Drie Fonteinen Oude Geuze - Brouwerij Drie Fonteinen

SamuraiJack

Oregon

5/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Do you remember when you first discovered "real" beer? When you found yourself on a quest for the "Elizabethan ideal" of beer - found yourself believing there was some sort of perfect "ur-beer" that was the embodiment of all that is good about beer? As time went by you lost that dream and decided that perfection was unobtainable and that, instead, it was about the journey?

Well... shockingly it turns out that this was not an unrealistic romantic dream. There is perfection - and this beer proves the dream to be attainable.

Popping the cork results in a loud, champagne-like "pop" and whisps of smoky mist. Before you can even pour this beauty you are assaulted by the aroma. I'd say "horse blanket" but it's more like "sheep" than "horse." Pungent, ripe and astringent notes riding on a bed of fruit. Pouring the beer results in dense streamers of "tiny bubbles" (grin) rising from all sides of the glass and building a perfect, frothing white pillow of a head.

Upon pouring you discover those initial aromas were just a subtle hint of what was in store. Astonishingly powerful nose - this is not an "apologetic" Lambic. This is not a "dumbed down" Geuze.The acidic fruit tartness goes beyond merely bright and becomes almost abrasive in the nose. Pungent barnyard aromas of ripe cheese and funk swim in the astringent fruits - Wow!!

And then you sip... Lights shine from the heavens, a smile breaks out on your face, you look at the bottle, at the amount remaining, at your companions... perhaps you could kill one of them and take their share. Initial citric straw flavours with an underpinning of exotic fruit lead into an explosive middle palatte burst of unbelievably tart and strong lemony grapefruit and green apple tastes. It would be perhaps TOO astringent were it not for the solid foundation of lactic-acid like, funky cheese flavours that soften the bite and warm the tongue.The finish goes on forever with a lovely spumante acidic dry bite that makes your lips feel like they've been glued to your teeth. "Must... drink... more..." At the very very end you, again, get a hint of barnyard and some light dry toasting oak. This is a full spectrum, every tastebud on board, whole palette experience.

The ne plus ultra de Lambic indeed. Unforgiving, unapologetic, this beer is The One.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2003 11:27:28 | More by SamuraiJack

Sephiroth

Indiana

5/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottle dated 1999: Purchased from Rich O's in New Albany, bottle stored on its side. Reviewed at home. Pours with good carbonation and lacing such as I have never seen from this style. Smells sour, slightly musty and yeasty. Malty, even.

Taste is huge! Extreme barnyard at first, quickly followed by intense sourness, and a sweet finish. Malt is observed as well. I'm going to pair this with rare filet mignon, hold on a minute... Fu#k yeah! The tastes of the meat and the beer are both big, and both stand up to the other quite nicely. Mouthfeel is still bubbly after the years, drinkability is outstanding.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2006 08:58:11 | More by Sephiroth

k75

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

yes, a perfect beer.
I tried. I find no flaws. Could a sour beer be better? no. different? yes, but not better. equal? possibly. currently my favorite sour.

dense layers of delicate sour , tart, a passing nod to funk - all balanced in a robustly refreshing gueuze.
amazing

a beer worthy of a quest.

k75

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2007 07:43:05 | More by k75

Avagadro

New Jersey

5/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottled 2008, good for ten years. I can't wait that long.

A: hazy and orange with generous doses of froth topping off the brew. Lacing is vigorous, with bubbles quickly shooting for base to head.

S: quite possibly one of the most floral brews I've come across. The bouquet hits the nose immediately upon popping the cork. Farmhouse funk melds with spicy hay. Complex, pungent, and delightful.

T: extremely dry and puckering sour. Lemon lime citrus are complement funk, herbs, and grass.

M: light body with heavy carbonation. It reminds me of a good champagne.

D: a must have for any lambic lover. This is one of the best examples I have come across. Unfortunately, a limited number of bottles remain. Hurry up and snag one before they're gone.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2010 13:14:03 | More by Avagadro

DefenCorps

Oregon

5/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

On the 12th of December 2010, I happened to stumble upon a bottle of the 1999 Oude Gueuze, probably my top want since I got to try it at the Lambic Summit in Phily. Sharing it with a close friend, reminiscing over what we were doing when this beer was bottled and spending a couple of hours nursing my lions share, I was convinced that this was the best gueuze I'd ever had. More detailed notes from the Summit are below, but briefly, the blend of soft lemons, mellow tannins and a light floral character make this beer unique. Better than Blauw, better than the 02 Vintage Oude Gueuze, better than the 2001 bottling of the Cantillon Classic, this is exceptional.

** June 10, 2010**
Served out of a bottle at The Great Lambic Summit. Armand talked about this beer and how the plan was to make a beer distinct from the regular gueuze. A blend of Boon, Lindeman's and Girardin lambics, this beer pours a mildly hazy orange with a dense white head with decent retention and some lacing. The nose is outstanding. Beautiful citrus and oak tannin character, this is deep, rich and nuanced. Moderately cheesy, this has aged very gracefully. No acetic character. Lemons, orange and a Roquefort-like funk, along with a forest floor, woody aroma. Great balance.

The palate opens with a dank funk, forest floor, mildly reminding me of dried mushrooms. Juicy lemons with a moderate acidic character. Oak is present, mild vanilla and a beautiful tannin character providing a gentle but strong backbone. Beautiful stuff. This is an absolutely exceptional blend. The finish is rather unreal, there's a lingering lemon and tannin character. Beautifully integrated. There's a softness and suppleness that's present that I can't find in the J&J Blauw. I feel lucky to have tried this, the clean sourness lacking in acetic character is a beautiful thing.

Side by side with the Blauw, this isn't as dank and less forest floor like, less tannic and less lemony. People who loved the Blauw preferred it for exactly this reason.

**Reviewed on: 08-17-2009 04:40:52**
4.5/4.5/4.5/4.5/4.5
Having spent more than I care to admit to acquire a bottle of Hommage, I figured it would be best to get a feel for Drie Fonteinen's house character before I jump into what is one of their highest regarded beers. I grabbed this at State Line today, this batch was bottled 1st Feb 2008

A: No sooner than I pop the cage does the cork fly off, causing a minor spill. Luckily, I have my RR tulip handy, and that glass is filled with a gorgeous, golden copper-colored brew with fantastic amounts of carbonation, atop which sits a white head with good retention and attractive lacework. Good stuff

S: Plenty of sourness here. There's a lot of lemon rind character, a bracing acidity. Funk is present and prominent, with a sharpness that reminds me in ways of the 1984 Eylenbosch Gueuze I had recently, grassy and grainy with some barnyard characted I get a little white pepper and an astringency that I can't quite describe. I can only go as far as say it's neither hop nor oak. There is also a mild amount of vanilla and sweetness, citrus in character, that is apparent. There really is an awful depth to this beer. In between the citrus, oak, funk and mild lactic character, this beer is great

T: Opening up with a solid dose of lemon peel and lactic sourness, this gueuze is excellent. Big, juicy lemons, with a beautiful sweetness that's got a lot of citrus, honey and vanilla. Funk is secondary to the sourness here, with the dominating character being barnyard and some tart granny smith apples. Overall, this is one juicy, succulent gueuze, one that's a treat. In some ways, I see this as a bracing, raw fruit, one that time will mellow out and "ripen", bringing to the forefront the more fruity characteristics of the bugs. Finishes dry, sour, lemony and with a mild sweetness, this is excellent.

M: While retaining a light airy character, this beer has sufficient heft mid-palate to deserve an extra nod. High carbonation enhances just about everything good about this beer, and the finish is tremendous. The sourness is high, but biting acidity is reserved, making for a very enjoyable gueuze.

D: This was supposed to be consumed while working on an essay, but it's taken me the duration of the bottle to review. Oh well. Well done, Armand!

Notes: While this is my first exposure to this beer, the things that strike me about it are that in contrast with Cantillon, this has a lot more latent tropical fruit character, a mellower acidity, and a sharpness in flavor that reminds me of Hanssens. I look forward to drinking a bottle every few months.

**Edit: 21 April 2010
Side by side, the Doesjel is woodier, less grassy, less bright citrus, less sweet/floral character. Both are excellent beers, but I have to tip my hat to the Oude Gueuze. It's an exceptionally crafted beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2010 15:59:01 | More by DefenCorps

wadecats

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Well, we finally opened the 2004 Oude Geuze; opened along side it a 2009, a greatly different beer. The carbonation with the 2004 was slightly higher but not overwhelming so, and as you can see in the photos below the blend of three lambics in 2004 produced a very different looking beer from the 2009 blend. Clear and light head on the 2009 and a slightly dirty and light one on the 2004. Taste differed wildly between the two.
Farmy-fruity sour smells were noticed first with these beers. Immediately after came the heavy, odd, woody and goaty-blanket smell from the 2004 - the 2009 had mild pleasant hay notes.

For taste, Immediately an astringent yet smoothly lingering ( hot oak, an almost smoked flavor) quickly mellowed out with temperature increase and aeration in the 2004. Sourness and fruitiness (apricot for the 2009) increased as well for both blends as they warmed with the 2004 holding the best dry sourness I've had yet.

As expected, the 2009 started with a young and crisp taste with pleasant vinegary sharpness, a taste that also dissipated over the course of an hour - and with a mixed sour palate.

Minimal sediment in the 2009 was staying at one corner of the bottom of the bottle. The 2004 had a significant amount of loose sediment that made it into the glass - didn't have a proper pitcher to filter it out - but I did end up drinking the warm dregs like a hounding hobo kitten lickin' at an empty-stinky cream dish acrosst' kitchen floor.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2011 18:19:40 | More by wadecats

jibbyvonjibb

California

5/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

bottled Nov 18, 2010
375mL

Opened with a pop as I was unscrewing the wire. Obviously had some time to build up pressure.
A: Bright golden color. Very clear. Huge fluffy head that falls quicker than a souffle.
S: Lemongrass. Extremely citrusy. Funk all in good proportion.
T: Sprightly carbonation and acidity on front of tongue. Delicious. Very little bitterness that I can detect. Maybe a bit of vanilla from the oak, but it's more fruity than anything.
M: Well carbonated, probably because it was bottled well more than a year ago. Bright acidity. Light body but definitely not thin.
O: It just doesn't get much better than this. One of the best gueuzes in the world. Extremely drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2012 19:32:56 | More by jibbyvonjibb

bark

Sweden

4.97/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Vintage 2004.

The colour is gold with a tint of orange; the liquid is almost clear. The two finger thick white head is airy and quite firm. Looks nice to me.

The smell is strong, sour, dry and earthy. I noticed notes of vinegar, fruits, minerals, earth and some roasted flavours (rubber?). It is complex and not as chemical as other gauzes that I have reviewed.

The taste is … Wahoo! It is very complex, but at the same time very pleasant and balanced. It is, of course, sour with notes of white wine vinegar, lime and minerals (iron, rust). There are also notes of heather, wormwood and bitter oranges. The aftertaste is surprisingly creamy with flavours of “Herbs de Provance” spice mix and bitter citric fruits. The bitterness disappears slowly into a flavour loaded with mineral and earthy notes. It is balanced all the way through.

The carbonation is very fresh with lots of small bubbles.

This is a truly outstanding beer and I am really impressed!

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2005 20:34:02 | More by bark

callmemickey

Pennsylvania

4.97/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Dec 1997 vintage shared with my wife at the Drie Fonteinen restaurant in Beersel on Aug. 12 2010. The score reflects this vintage.

A truly remarkable beer. In fact it was the highlight of the entire trip to Belgium which include treats like Blauw, Roos and Crianza Helena amongst others.

A: Light golden-straw colored body. The initial pour yield a large fizzy head which slowly settled as it left behind some spotty lace residue.

S: Sublime notes of lemon citrus, wheat, musty oak, and lactic funk. The nose was defined by its remarkable integration and balance without short-changing the pungency of a great gueuze.

T: Like the nose, the age of this beer has done wonders. The sharpness of a younger oude gueuze has long been replaced with a refined delicacy that is not muddled or muted. A little less lemon in the flavor than in the nose, but still a healthy dose of funk, must, wheat and wood.

M: Gentle effervescence. Nice coating feel with each sip. Remarkable length of presence on the tongue. Nice dry finish.

D: Simply Epic.

Past review of a representative younger vintage:
2008 vintage opened courtesy of Brendan at Memphis Taproom. Finally got around to reviewing one of many bottles I've had.

A: Light golden-wheat colored body. Two fingered fluffy white head. Good retention and nice sheet-like lacing.

S: Fairly straight forward, classic gueuze aromas. Sour lemons, a bit of wheat, and musty lactic acid.

T: An improvement on the nose is evident with a nice sour lemon blast, a nice general lactic tartness, wheat, funky yeast, some oak and other citric notes. In the end I think the lactic tartness starts to separate itself from the other flavor notes.

M: Smooth, medium bodied brew. Lingering tartness. Really dry, but damn refreshing.

D: A special beer for sure. I'd probably take the classic Cantillon gueuze over this by hair and its a toss up with the Girardin Gueuze. If you haven't had this yet do yourself a favor and pick up a bottle.
4.5/4.5/4.5/4.5/4.5

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2010 04:39:34 | More by callmemickey

BearsOnAcid

Massachusetts

4.97/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

1999 vintage shared with many at the CL release this past weekend. I made sure to get a large pour for myself though.

A dense white head floats on top of this slightly hazy, golden colored gueuze. Taste and aroma achieves perfection. Never had I had a more balanced experience with this style. Especially with a vintage this old. The Brett never overpowers the acidity and there's no evidence of acetic acid. There are bold gueuze characteristics attacking your taste buds in perfect unity. It finishes clean and refreshingly dry. Age has been very kind to this beer. It's truly sublime at this point.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2010 19:23:18 | More by BearsOnAcid

DaveJanssen

British Columbia (Canada)

4.95/5  rDev +13%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Split a 750 mL three ways in tulip glasses. Bottled 11 Dec 2000. Part three of sours night on 6/9/2010. I felt this deserved a separate review from the 2008 bottle review (below).

Ar: Toasty, funk, wet hay, almost nutty, horse blanket, cherry, apple, tart citrus, restrained and complex, floral, amazing, great wild character, alcohol (5)

Ap: radiant copper, fine thick white head, great retention, lace dots (5)

T: Tart, fruity, very smooth, very light spice, clean oak, dry brett finish, mild and restrained apple, lemon, orange peel, barnyard character, dried apricot aftertaste, floral with sweetness, beautiful, starts tart, then floral with tropical fruit, apple, amazing peach, lemon, then ends with great brett and brett bitterness, super dry, mild funky horsiness (5)

M: very dry and light, high carbonation, clean tart end, complex and dry end (4.5)

O: amazing, smooth, more restrained fruit than duck duck great brett, super refreshing and easy to drink, amazing complexity and balance, restrained but present acidity, the dry brett finish makes this beer, epic, the most wild beer of the night (5)

A 4.95 by the BA scoring system

***now a different bottling year from a different day****

corked 375 mL in drie fonteinen glass. bottled 4/12/2008, reviewed 7/13/2009 in Brugse Beertje.

Ar: Sour cherry and raspberry, strawberry, acetic and citric acids, woody, leather (4.5)

Ap: very thick off white head, rough and sandy, chunky lace, clear gold (5)

F: Woody, earthy, slightly nutty, sour and fruity, milder more rounded taste than oth, nutty/pitty, hay, sweaty, acidic, starts acidic, than other geuzes (cantillon, boon, girardin), mild and earthy, fruitiness (grapefruit, earthy cherry) grows, dry crisp end with citric acid, round and complex, balanced (4.5)

M: medium/light mouthfeel, medium carbonation, good acidity without excessive burn, clean end (5)

O: more mild acidity than other examples, very complex taste and great balance (4.5)

Overall a 4.65 by the BA system.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2010 23:23:48 | More by DaveJanssen

HitokiriNate85

Pennsylvania

4.95/5  rDev +13%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Bottled on 3/10/2008 - Three years and one day ago. Cork is in good shape, which is a plus since I've had fresher bottles of lambic with crumbling corks. Pops open with fierce, but no bubbling over.

A - Pours a hazy gold - surprising since I figured the yeast would have formed a nice cake in the meantime. I left some yeast behind, but I guess it must have kicked up some when I moved the beer to the freezer tonight. Very nice off-white head that poured up out of the glass in a nice pillowy fluff. After at least five minutes it has settled into a thick, dense cap. Very nice for a lambic.

S - Damp hay, earthy, musky brett notes with the typical nostril-filling acidity. The ample carbonation really helps display the aroma - really nice to find it this way after a few years. There's some light oakiness, but I didn't notice it for the first couple minutes.

T - Plenty of acidity upfront that really hits with a big lemon and bit of wood. It's on the cooler side still, so I think that's really reinforcing the acidity. As it warms it opens up a bit, layering in some of the damp hay and general earthiness mentioned above. I thought this much time would muddle the flavors some(not in a bad way), but instead the flavors seem very defined without being overwhelming at all.

MF - Lots of carbonation that seems to accentuate the dryness of the beer.

D - The best gueuze I've ever had. For me, the acidity is really spot on and doesn't completely blow you away, while still being very sharp. The time in the bottle actually seems to have mellowed out a lot of the funk, resulting in an incredibly drinkable gueuze.

I've had this before, so I knew what to expect, but it has been a while, so either experience or the bottles age has changed things. I expected good, but this is one of the best beers I've ever had. It's sad to know it'll never be brewed in this fashion again(though I hope it remains exactly the same). Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2011 04:45:18 | More by HitokiriNate85

sitarist

Ohio

4.95/5  rDev +13%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Blind review (blind bif 7).

Cork shoots out of bottle while removing the cage, it does not gush though. This beer pours hazy, sunset orange in color. Three fingers of foamy eggshell white head. You can hear this beer, sounds like rice krispies. The head is slow to fall, it leaves a thick top-coating that leave sheets of foam that slide back into the drink.

Wow, what an amazing aroma! Even with the glass sitting a couple feet away from me, I still smell ripe apples. Upon closer inspection I smell the whole cider mill. Apples, (both tart, and sweet), "barnyard funk," hints of vinegar, as it warms the funk comes to life.

The tart, & sweet apples carry over into the flavor along with tart cherries, the faintest hint of lime, a slight mineral character, its funky too...and oh so sexy!

Medium body, lots of scrubbing carbonation, just slightly tart, with a long lasting finish.

One of the most unique beers that Ive ever had. I can get lost in this!

Its a Fonteinen-Geuze. My first Geuze, I believe. Ive often contemplated picking a bottle of this up, glad I finally got to try it.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2012 01:38:59 | More by sitarist

SHODriver

California

4.95/5  rDev +13%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

bottled on 5 Jan 2012

A: pours a clear and bright gold with a half finger head that is dense and retains well into a duvel snifter
S: smells of bretty barnyard with some clean sourness and oak
T: starts off quite tart and sour apple but fades to some funk and oak. brett is somewhat prominent but not overbearing. aftertaste is kind of medicinal and band aidy with a bit of lingering sourness
M: lighter side of medium in the mouth with soft but prominent carb and a drying finish
O: an absolutely fantastic Geuze. good sourness, decent complexity and the wild fermentation has done a number on this beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2013 03:47:48 | More by SHODriver

willjansen

Colorado

4.93/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This is a reivew of a 1997 vintage Oude Geuze from the cellar of the Drie Fonteinen brewpub in Beersel, Belgium sampled on May 6, 2008. Side-by-side comparison notes are for a 2007 vintage Oude Geuze.

Bottled arrived dusty and old looking with no label served in the appropriate lambic serving basket. When skillfully poured by our waitress, we were faced with a perfectly golden beer, slightly hazy, with a lot of carbonation and an agressive head. Similar appearance with newer vintage.

Smell had a restrained funkiness compared to the new vintage and much mellower and less agressive. Barnyard smells, with sharp aged cheese hints mixed around in there.

The 10.5 years in the cellar has certainly done a job mellowing this beer out, but it is hard to say since I didn't have the 97 shortly after bottling. But there is almost a sweetness that age has imparted to it, not a sugary sweetness, but one of maturity which is reflective more of the transformation of a strong sourness into a more subdued, rounder easier-drinking flavor.

The newer vintage has the sharp sourness that flares the nostrils, where as this one went down in easier gulps with a much deeper and balanced complexity. Simply delicious and one of the, if not the, best guezes I've ever had the pleasure to drink... Very dry, refreshing finish... the perfect geuze at its prime.

Mouthfeel has a heavy spritziness that delivers the flavor very efficiently. Light and foamy... spot-on for the style.

Amazing example of a vintage gueze - Guido (the brother who is in charge of the kitchen at Drie Fonteinen) says that 1997 is their best vintage. I believe that a comparison to a newer vintage may be unfair, since back then I think they were blending guezes from other lambic brewers before they more recently began brewing their own lambics for blending. Magnificent, and only 11 Euros (I think) at the brewpub!

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2008 17:58:55 | More by willjansen

Bendurgin

Maine

4.93/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Got this one from Andy for Christmas. 12.7 ounce bottle bottled on December 10th, 2009 and poured into a tulip. The body is a hazy straw color with surprisingly big white fluffy head. Not the most complex aroma in the world on this one but it's exactly what it needs to be; simply sour with woody notes. Fantastic. The taste follows the aroma nicely. Tart and sour through and through with a woody finish and sour white grape taste. Near perfect mouthfeel. I think with the style I'd like a bit less carbonation but otherwise wonderful.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2010 02:41:25 | More by Bendurgin

astroud

Tennessee

4.93/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured from a 12.7 oz bottle born on December 1st, 2010

Appearance - Cloudy, golden in color. Orangish tinge. Pours a beautiful but delicate heady foam that subsides into a thin white film on top.

Smell: Coriander, lemon grass, a booze effervescence yields a hint of malt vinegar, citrus notes, tangerine.

Taste: Overwhelming lemon/lemonade flavor - softened up and darkened from age, sage. Upfront it smacks the palate with a citrusy zest, erupting in a champagne like tinge, then falls off into a watery back end full of lemon-seed.

Mouthfeel: Pleasant yet distinctive by section: Front, Middle, Finish. Up front the citrus tickles the tip of the tongue, then a carbonated tornado of flavor swirls mid-mouth before falls off into a funk into the back sides of the tongue.

Overall: I will seek this beer out. A new favorite. Definitely want to try it with a lamb dish or seafood pasta. It drinks like a pinot noir when it's room temp, or like a gewurztraminer when chilled. YUM!

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 22:34:58 | More by astroud

Kmccabe33

Georgia

4.93/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A- Beautiful goldish hazy color, maybe a faint reddish pink hue to it as well. Could be the lighting but I see some of it in the color.

S- Smell is amazing, tart funk, fruitiness, bitterness in the nose, lots of fruit flavors.

T- Bitter fruits, tart apple, funk and lots of it. Amazing flavors. Perfectly blended lambic.

M- Great mouthfeel, drying on the tongue, almost tannic reaction and dryness. Great great mouthfeel for a lambic.

O- Best Geuze I have ever had. Have never had a Cantillon but I got one aging so who knows. But this is by far the best I have had to date.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 23:53:33 | More by Kmccabe33

rye726

Colorado

4.9/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A hazy cedar color with a silky tan head. A beautifull gueze. The nose has tart citrus fruit, musky funk, some oak and some subtle candy malts. The flavor is immensely complex yet perfectly balanced. Lots of sour fruits, earthy funk, herbs, vanilla, oak and a complex malt profile. Pefect body. Full yet crisp and delicate. Nice dry finish. I could drink this all night. Ages very well.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2008 02:48:15 | More by rye726

NoLiberty

Pennsylvania

4.9/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Taken from the refrigerator cold so the chances for exploding beer were reduced. Nice *pop* from the cork and a bubbly pour into shorts-stemmed chalices producing a thick, off-white, 3 finger head on top of a perfectly thorough golden yellow-orange (apricot?) body. Cloudy color but not thick. The head settles into an amazing 2 millimeter thick cap that remains the entire glass. There are color swirls and almost craters in the head; really incredible.

The aroma is intoxicating. Reminiscent of a cheese sellers store, countryside farmhouse cellar, mossy stone fence and dank forest glen. Seriously, this beer's smell takes you to these places. There's a mix of musty, earthy funkiness that's matched by a very present fresh tartness that's not quite citrus but has the same effect. The very prominent brett characteristics make this heavy on the "horse blanket", but certainly it's not the only aroma flavor. Very clean and little to no acidic qualities.

Taste matches the aroma very well and is also controlled by this swinging pendulum of earthiness and tartness. Really no spice, but definitely an underlying sweet apricot fruitiness that rests underneath a powerful dry tartness. Grass, hay, sweat, basement must, spiky citrus and beautiful fresh flavors.

Also an incredible body. The carbonation is superb and adds to the overall refreshingness of the beer and the smoothness somehow compliments and contrasts with tartness and subtle sweetness. A truly well-crafted guezue. I could drink this beer all day and still not completely understand it.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2008 16:59:40 | More by NoLiberty

LoveInTheDream

Michigan

4.9/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

750 ml bottle into tulip glasses.
had it w 21mmer whose review proceeds me and who jointly produced these reviews.

Appearance: opaque, golden colored, white head appeared only after a vigorous pour, went away after a couple minutes. no lacing, few bubbles sticking to the side

Smell: sharp iron, metallic thingy goin on. earthy, organic bouquet, young pears, green apples

Taste: its the iron ey metallic tang that keeps coming back and makes me a slave to this beer. very complex. behind the iron is a very crisp, clean yet very funky beer. nice acidic backbone with delicious sourness and delivering on the green apple and young pears towards the back. to me it tastes like it is very fully fermented, with very low residual sugars. amen and hallelujah.

Mouthfeel: champagne mouthfeel. not oily or coating at all

drinkability: i could see where the second one would almost seem unnecessary or wasteful. but i love i would love to sit around all night and drink yours with you.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2009 06:26:21 | More by LoveInTheDream

sweemzander

Illinois

4.9/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

12.7oz. corked and caged bottle poured into a stemmed glass. March 10,2008 on the label.

(A)- Pours a clear orange golden hue with yellow-ish highlights. Produced a huge bubbly effervescent pure white head with some great retention on it; surprising for the style. Left some suds-like lacing behind.

(S)- Wow, a dense hay field-full of straw and hay dryness up front that turns into a literal funk of sour lactic-acid and a moldy cheese of some sort. A touch of a tart yet grassy lemon zest at the end.

(T)- Very similar to the smell. A rather potent grassy lemon zest with a very dry hay/straw moldy funk. Finishes as it started. Man, is the tart/sourness potent in this one!

(M)- A great lively carbonation level and balance. A big sour/acidic profile with a dry funk to rival it. Crisp, and a literal party on the tongue.

(D)- An obvious world class Gueuze. Nothing can I find to complain about. A joy to smell and drink. Paired it with some aged sharp white cheddar later on; yum!

**Update. After having this numerous times now, I am bumping its score up from what I originally had. Overall, I think this absolutely top notch and could see myself drinking it everyday if I could.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2011 00:37:03 | More by sweemzander

rfgetz

New Jersey

4.88/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

The Great Lambic Summit

'99 vintage...Pours a lovely dulled gold color, very clean with moderate head of little white bubbles, nice sheets of lacing. Scent is a tremendously big yet unaggreassive whiff of musty wood, leaves and damp earth (like a walk outside after a day of rain) backed by nice big tart and sour notes that awaken the senses after the comforting mustyness. Taste follws scent almost to the t - dont ask me how i know what earthy, wood and leaves taste like, but this is it. The tart and sourness is also present in a big bold way, but somehow compliments the earthyness rather than covering it up. Medium in body, perfect carbonation, bone dry - gone before it hits the tongue at times. A wonderful beer that was quite the experience.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2010 18:05:34 | More by rfgetz

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.85/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Bottle Date 11 December 2000. Sampled May 2004 at the Hopleaf, Chicago.

The aroma is sharp, acidic, and catpee. The taste is dry, and sour with notes of lemon, grapefruit (which is more pronounced), tannin, subtle vanilla notes, and a sharp herbal grassiness. There is a somewhat restrained Brett character, but there are notes of leather. This is a very well integrated beer, it is also quite light, as is expected. This goes quite well with the mussel apetizer that I am currently having.


1995 Bottle Vintage: Sampled 2001 at Drie Fonteinen cafe:

I decided to go for broke on the next beer that I ordered at the cafe, so I ordered the 1995 bottling of the Gueuze, which means that the majority of the beer contained therein was at least 8 years old, if not more. The waitress whisked off to the bar (after making sure that I actually wanted a beer that only came in 750 ml bottles) to request the beer from the bar tender. The bar tender promptly disappeared down into the cellar. He appeared again a few minutes later reverently holding the bottle at the proper angle (again about 15-degrees). The bottle was carefully put in a basket that maintained the angle properly and brought to me. At this point I was getting giddy with excitement, or was that full day of beer consumption. Either way I was anticipating the sampling of this one.

The bottle was completely unadorned except for a white paint mark that let one know which way was up (so as not to disturb the yeast). What surprised me was the fact that the standard Champagne bottle that it was served in was corked with a normal wine cork with no accompanying wire cage or any other restraint. Despite this the beer made an appropriate popping sound when the cork was drawn.

The beer when poured into the glass was lively with carbonation and had a dark gold to amber hue that was quite clear. It was quite evident just from the clarity
of the beer that it had been aging, as it had enough time for the characteristic haze to settle out. The nose was only slightly acidic, at least for a Gueuze. The taste was quite similar to the 2000 bottling of the Gueuze, but was quit a bit mellower and overall was perfectly balanced between the contrasting and complementary flavors that make up a Lambic. As an accompaniment to the meal that I had (a wonderful salmon filet) it was quite nice, with a hint of an alcoholic finish to it that was brought out by the fish.

2000 bottle Vintage, sampled in 2001 at Drie Fonteinen
After I had ordered the Gueuze the waitress went to the bar and requested a one. The barkeep then pulled out the traditional bottle of Lambic lying at a 15-degree angle in a wicker basket. The bottle was carefully opened and poured without disturbing the yeast. The beer when it was set down in front of me displayed a lively carbonation, a gold color, slightly hazy and a thick creamy head. Even from a distance the aroma was evident; displaying notes of fruit including citrus. When brought closer for an extended sniff it smelled quite sour with an evident Brett character. The taste was just about perfect. It was not as sour as Oud Beersel's Gueuze and was incredibly complex, with notes of wood, mustiness, a slight bitterness and almost a hint of what I can only describe as wild mushroom. This was definitely the best Gueuze I had ever had.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2003 15:50:10 | More by Gueuzedude

lou91

California

4.85/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

April 2001 Vintage. Wow what a noisy beer. I chose a champagne flute and it was the right choice to channel the creamy and noisy head. The bubbles just kept rising so I could only pour half the flute. This is not over the top in lambic funkiness or tartness but the nose does give you fair warning that this is not cider. The taste is wonderful and close second to my favorite cantillon gueuze. There are a complex set of flavors - blue cheese, honey, apple, melon and pear cider. The one drawback is price which i think was $18.00 at Plumpjack.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2005 04:29:13 | More by lou91