mouthfeel. This is an amazing beer with lots of depth. Some peach as well. Ends rather cleanly.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2010 13:23:21 | More by kbutler1

SpeedwayJim

New York

4.63/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

An enormous thank you to Adam for this one. Shared at a tasting. 5oz. pour into a small snifter. Reviewed from notes.

A: I don't even have to take the cage off this one. Exploding cork blows off the cage as soon as I untwist it. Pours a 2 finger, foamy white head with good retention. Beer is a cloudy orange-yellow. Lacing is thick, layered, and with great cling.

S: Nose is oak, fresh soaked wood, bark, lemons, and a hint of tea leaves. Aromatic and invigorating all around with the characteristic burnt rubber aroma noticeably missing.

T: Opens oaky. Wood is very apparent in this one. Middle is sour peach and subtle papaya. Tart from the midlde to the end. Dry without being puckering. Perfectly balanced. Finishes with an accented yeasty spice. No aftertaste.

M: Light to medium bodied, dry and saliva-enducing. Oily, sticky, and substantial in the mouth. Finish is accented with a sticky aftertaste that is clean for the most part.

D: At a tasting with Millenium Geuze and Crianza Helena, this was the best of its style by a longshot and was agreed upon by most others present. Simply a masterpiece. Perfectly smooth and balanced in both taste and feel. Definitely worth the effort to acquire.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2010 03:05:24 | More by SpeedwayJim

alcstradamus

Illinois

4.65/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Thanks to the "King of Beers" Jim for sharing this one.

Poured into a 5 oz. taster glass. Not a proper vessel for reviewing appearance, so my rating for this category is adjusted to create an accurate overall score.

Pours a murky golden brown color. The aroma is very oaky, lemon zesty, dirty/earthy, with a sunflower seed nuttiness.

The flavor is complex but very well balanced. A bit oak forward I suppose (ok, LOTS of oak) with a tart lemon backbone. Notes of peach and a laundry list of earthy qualities.

The body is ultra dry and pretty much perfect for a gueuze.

Overall this is just an outstanding example of gueuze and a blend that is definitely unique and inspiring.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2010 23:41:09 | More by alcstradamus

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

4.63/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a 1/2 finger of off-white head. Great retention. Leaves some lace. Color is a hazed golden orange. Active carbonation.

Aroma: Sour and funky with some oak. Has a fresh fruit profile with some sour lemon zest. Horse blanket and barnyard funk. I get a hint of grapes as well.

Taste: Wow, it is spot on. A perfect amount of acidic, funk, and fruit. I get blueberries with a big amount of oak. Lemon zest and citrus. It has a barnyard funk and hay with some horseblanket.

Mouthfeel: Fizzy, sour, and tart. Light to medium body with a good amount of carbonation. Ends clean with a light funk.

Overall, probably the best gueuze I have had. Very drinkable. I cannot believe how better this is as compared to others. Wow, it is crazy drinkable. I am very happy with this one.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2010 22:50:17 | More by mothman

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

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

callmemickey

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle shared with the wife on August 12 2010 at De Heeren van Liedekerke.

A: Inviting golden, pale-amber colored body with was capped by a beautiful craggy off-white head. Lasted for quite sometime and left a healthy dose of soap-like lace.

S: The only thing that outdoes the lemon-lactic citric nature of this beer is the massive musty, oak funk that permeates the immediate area surrounding the freshly opened bottle. Certainly inviting to any gueuze-head.

T: Magnificent. A well balanced performance is put on by the lemon, oak, must, wheat, and tart notes here. This bottle demonstrates why great gueuze can be cellared for years.

M: Quite the effervescent treat here. Loads of carbonation delivers the flavors to the tongue with each sip. Bone dry finish with a healthy, but not overpowering tartness.

D: An undeniably great gueuze. Traveling out to DHVL is also a great part of the experience!

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2010 20:59:29 | More by callmemickey

xpimptastikx

Texas

4.8/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A - The cork pops out loudly and we were are a little surprised by the bottle gushing. This beer is almost 7 years old and still has plenty of carbonation. Pours copper gold with a pillowy white head that leaves a web and decent lacing.

S - Blauw brings the funk, a soaking wet horse rolling on a blue cheese blanket in a barn. The citric aroma of lemon peel is there with a light oak.

T - A perfect balance is what describes the taste. Not as funky as the nose, nice lemon, oak, white grapes, with a tannic finish.

M/D - high carbonation, tannic dry finish, with decent acidity that does not wear on the palate. The only reason I stopped sipping on this beer was to enjoy the assortment of funky cheeses.

A beautiful blend of lambics that has easily stood up to 7 years, and my favorite gueuze to date.

Now I just need a Roos....

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2010 22:33:07 | More by xpimptastikx

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

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

4.53/5  rDev -3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle: Poured a dirty cloudy beige color lambic with a huge foamy head with great retention and some really good lacing. Aroma of oak with funky notes of wet leather and barnyard notes is quite sublime. Taste is a very nice complex mix between some acidity similar to what can be found in green apples as well as some oak and barn yard notes. Flavors are very well balanced with good carbonation even though bottle is 7 years old. Even though this is great it still feels to be slightly inferior to the regular Oude Gueuze from 1999 which in my book is still one of the best beer around the world.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2010 19:34:56 | More by Phyl21ca

HopHead84

California

4.7/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Bottle consumed on 7/30/2010, thanks! Opened carefully outside and only lost a few ounces. This was my second (third, if you count the chaos that was Woodshop 5.0) encounter with the beer and I enjoyed it a lot more this time around. I poured it and allowed it to sit for a while, enjoying it over 2-3 hours. The beer really opened up and when the carbonation died down a bit the flavor was incredible. The tannins were more restrained in this bottle, but it is still a very woody and tannic Gueuze. Enjoyed with a Danish Bleu Cheese, I don't know what could possibly be better.

+.5 Taste
+.5 Mouthfeel
+.5 Drinkability

Bottle Consumed on 11/6/2009 and poured into a snifter. I'd heard that this one was a gusher so we opened it outside. When we popped the cork, foam rose at a moderate pace but there was no gushing. The beer pours very carbonated with an enormous fizzy, off white, three finger head. Retention is excellent and scattered lacing is left behind. The color is cloudy dull sun orange.

The nose opens with a nice balance of funk and citrus. There's a moderate tannic quality in the nose with noticeable wood. The Brett is expressive, imparting a goaty character and notes of wet leather, cheese, musty barnyard, and wet horse blanket. There's a distinct white grape note accompanied by lemon peel and an earthy quality. These various elements are superbly balanced.

The flavor opens with tart lemon peel, white grape skins, and lactic notes. It's very woody with a tannic dominance. The flavor isn't as funky as the nose suggested, but there are subtle notes of wet leather and barnyard mustiness. Lactic sourness increases with warming. The finish is tart citrus with wood notes and unbelievably tannic and dry. This might be the most tannic beer I've ever had. It's definitely the most tannic beer I can think of off the top of my head.

The beer is spritzy with a dry, tannic mouthfeel that turns your mouth into a desert wasteland. I'm not sure what I was expecting from this beer. I really enjoyed the aroma, but the flavor fell short of my expectations. I found that the extreme tannic quality detracted from the overall enjoyment.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2010 00:02:35 | More by HopHead84

nickd717

California

4.7/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This was my 2000th officially recorded tick! Hell yeah! 750ml bottle thanks to alfrantzell.

The cork exploded out of the bottle. Pours hazy golden in color with a gigantic white head that lasts. Good lacing.

Amazing gueuze aroma: funky, musty, and oaky with a slight sulfuric note. Really really awesome for the gueuze style.

Flavor is also excellent. A little funky with a subtle malt note and lots of barnyard funk. A little cheesiness even, but in a good way. Lots of oak and slight tannins. Just a little residual sweetness.

Dry on the palate with good medium acidity and fairly high carbonation.

Really awesome stuff overall. I like my gueuzes with a little bit of sweetness to balance the tartness, and this is such a beer. Too bad it's so rare (although the rarity undoubtedly enhanced my experience with this one).

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2010 17:09:22 | More by nickd717