Oude Geuze 1998 (50th Anniversary)
Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen

Oude Geuze 1998 (50th Anniversary)Oude Geuze 1998 (50th Anniversary)
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From:
Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
 
Belgium
Style:
Gueuze
ABV:
6%
Score:
98
Avg:
4.46 | pDev: 9.64%
Reviews:
33
Ratings:
91
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 03, 2023
Added:
Feb 12, 2010
Wants:
  127
Gots:
  6
No description / notes.
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Ratings by Thorpe429:
Photo of Thorpe429
Reviewed by Thorpe429 from Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Bottle at the DC Lambic & Sour Tasting on April 14, 2012. Served in an old-school Drie Fonteinen fountains gueuze tumbler. Huge thanks to Brad for this one.

Pours a clear golden color with a bit of a tawny hue to the background. The head is white and small, falling somewhat quickly and leaving behind some sparse lacing as it lays down in a thin collar.

The nose brings some heavy earth and funk with lightly-oxidized malt. Some interesting light herbal characteristics in the background that I've never gotten from a Drie Fonteinen gueuze before.

The flavor is much more complex and integrated, with the funk, earth, and light herbal character headed to the next level. Average flavor duration with light acidity and moderate funk through the finish.

The body is medium and slightly-chewy with light carbonation. Really great feel and complexity.

We had this side-by-side with the Oude Geuze 1999 blend (supposedly one of Armand's favorites) and Millennium, and both of those quite handily beat out this bottle. With that said, this beer was still very, very good.
Apr 18, 2012
More User Ratings:
Photo of Sabtos
Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio

5/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
From their cellar during the on-site release of their 2023 Zenne pack, this basket rested bottle had no label, just dust, and a dead spider. The beer itself displayed a beautifully suspended haze of sunset orange to lighter yellow at the bottom, all under a densely level head of fine white bubbles that maintained a doily cling.

Before getting to the review, it's worth noting right up front that this exceeds pure perfection, and is more than whatever a 5 means. Alas, that is the limit.

The nose is so complex I'm definitely failing here. Perhaps I can pull out some parmesan or other hard cheese rind, but it takes that wood, funk, ester, acid, and citrus perfume that 3F is known for and elevates it all to something more. There are certainly some humidor qualities, as well characteristics of walnut, passion fruit seed and cured citrus peel.

Delightfully frothy and wine-like in two contrastingly brilliant directions, there's such an unbelievable balance of acidity and mouthfeel that I find myself just taking it in for an extra few moments at a time. The white wine qualities on the palate include tart melon on the exhale, parallel to gently biting cedar in the tingly yet bone dry finish. My partner detects apricot candy over time, while I find that cherry and fresh wild honey develop as we get further along, yet suddenly so.

I'm incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to enjoy this right in the heart of the beautiful place that Drie Fonteinen calls home.
Jul 03, 2023
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

4.02/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Bottle, RBESG 2005 Grand Tasting. Hazy pale brown colour. Funky aroma, notes of horseblanket and sour fruits. Flavour is typical geuze sour, not too much, fruity. Very nice.
Jun 06, 2022
Photo of Stevedore
Reviewed by Stevedore from Oregon

4.43/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Light golden yellow with a slight coppery hue. Smells of relatively mild leathery funk, lemon and distinct oak. Flavor is more nuanced than a typical fresh OG; light lemon, a bit of spice, distinct leathery and oak, finishes with a dry black pepper.
Jan 02, 2022
Photo of VelvetExtract
Reviewed by VelvetExtract from Massachusetts

4.47/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Bottle. Still held up very, very well. The cork shot off. The bubbles were still tight and plentiful. Lots of flavor with a sharp sourness and acidity. Earthy notes. A real treat to be able to drink and it's great that it's still a living beer.
Dec 06, 2020
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

4.3/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
obviously an absurdly rare treat to get to try this beer some twenty years after it was bottled, i feel lucky and blessed to have had the opportunity. some in the group said it was past its prime, and there is a little oxidation here, but its ancient lambic at this point, and some of that can be flattering. its a neat beer, obviously something a little maltier in the blend with more of a brassy color to this and with some obvious grain decomposition in the nose and taste, i get red apple skins and dried apricots and light fruity vinegar, white wine, and still the classic oaky lambic funk, lightly medicinal here, oddly with some sweetness, subtle maple or honey even to it, minerals, hay and straw, farmy must, and a certain mature dankness, still a cool balance between the different fermenting elements, and still some body. i was surprised that this held a little head and that it stayed lively in the bottle, but there is nice carbonation to this making it feel even more fancy than its age and rarity already does. this is about as old a beer as i have had, but its still got a lot of merit in the glass, i didnt find it past its prime, even though some oxidation is setting in, it works. tart but not too sour to want to keep drinking, and with a very cool almost autumnal fruitiness with apples and sweet dessert wine and dried fruitiness. complex and intriguing, i cant believe i got to drink this. special stuff, especially at this point. what a life!
Oct 19, 2018
Photo of ArrogantB
Reviewed by ArrogantB from Colorado

4/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I was lucky enough to attend a beer dinner where this was one of the pairings. Still a nice orange color, not much head to speak of. Smelled like sweet candy with no oxidation. Flavor was also strangely sweet. I bet this was killer when it was first distributed. It held up much better than the 2001 that was served prior. This was the oldest 3F geuze I have ever had and it convinced me not to let me bottles go too long, I'll be opening some mid-2000's bottles from the basement asap.
Oct 18, 2018
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

4.61/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Bottle courtesy of Douglas88. Light and airy, held up perfectly. Pale golden with light airy head. Mild tartness, sweet fruity. Fizzy, still...amazing
Mar 05, 2018
 
Rated: 4.69 by YvesB from Belgium

Oct 30, 2017
Photo of kevanb
Reviewed by kevanb from Illinois

4.37/5  rDev -2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
750ml bottle, poured into a Drie Fonteinen "3" wine glass. Enjoyed on 1.28.17, reviewed from Tasting Journal.

The beer pours a nice copper color, light amber that's cloudy and hazy with a huge off white head, great retention with spots of lace. The aroma is super funky, a bit minty with dead dry leaves, loads of barnyard and horseblanket with light spice, wildflower that ends up being a bit herbal as it warms up with wheat and old grain and hops, exceptionally fragrant. The flavors are wonderful, super dry and funky, lots of barnyard character, stale grain, aged hops offer some green leafy character a touch of citrus. Wildflower bouquet builds as it warms, a bit herbal and minty with a nice lingering mineral water character. The mouthfeel is nice, lively and crisp with zippy carbonation, coats well that's smooth and easy with a tart finish.

Verdict: An awesome gueuze, quite lively and fragrant despite the age. Complex and refreshing, the minty character is unusual but it subsides as it warms and the balance feels more natural. Definitely a real treat of a beer.
Aug 28, 2017
 
Rated: 4.5 by AMCimpi from New York

Mar 09, 2017
 
Rated: 4.86 by Deltoro from Florida

Dec 28, 2015
 
Rated: 4.96 by blisscent from Rhode Island

Aug 20, 2015
 
Rated: 5 by topdown from California

Aug 06, 2015
 
Rated: 4.47 by halo3one from Georgia

Jul 21, 2015
Photo of jaken0ss
Reviewed by jaken0ss from New Jersey

4.01/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
750 ml bottle shared on 7/20/15 in a blind tasting

This bottle really fell short in comparison to it's counterparts. Which really isn't fair, BUT, this bottle was clearly over the hill. There was barely any odors on the nose, and the taste was muted. Sad that it was only a shell of it's former self, but happy to have drank!
Jul 21, 2015
 
Rated: 4.34 by mlhyatt from Georgia

Jul 21, 2015
 
Rated: 4.54 by mltobin from Connecticut

Apr 17, 2015
 
Rated: 4.75 by jrob21 from North Carolina

Jan 29, 2015
 
Rated: 4.93 by Paccamacca from California

Jan 04, 2015
Oude Geuze 1998 (50th Anniversary) from Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Beer rating: 98 out of 100 with 91 ratings