Armand'4 Oude Geuze Winter - Brouwerij Drie Fonteinen

jvillefan

California

4.53/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: The body is a dark yellow almost orange color with a quickly disappearing lacing of head that was an off white color.

S: Quintessential gueuze. It has the funk that gueuzes have along with a very earthy aroma. There was subtle citrus to go along with everything else.

T: Very crisp to start out. There was a pleasent souring along with some tart. The citrus flavors in the aroma match the flavors. Earth tones come in and finish the flavor off in a very pleasant way.

M: A little thin but to be expected from a gueuze. The carbonation bit was perfect.

O: A very well done gueuze. The dry finish makes this one of the best I've had to date.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 02:57:51 | More by jvillefan

rudzud

Massachusetts

3.65/5  rDev -17%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Shared with JLindros and company at the last whale tasting. Reviewed from notes

A - Poured into my Kate the Great tulip a hazy orange hue with a one finger head that leaves some nice light lacing.

S - Deep forest here, earth, but then... light rubber and leather. Really not a fan of the rubber tree thing going on here.

T - Taste is same as the nose. Nice lightly sour and faint funk. Some hay and then it finishes with burnt rubber tones. Really disrupts whats going on with this beer.

M - Mouthfeel is good. Lightly tart though on the thinner side.

O - Overall, not a bad beer, but not sure if its age or handling or what but that burnt rubber really kills this. Doesnt taste like one of Armand's best.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2013 02:15:50 | More by rudzud

Tnudish

Wisconsin

3.69/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

Reviewed from notes. Tried side by side with the rest of the Armand’4s in early 2012.

A-Winter pours a cloudy/hazy amber orange in color with a moderate amount of off-white head.

S-The nose on winter differs from the other Armand’4 we’ve had, it is more perfume-like in my opinion. The funkiness is still there, but this is definitely perfumey in nature.

T-The difference from the other Armand’4s continues in the taste. This is sweeter in comparison to the other 3. It is noticeably less acidic, sour and doesn’t have as much funky punch to it as the others either.

M-Mouthfeel is light and creamy, with fizzy carbonation, light acidity, and a long finish.

O-This is definitely the weakest of the 4 Armands. I would be hard pressed to buy this for any reason other than completing the set. In my eyes, this is a sufficient drop off in quality from the other 3.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 22:16:24 | More by Tnudish

starrdogg

District of Columbia

4.3/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours an orange-gold with a fluffy white head. It's much darker than your typical gueuze. Smell is really impressive, a fantastic mix of oak, funk, sour and a bit of cereal-like malt. Flavor is a bit of a letdown after the amazing aroma, it's quite good, but doesn't quite rise to the heights of Lente. It's not as complex as I thought it would be, but it's rather drinkable. It's sour and woody with a nice malt character, but it's lacking the funky depth I expected. Mouthfeel is light with high carbonation. Overall, this is a really nice gueuze but doesn't blow me away like some of 3F's have in the past.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 01:45:21 | More by starrdogg

FosterJM

California

4.15/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

1653rd Review on BA
Bottle to Tulip
75cl

2010 Bottling
Thanks Jazz for landing me a bottle

Split with GuruDel

App- A very dark orange without a lot of highlighting colors behind it. Had a very small formation of bubbles and was gone quickly. Didnt leave any stick behind. Looks almost identical to Hefst.

Smell- A great smelling beer. Not on par with Lente but quite nice. Didnt have as much of the citrus on the nose but had a touch more tart behind it witout being overly done. The flavors seemed a bit thicker on this one.

Taste- A very well done beer. I enjoyed this for the full crisp slightly sour citrus flavors. This was a bit more full than the others and am adjusting as so. More

Mouth- A small light body almost a good solid medium with a lighter medium carbonation level. Wasnt a fresh and popping. Lacking a bit of pop on residual flavors.

Drink- A very well done beer. This series is really something magical. Glad I was able to try all 4 of them.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2012 20:38:15 | More by FosterJM

spdyfire83

Ireland

4.15/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

302nd Review
75cl bottle poured into 3F geuze glass
Bottled: 22/04/2010
BB: April 2020

Winter is after Autumn; as such, I enjoyed these two beers in that order.

A: Medium amber. Only 5 (off-white) fingernail head on gentle pour. This one is carbonated too!

S: Earthy notes along with classic funk and must. Touch of hop character here as well.

T: Earthy hops with soft lemon, funk, and dull cracked hay. Crisp.

M: Light body with medium carbonation.

O: Nice and earthy beer. Very distinct and good. As mentioned in my review of Herfst, this bee could stand some age a bit. The earthiness grew on me a bit as the beer warmed, but this is the "worst" of the four of the "Four Seasons" series, IMO. Haha - laughable to say that, but one has to bring up the back.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 12:47:27 | More by spdyfire83

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

4.38/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a tulip glass from a 750ml bottle.

Pours a gorgeous deep orange/amber with some nice haze and some copper edges. A nice off-white medium dense head forms that is about 1.5 inch tall. Very sticky and good retention.

Aroma starts off with hay and corn husk notes. Some nice barnyard funk in there. There is some nice sharp tartness that come up quick but doesn't linger too long. Nice sour apple notes and some lemon with slight vinegar hints. More citrusy than vinegary. There is some nice grain notes in the nose as well.

Taste follows the nose. Nice hay and husky funk. Then some sharp citrusy acidity and tartness. There is some slight sugary and fruity sweetness that comes up. There is nice sour apple hints with some mild vinegar notes. Then more of the grainy notes mixed in with the yeasty funk. Nice and dry. Mouthfeel is dry and tart with some nice citrus notes. A dry and bubbly finish.

Great Gueuze! Tasty, with some nice funky notes and sourness mixed in with slight sweet notes. As it warms its very nice and the sour notes blend in very well with some slight fruity notes.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2012 02:04:27 | More by JoEBoBpr

ArrogantB

Colorado

4.33/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This was my second favorite of the Armand '4 series just behind Lente. Standard gueuze appearance, maybe a little orange. Smells like citrus rind, acid, old gueuze. Flavor is delicious old gueuze with note of honey and then followed by an acidic kick. Quite the top notch gueuze and these Armand '4 blends are a tastier selection than the standard gueuzes from 3F which are already superb.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2012 22:00:08 | More by ArrogantB

scottfrie

California

3.93/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks again Jared. Snifter, reviewed from notes.

A: Pours a cloudy dark golden color beneath a very fizzy short lived head that really bubbled up after the pour. Spotty lace down the glass.
S: Light funk on the nose alongside sweeter fruit notes. I get hints of straw, must, shitty funk, and lemon zest.
T: Follows the nose with gueuze flavors of hay, straw, basement must, lemon zest, citrus pith, oak and some sweet lemon candy. Tastes like a lemon drop dropped in the dirt. Good citrus tartness.
M: Frothy mouth, drying mouth but not as bad as I remember the others being, with a smooth medium body. On the sweeter side but not crazy.
O: Aside from the bubbles this is another amazing gueuze, but not my favorite of the series. Thankfully not too sweet, dominate lemon profile. Thanks Jared.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2012 17:29:57 | More by scottfrie

Luk13

Quebec (Canada)

4.43/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

First Armand to crack. Beautiful dark amber with rocky head. Very dark for such a young lambic. Classic 3F funk with more fruits. Aroma is more tame than the regular 3F, very classy. Ireally like the taste with definite sour cherries along with the funk. Very sour but somewhat sweet reminiscent of cherries. Full bodied but a little drier. I prefer this one to the regular, I can't wait to taste the rest of the series.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 17:05:48 | More by Luk13

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.5/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Opened this up tonight because...well, it seemed like it needed opening.

The beer is golden orange with a thick, white head. The aroma offers classic 3F funk with some dank basement, barnyard, citrus, and classic gueze scents. The flavor is citrusy, sour, funky. Lasting sour funk on the palate. Another winner from Armand. Although this perhaps my least favorite of the series, it is nonetheless a phenomenal beer. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 01:03:42 | More by Huhzubendah

Dreadnaught33

District of Columbia

4.5/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

"this beer smells like my farts after I eat brazil nuts"- my friend Dave right when we open this beer.

Bottle shared thanks to Huhzubendah, thanks Matt!

The beer pours a great hazy orange with a semi fluffy white ring of head, some lacing.

The smell has that amazing dry funk that only drie Fontenein can produce, just so mouth watering. Some nice light fruit smells and wild yeast, great.

The taste follows the smell, with a nice dry funkiness and a mix of light skinned fruits and great semi sweet malt base. White grape cocktail, some citrus as well definitely plenty of lemon.

The feel is great, almost perfect with a bone dry finish and get carbonation.

Overall an outstanding beer once again in this series.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 01:00:56 | More by Dreadnaught33

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to either rudzud or Duffy for this one.

Pours a creamy head with hazy golden orange color.

Nose has some funk, tart malts and fruit, lighter, light tart weird musty slight sulfury funk.

Taste is fairly sour, light funk and tart like fruits, bready yeast, juicy but syrupy fruit, little think but decent funk. Hint of hay and lemongrass. Finish is dry bready funk, long fairly bitter earthy tart funk with a light rubbery-ish thing in it.

body is thinner with good carb.

Overall eh, some funky off flavors and aromas I think, but still got some decent funk and tart fruits, so probably not Armand's best.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 01:42:39 | More by jlindros

DefenCorps

Oregon

4.1/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle at our Drie Fonteinen tasting last night

Orange, mildly hazy with a dense white head with excellent retention and gorgeous lacing, this looks perfect, as did the rest of the Armand' 4 lineup. The nose is minty and spicy with a little alcohol, candied oranges and lemons. Nice musty and earthy funk, there's a nice balance of brightness is must.

The palate opens sour and sharp, mildly metallic and sharp with a touch of solvent. A little musty, this is not very fruity but has a pleasant lactic sourness. Drying and sour on the finish, this is mildly sweet. Nice stuff.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2012 15:33:52 | More by DefenCorps

Alieniloquium

Florida

4/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 mL bottle poured into a snifter. Bottled 4/22/2010. Reviewed from notes.

Appearance - Big head, orange body. Hazy. A little bit of lacing and brief retention.

Smell - Mild citrus. Acidic lemon and a medium funk. Less intense than the others.

Taste - Really tart. Similar to Zomer in it's acidity. A little vinegar. This one has the herbal notes again, but less so than the Zomer. Puckering finish.

Mouthfeel - Not as dry, but still quite sour. Less complex. Medium carbonation.

Overall - Still a good gueuze, but the least impressive of the four. Feels like the flavors could go wrong at any moment, but it stays the course.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2012 00:17:53 | More by Alieniloquium

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.28/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This one was a part of cmrillo’s 40 Beers* @ 40 Birthday Bash! Shared by cmrillo at his own party! Served from bottle into a Drie Fonteinen ‘3 Fountains’ gueuze glass. Poured a hazy yellow-orange with a three finger white head that subsided to one finger slowly. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, lemon zest, citrus, and funk. The flavor was of sweet malt, lemon zest, lemon rine, citrus, funk, and sour. It had a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a fairly great brew. It was very similar to the Herfst we had prior, but not as citrusy. Still a very solid brew from a well recognized brewery. Definitely an absolute must try.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2012 10:48:43 | More by thagr81us

MasterSki

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle shared with Jason & Olga to celebrate Bella Canto's victory in the $500 GTT Burlesque 'Thing'. Served in plastic cups - how droll.

A - The cork rockets out, and foam quickly starts oozing out. Voluminous white foam settles to a thick cap, leaving behind splotchy lace. Murky dark amber body that is surprisingly tenebrous for a gueuze.

S - Very earthy, with hefty doses of musty basement, earthen floors, mushrooms, and old oak barrels. There's more malt character here than is found in the other Armand'4 offerings, with some light sugar mixed in with the expected under-ripe peach and apricot flavors.

T - Taste has significantly more lemon sourness than the aroma suggest, and it fills out the flavor profile a bit more. Again, quite mellow and earthy, with light oak, stone fruits, and lightly sugary malt sweetness.

M - Medium body, with pleasant carbonation. Super dry, with a hefty dose of tannic oak. The added heft supports the increased malt presence.

D - When I read the reviews I was worried this was going to be like the disgustingly sweet Oude Gueuze Vintage '06. Thankfully this was more like an 'imperial' Lente, with the same mellow and earthy flavors but even more malt presence. It's pretty amazing that Armand got such unique beers out of simply tweaking the blend ratios. That being said, I found this to be my least favorite of the series by a very small margin.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2012 14:43:23 | More by MasterSki

brystmar

New York

4.25/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed alongside the other Armand'4 seasons at our Memorial Day tasting. As with the other Armands, this pour is gorgeous.

Winter was noticeably different from the other seasons. Oddly, it gave off my favorite aroma despite placing 4th in my overall rankings. It was also the most acidic of the four -- a characteristic I typically love. Something in the mix of flavors here doesn't resonate with me like it did with Lente & Zomer. Still a fantastic gueuze, though.

In our group of 6, we had at least one person who thought each season was the best of the bunch. Goes to show how individual palates prefer different flavor profiles.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2012 17:06:26 | More by brystmar

WillCarrera

Illinois

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

750 ml bottle, from box number 187/500, poured into a tulip. Drank this side-by-side with Herfst.

A- Pours a golden color with a few fingers of fluffy white head, leaves great lacing.

S- Very funky, has some citrus and fruit, as it warms up some herbal spiciness emerges.

T- Nice bracing tartness, some citrus, funk is earthy and as it warms up becomes herbal and spicy. Finish is bitter and tannic, with more notes of herbs, spice and hay.

M- Medium-bodied, smooth and very creamy.

O- A really awesome gueuze. I liked this one more than Herfst, I've never had such a spicy, herbal gueuze before but it works really well and is sort of reminiscent of the idea of winter.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2012 18:44:24 | More by WillCarrera

Etan

Illinois

4.68/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle shared side-by-side with Herfst by Willcarrera and Agold. Poured from a 750ml into a tulip.

A: Pours a darkish, murky gold with a nice tower of white foam. Great lacing.

S: Earthy funk and mildly fruity sourness in the nose. Gets a little more spicy and herbal as it warms.

T: Moderately sour with a good lactic base. Apricot, earthy mushroom, garlic, wet leaf. Much more funky and a little more complex than Herfst. Sweetness and a tiny bit of citric hoppiness comes out as it warms. Hay, grain, and more wet funk in the finish.

M: Perfect mouthfeel for a geuze. Sort of light with lively but not overpowering carbonation.

O: This was my favorite of the two. A bit more funky and complex. Thanks A and Will for the chance to try these fantastic blends.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2012 07:30:25 | More by Etan

Agold

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

'This beer has a bit of a looser head than the herfst. Some nice lacing. Aroma is Funky woody citrus mildly sweet round tart. More cobwebby and musty. Flavor has a lot of rind pretty fruity sour with a touch of lactic vinegar. Very smooth flavors and very well integrated. Noticed some light maybe tropical note. Mouthfeel is effervescent and light with nice fine carbonation. Very extraordinary beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2012 03:28:10 | More by Agold

oline73

Maryland

4.28/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

I had this at Sour and Bitter. Poured into my stemless wine glass.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy amber with a golden hue. There is a finger of off white head that sticks around pretty well.

Smell: Somewhat sweet right off the bat. There is a lemon juice tartness along with a mild funk to back it up.

Taste: More funk/mineral notes than I found in the smell. Some lemon juice notes as well. Light and quite tart with some hops showing up in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with tingly carbonation and a finish that is a tad dry.

Overall: This beer had a lot going on and was very good. Tart and refreshing, I am glad I have a bottle of my own to open in the future.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2012 21:22:39 | More by oline73

jethrodium

California

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

750 ml bottle. Pours a clear golden copper with a small white head that has good retention and leaves a decent amount of lacing on the glass. The aroma is funky and earthy. There is lemon, apricot, tons of earthy funkiness, and some mushroom. The initial taste has a bit of sweetness and is a bit tart. The taste has some lemon, apricot, and grapefruit, an earthy funkiness, and some mushroom. The finish is earthy with a decent tartness. Medium body. Medium carbonation. This is just another great beer. It isn't as good as lente, but is still amazing. It could use a touch less sweetness and doesn't have the amazing fluffy mouthfeel that lente does, but it is still great.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2012 20:27:29 | More by jethrodium

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

pour is dark golden orange with tons of bubbly white head. The nose has some dustiness to it then some of the others with a nice cheese rind and juicy peach and apricot. The taste is juicier than the nose an lighter in the brett and cheese department. Some dry dusty Brett sets in mid to back palate with the juicy apricots behind. The body is a touch syrupy with a nice carbonation and light body. Interesting fruit component, strongest of the three (had next to zomer and lente).

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2012 15:06:54 | More by cpetrone84

mdfb79

New York

4.58/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Sour Tasting. All 4 Armand'4 series beers were sampled side by side.

a - Pours a murky dark golden color with two inches of white head and moderate carbonation evident. Looks like the rest of them.

s - Smells of sour fruits, light funk, citrus, earthy notes, acidic.

t - Tastes of sour fruits, earthy notes, floral, notes, yeast, light funk, light space.

m - Medium body and moderate to high carbonation. Very easy to drink, like the rest of them.

o - Overall another fantastic gueuze in the Armand'4 series. I would rank them Lente, Zomer, Winter, than Herfst personally, but they are all winners.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2012 18:07:19 | More by mdfb79