Drie Fonteinen Oude Geuze Golden Blend - Brouwerij Drie Fonteinen

HomeBrewed

Minnesota

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

Bought a bottle of this during my first visit to Sergio's World Beer in Louisville, KY. Poured into Sergio's personal Drie Fonteinen glass.

A: Beautiful golden straw color. Nice 1/4 inch head. Mouth is watering just looking at it.

S: Amazing lemon, funk, cob web scent. Simply perfect for a geuze. I wish my deoderant smelled like this!

T: What can I say...brilliant! Sharp acidity, beautiful funky lemon flavor. Absolutely the best geuze I've ever tasted. Well worth the price tag.

D: A pure sipper, but I could down this easily. I am trying to restrain myself and take my time.

M: Exactly what one would expect. Perfect.

Not much else to say about this gem. Absolutely a treat. I wish I could drink this every damn day. Fuckin Armand, you genius!!

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2013 23:48:03 | More by HomeBrewed

jsm1289

New York

4.98/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

wow! as someone who has recently entered the world of sours, I must say this one is the champion for me. I have had almost all of the russian river contributions to the style as well as a host of other cantillon and readily available guezes/flemish beers. This might just be the best. tart, sour but not overly so, with a delicate little sweetness that bounces up and down like a child on a trampoline, diving back and forth across the palate in just a gentle and playful way. It has a certain zest and refreshing quality that I find to be unbelievable, with a complexity that to me is far and beyond traditional guezes. american wild ales certainly compete in terms of complexity but this just takes the cake. Wonderful mouth feel, the 4th year lambic certainly did a wonder to this brew and it more than justifies the price tag.

edit: while I still love the golden blend and I am staying true to my review, isabelle proximus, oude gueze 08 vintage and armand4' zomer all are better than this in my opinion. however, this one is not that difficult to acquire and should be consumed first before ascending the sour chain of command , if you are even lucky enough to get there.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2012 16:53:56 | More by jsm1289

DaSolomon

New York

4.98/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

What an amazing Gueuze by Drie Fonteinen, Armand really out did himself with this blend. An amazing crisp taste to it from the second the cork pops off till the last drop in your glass. Appearance is a deep golden yellow that captivates the viewer with bewilderment as it has the appearance of an elixir. The smell wakes up the nose with citrus notes with lemon and beyond. The taste bring additional citrus notes along with tart and sour notes of a gueuze all perfectly working together to create one hell of a brew. After the bottle was consumed, I thought back on what beer could top this in my list, and nothing could hold up to this. Seek this brew out as it is one of the best out there. Next time I would like to try it side by side with 3F normal Oude Gueuze.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 21:43:36 | More by DaSolomon

lnashsig

Texas

4.98/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured from bottle into Jester King Farmhouse glass. Pours a hazy orange color- small bubbles retain in the head. Looks like most gueuze so far. Small- vinegar funk, funky/hard cheese, tart. Taste- up front a slight vinegar tartness, followed by a sweet malt with tight carbonation, finished by a green apple sour finish. This is an exquisite gueuze. So smooth, well done.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2012 02:12:17 | More by lnashsig

alcstradamus

Illinois

4.93/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Be careful with the pour on this one. Lots of head rising quickly, took 3 separate pours to get it in my glass which means the yeast might end up getting mixed in (not that its necessarily a bad thing)

I could go into detail about the aroma and the flavor and name off a dozen different complexities, but let's be honest....this is just a 3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze (albeit a unique one) so most of the descriptors will carry over. So read my description of that beer if you feel the need (and if you are reading reviews for this beer, I doubt you will feel the need)

What really matters is how this compares to a standard blend and what my overall impression is. Well, I am happy to report that this is among the best couple handfuls of 3 Fonteinen I have had. Very reminiscent of 2002 Vintage if my memory serves me correctly (which it might not). Very balanced between sour and earthy characteristics and supremely easy drinking. A perfect every-day beer prohibited by price and availability. The 4 year lambic used in this blend worked wonders helping round off sharp edges that exist in certain batches.

A very worthwhile beer, and one that I will snatch up at a $20 price point once it hits the US shelves. More than $20 and I will seriously have to reconsider.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2012 22:20:39 | More by alcstradamus

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.93/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I had this a couple weeks ago, but I opened up a bottle from my cellar tonight in a much calmer setting, to confirm it was really "that good."

The beer is orange in color with just a slight haze about it. Ample carbonation present and a gargantuan head with seemingly everlasting retention and copious lacing. I just wish yourefragile hadn't absconded with my 3F tumbler, as this would have been a perfect occasion for it. Alas...

Wow, what an aroma. World class lambic anyone? Hay, barn, grass, citrus, funk. Whoa. The citrus quality is remarkable.

Balance, flavor, bold, smooth, inviting, intriguing, exceptional, delicious. I could go on. This is on a level with Blauw. Stunning and phenomenal. Stock up on this brew while you have the chance. My highest recommendation. Ya, it's "that good".

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2012 05:18:28 | More by Huhzubendah

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.88/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottle from overseas. Served in a Drie Fonteinen "3" gueuze tumbler side-by-side with Drie Fonteinen Oude Geuze bottled on November 18, 2010. The Golden Blend was bottled on February 17, 2011.

The cork started to pop out right after I started to release the cage. It's not a gusher, but this thing has plenty of carbonation. The pour was difficult, to say the least. Loads of foam leading to a very rocky, dense head that leaves behind a nice bit of lacing. Thin cap throughout.

The nose brings an incredible amount of funk and is reminiscent of the Armand'4 Herfst and Winter. This is what I love. There some minerality and an earthy mushroom-like character, coming close to a light bit of truffle. Some sweat and goatiness comes along after that. Some backing acidity comes through, leading into the flavor.

First impression in the flavor is sweaty horse blanket mixed with some strong earthiness. Straight from the ground here. There's some acidity and must that really longer. A bit of leather and very light oak. This is an absolutely gorgeous beer. The acidity and funk flow right into one another. Simply sublime.

The body is light, bordering on light-medium. Pod carbonation and a mild acidity. Heavy funk and earth at every turn. Spritzer-like carbonation. Everything about the body helps to deliver the maxim amount of funk.

What can I say about this? Armand has simply nailed it once again. Breathtaking. I love it.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2012 01:44:12 | More by Thorpe429

ehammond1

California

4.88/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottle (2012)

Acquired via trade
Thanks, Thorpe429!

Careful all, this cork is ready to explode out of the bottle once the cage has been undone.

Cloudy orange and light amber with a huge bone-white, moonscape head that makes pouring this beer somewhat of a challenge. Eventually, when the head has settled down, a nice off-white rin sits atop the beer all the way down, eventually leaving irregular lines of lace down the glass. A gorgeous beer, and perfectly appropriate.

A very expressive, funk-forward aroma: this has a good amount of old/wet towel notes, with big notes of barnyard and manure, earthy cheese, mushrooms, along with some bright lemon citrus, and an acidic sour character. On paper, that sounds awful (or not), but it smells amazing.

The flavor is simply stupendous, with the incredibly funk/barnyard/earth/cheese notes bumping up aggressively against layers of lemon flesh and peel, sour character, brick, and basement. Complete; flawless.

The mouthfeel shines. It's as good of a mouthfeel as any gueuze I've had the pleasure of drinking. Light in body, with high carbonation, though disappearing, but flavorful throughout.

This ranks with the Armand'4 beers has some of my favorites ever crafted.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 04:50:40 | More by ehammond1

chanokokoro

Illinois

4.88/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Poured from a 375 ml bottle into a tumber branded with the distinctive "3" Drie Fonteinen logo

Pours a hazy gold with amber accents capped by a huge seafoam-like bright white head that rises over the brew. Slowly dissipating head with some lacing here and there. Light citrus notes, white wine vinegar, tart apple, pear, accents of barnyard funk, pleasant pungency and warm oak. Grass and hay, toasted oak notes, white wine, very light cheesy funk, white grapeskin, citric acid accents, and very light meyer lemon rind. Finishes with expertly balanced oak accents and the perfect level of sour and tartness. Crisp, light body, with highly effervescent champagne-like carbonation. What an incredibly balanced masterpiece, an incredible gueuze.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 03:52:25 | More by chanokokoro

rvdoorn

Netherlands

4.85/5  rDev +8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Big thanks to Fewa for shipping this one so quickly to me. Because I have an important sour tasting coming up soon, I wanted to make sure this beer is worthy to be served there and did a pre-tasting.
Look: Orange-golden color with a nice very large white-yellow head.
Smell: Sour fruits, musty, hay, and the typical barnyard funk.
Taste: Very complex and balanced. The taste is surprisingly less sour than I expected, but increases in the aftertaste. Next to the sourness, this beer is slightly fruity, has clear wooden oak tones and a nice bitterness (especially for a geuze) in the end.
Mouthfeel: Medium carbonation and full bodied for the style. Very smooth.
Overall: This is another magnificent winner by Armand! I start to wonder if there will ever be a day that Armand will not deliver. This man is unique and proves to time after time to be the best blender in the world! What a delicate geuze!

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2012 20:38:35 | More by rvdoorn

davey101

Connecticut

4.85/5  rDev +8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottled on 2011/02/17. 375 ml bottle into a tulip glass. As soon as I started to unscrew the cage I felt the cork lift up. After some wrangling around with a towel I removed it safely.

A - Clear dark amber body. Tons of off white foam after the initial pour, settles down into a neat one finger high head with some large bubbles. Lots of rising carbonation. Great lacing and retention. I rarely give out 5's on appearance, but it just looks damn perfect.

S - Balance is the one word that comes to mind. Earthy brett funk, lemon rind, sour green apples, rubber bands, and oak barrel. Its all very intense and concentrated, but its just so well integrated.

T - More of that great balance. Earthy funk, cheese, vinegar, oak, sour lemons, and some light vanilla tannins. Incredibly complex and layered. This gueuze is beyond delicious. The finish is dry and abrupt with only a lingering lactic presence. Mouth feel is spritzy and well carbonated.

O - Armand can blend some of the best gueuzes out there, and this one ranks right up there. I haven't had the opportunity to try the season beers, but the standard oude gueuze is my favorite beer and this totally beats it. That fourth year is a beautiful thing which makes the $30 hit seem worth it.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2012 02:21:36 | More by davey101

spdyfire83

Ireland

4.8/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

202nd Review
Served in a 3F Geuze glass (as it should be)
Bottled: 17/2/2011
Best before: 2/2021

A: EXPLOSIVE POP! This beer was so excited for me to try it that it couldn't help but rocket launch the cork off the top as soon as I twisted the cage far enough. So, be careful and make sure you let it sit for a bit before opening. Hazy, medium golden orange. 4+ (big, bubbly white) fingernail head, that dissipates to almost nothing fairly quickly, on soft pour.

S: Smells like a farm (in the best way possible) on a warm summer day - dry barnyard funk, cracked hay, and must. Touch of fruit, soft oak, and more funk. Open-arms inviting!

T: Lots going on here. Upfront lemon rind and citrus are combined with smooth tartness (touch of green apple) followed by immediate funk. Middle to back includes mild (fruit) sweetness right before the classic gueuze sourness. Just as the sour fades there is a touch of very distinct, robust earthiness that rounds out this masterpiece wonderfully. Bravo!

M: Medium body with loads of carbonation. Prickly on the tongue, but in such a good way. So easy to drink my glass was empty too fast.

O: All-around this beer is beautifully blended and put together! I can definitely understand, support, and appreciate the name and think/hope this will only develop into another superb gueuze as it grows older. Considering how young it is at the moment, I was very impressed. I do think it needs a bit of age before reaching its peak, but it drinks amazingly well for where it is right now. Well done (again) Armand on a beer that will fill my cellar and make me smile for many years to come!

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 13:46:34 | More by spdyfire83

spoony

Colorado

4.8/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

From a 375 bottle (code: 2011-2-17) into a tulip.

Note-I should have read the reviews prior to opening, because I nearly lost an eye opening this thing. As soon as I loosed the cage, the cork shot out and the beer produced a mild gush of foam.

A-Crazy amounts of light tan foam that hung around for a bit in the glass. The beer itself is a golden color with orange hues. A bit cloudy on the pour with a few streams of carbonation to be seen.

S-Lactic (but not overly so), tart, and delicious. You get some oak and a lightly vinous smell to go along with the wet hay and light funkiness. There is a nice green apple component as well. Very concentrated and complex.

T-Also concentrated and complex, and with flavors similar to the smell. Finer and more delicate in flavor than some gueze, but with an amazing balance of lactic tartness, funkiness (wet hay and barnyard), bright fruit (green apples and tart, white grapes), and some bread/dough to carry it all.

M-The beer is medium bodied with a pretty chunk carbonation. The finish is drying and very, very long lasting.

O-If smell and taste were all I could rank, this beer would be near the tope of my list. The smell and taste are simply amazing in terms of concentration and complexity of flavors. The finish just goes on and on, like a great champagne. Alas, I did not find the beer to be particularly attractive and the mouthfeel was a little heavy to garner a perfect score. Is this thing worth 24 bucks? Probably not, but will I buy it again? Probably so.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2012 23:51:02 | More by spoony

eric5bellies

Australia

4.76/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Drank from my Cantillon Geuze glass

A - Pours a slight cloudy copper golden colour with a large white head that retains very well and laces.

S - Heaps of horse blanket, wood and sour funk.

T - So smooth. Plety of balance between the Brett, Funk, Wine and Oak, and Green Grass. The finish is very impressive and sour/bitter.

M - Light to medium body with medium carbonation

O - This is an almighty Geuze. So very very well refined and balanced. No one flavour is dominant, the body is also perfect.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 13:35:58 | More by eric5bellies

smakawhat

Maryland

4.76/5  rDev +6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

Poured from the bottle into a Drie Fonteinen stemware glass. Good nice simple pop, lots of smoke.

This is one of the most amazing beers I have ever seen. In this glass, a ROARING carbonation of fire is coming from the middle of the glass, with wonderful streaming legs of pinhead bubbles charging up the sides. The head is soapy white, never forms, but it magically re-appears with more carbonation coming to the top of the glass. Body is a booming peach glowing orange, with yellow and lemon colored hues, looks like a creamsicle Popsicle with all this color and clear see- through fast carbonation. The beer looks like it's from hell, it literally appears to be on FIRE! Amazing.

Nose has a nice floral hint, and classic earthy dry funk notes. Hints of lemon fruit sour tartness and mild acidity, some of the funk brings some classic pepper. Memorable and impressive.

Palate is just supper fun. Fruit filled mid palate full of body and super playful carbonation. Juicy apricots and fleshy rind mixing with crisp lemon dry character and funk earth. Huge flowery garden aromatic with great chewy apricot and lemon tartness. Apricot flesh rind just rips and feels dense in the mouth. This is like a super aggressive Fou Foune… sort of… sharp carbonation but nothing distractive, playful and a good malt backbone.

Stupid easy drinking, extremely memorable, I wish this bottle was bigger, a fantastic beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 01:05:49 | More by smakawhat

BEERMILER12

Maine

4.75/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

375 mL bottle, with a bottled on date of 2011/02/17. Just as a warning, this cork shot straight off the second the cage was untwisted, so beware and be ready to pour.

A: Pours a golden straw color with 3 fingers worth of quickly foaming head that settles down just as quickly as it came. Expected with the style

S: As expected, a good amount of barnyard funkiness, horse blanket, sourness, and light fruitiness

T: Plenty of funk, sourness, and oak. Layers of different flavors that all come from those nice little wild bugs. Every sip is something slightly different from the last

M: Light-medium bodied with the usual plentiful gueuze carbonation. The oak smooths it out a little, but it is still very carbonated

O: What an experience. This blend is really something special. The addition of the 4 year lambic puts this on a whole new level. It sucks that most of it evaporated, but what is left is a treat. Worth the price if only to try this once

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 16:22:03 | More by BEERMILER12

Beerenauslese

California

4.74/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Bottled February 17, 2011.

Cap removed with a resounding pop. Impressive amount of foam when poured into a tulip glass. Some motile lacing runs down the glass and gets reabsorbed into the foamy cap. Hazy amber body.

Quite appealing bouquet of apples, white grapes, cheese, old wood.

On the palate, tart apples, apricot, white wine, nuts, oak. Ends clean with a nice tart finish and just a hint of bitterness and spice. This is a complex, well balanced beer, resembling a good champagne.

Light body and fizzy carbonation, very clean and refreshing mouthfeel.

This is surely one of Belgium's top gueuzes, and a real delight to drink. This beer also complements food. I had mine with a grilled cheese sandwich made with Cabot Vermont cheddar cheese aged 3 years--I should have blended in some younger cheese with the older for a more complete analogy. I have a couple more bottles that I brought back from Belgium, so the next one I hope to drink with rabbit cooked with gueuze (I'll use a lesser gueuze for cooking). It is unfortunately quite expensive stateside ($26, 375 ml, purchased at Healthy Spirits in San Francisco and imported by Shelton).

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 02:28:22 | More by Beerenauslese

Gosox8787

New Hampshire

4.73/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: 375 mL bottle poured into a Portsmouth Brewery tulip glass. Chilled just a touch before opening. 2012 vintage, bottled on Feb. 17th. After a couple of twists of the caged, the cork shot off with just a small bit gushing out.

Appearance: Deep orange in color and clear throughout. Pours a fizzy, sticky white head that sticks nicely to the glass and recedes to a lacing around the edge.

Aroma: Lots of oak upfront. Some lemon rind and green apple skin as well. Loads of funk, horse blanket and earthy tones. Really interesting and well balanced. The four year old lambic adds a really interesting dimension.

Taste: Bright sour lemon notes and green apple really stands out upfront. The tart notes are much stronger than the aroma suggest. Lots of barnyard funk notes as well. Some oak notes weave in and out as well.Some slight cheese character as well. Very balanced and interesting. Bright yet complex.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied and fully carbonated. Perfect and refreshing.

Overall, a really exceptional gueuze that delivers on the high price tag. The blend Armand has here is really interesting, complex and easy to drink. The four year lambic definitely gives an added element in terms of more funk and oak present. I am really enjoying this.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2012 01:23:30 | More by Gosox8787

sweemzander

Illinois

4.7/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

12.7oz corked and caged bottle poured into a stemmed glass. Major thanks and karma to Kevan for giving me this bottle!

(A)- Pours a lightly hazy copper orange color. Produced a huge bubble white head of froth that slowly dissipated.

(S)- An in your face nose of some seriously dirty and earthy lactic cheesy funk followed by an acidic yet dry spicy oak aroma. Ever so subtle lemon rind. As it warms, some subtle yeasty biscuit bits. The oak becomes more prominent too, but such a great showing of it.

(T)- A wonderful sharp acidity up front that really stays with you throughout the taste. Plenty of oak showing as well. Bits of lemon and vibrant earthy and dry funk (not as lactic as the smell was, but fairly cleaner and crisper yet still quite dry).

(M)- A lively carbonation level and a wonderful balance to it. Harmonious and dynamic in the sense of everything works together so well; the oak, acidity, etc.

(O)- Just a joy to drink and consume. Armand is easily my most favorite Gueuze blender currently and this is just further proof for me. The only aspect of this that makes me a little sad is how expensive it is (Do not get me wrong, I totally understand why it is). Just when compared to their regular Oude Gueuze, there is not a huge difference between the two, despite this being almost double the price tag. Nonetheless, a superb achievement.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 20:53:47 | More by sweemzander

jibbyvonjibb

California

4.7/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Bottled on February 17, 2011.

Darker than usual (for gueueze) copper color. Aroma is subtle, with citrus, oak, but also peaches coming through (which regular one does not have), and a pinch of earthy funk. Taste is orange, vanilla, peaches & cream. Not much yeastiness which 3F usually has quite a bit of. Somewhat fuller bodied than regular 3F, and less acidic, which creates a silky sensation. Really a well balanced blend.

Worth $20? Well, not as a regular drinking beer, but i would recommend sour beer fans to try it at least once, because how many fantastic sour beers are made in the world? (answer: very little).

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 21:35:50 | More by jibbyvonjibb

drabmuh

Maryland

4.68/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served in a Drie Fonteinen gueuze tumbler. If I were a dog I wouldn't care but I'm a man so I do. This beer....is...awesome.

Beer is hazy, dark yellow, big head, decent retention, some lacing, nice steady carbonation, this beer is slightly over carbonated.

Aroma is sulfur, bright, lactic, funky, oak, citric.

Beer is light in body but full in flavor. Sulfur, earth, rubber, horse, oak, bitter tannins, very bright. The carbonic burns a little and finishes dry. I love love love this beer. More? Yes please.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 18:28:29 | More by drabmuh

WillCarrera

Illinois

4.65/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

375 ml bottle, bottled February 17, 2011, poured into a tulip glass. Drank this alongside a December 2010 Oude Gueuze.

A- Pours a golden color with a bit of amber, big three fingers of fluffy, lively white head. Leaves some nice lacing.

S- Lots of citrus and rind, also a nice musty, hay aroma.

T- Lots of complex yeast funk flavor, hay, horse-blanket, citric flavor has lemon rind and also some crispy apple towards the end, oak wood flavor helps to blunt the acidity, the tartness on the Golden Blend seems smoother than on the regular gueuze. All around, the flavor on the Golden Blend is just fuller and more complex, a really excellent gueuze.

M- Light bodied, well-carbonated, smooth and crisp with a slightly puckering acidity, really refreshing.

O- A really great gueuze, really glad I've got another bottle of this.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 23:34:07 | More by WillCarrera

Jonada

New Jersey

4.65/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: The golden blend is just that; it's dark golden in color. Poured with about 3 fingers of an off white head that dissipated quickly leaving a thin coating that stuck around through the whole glass. Almost no lacing

Smell: Lemon, funky, musty, white grape, green apples. Funk becomes more present as it warms. This beer smells really sour.

Taste: Intensely tart and acidic at the front of the tongue, almost mouth puckeringly sour. Middle of the mouth is more lemon, white wine grapes, and funk. Finish has notes of oak and funk.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied, creamy mouthfeel. Carbonation is high. Finish is dry with a lingering sourness.

Overall: One of the best gueuze lambics I've ever had. Noticeably more sour than the normal 3F Geuze. The price tag prevents this from being a more regular purchase, but definitely worth picking up a bottle or two for special occasions.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 05:38:31 | More by Jonada

cbutova

Massachusetts

4.64/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

Thanks a ton to Chico1985 for opening this expensive beast up. Did not see it coming last night and what a good surprise it was. Reviewed from notes.

A- Poured from the corked bottle into two tulips. Cloudy dark-golden color to this Gueuze. A puffy and creamy white head forms to about two fingers in size with nice retention for the style. It all settles to a nice ring and a big clump of mystery in the center of the beer. A few thick pillows of lace toward the top and spotty lace down the rest of the glass.

S- Packs a punch as soon as you open and pour this one. Haven't had the standard 3F Gueuze in a while or even Cantillon Classic but this instantly brings me back to those rare chances. Sour fruity blast like lemons and tart apples/grapes. Acetic acid and some cheesy funk as well.

T- With the first sip I notice how smooth this is. Everything is balanced out with a tart and almost herbal saison feel, interesting. Fruit notes coming from the bugs are apple, grape and lemon in nature and make up a big chunk of the flavor. Nice oak, vinegar and grassy barnyard hints as well. Slightly funky but more on the straight tart sour side.

MF- Foamy body overall with a great dried out, light consistency. It is airy like a cloud when being sipped but this only makes it feel even more heavenly. Moderate sourness overall.

The funky and tart aspect of this beer grows with time but it is very smooth and balanced. The complex flavor makes me cherish each sip. The price prohibits me from getting another bottle but I just may after actually trying it.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 04:32:24 | More by cbutova

mdfb79

New York

4.63/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

From 04/14/12 notes. Had at our DC Sour Tasting.

a - Pours a very clear golden color with two inches of bright white head and moderate carbonation. A beautiful looking gueuze.

s - Smells of that classic Drie Fonteinen barnyard funk, oak, sour fruits, earthy notes.

t - Tastes of funk, lemon, sour fruits, citrus, hay, earthy notes, bready notes, spice, and Belgian yeast.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation. Crisp and dry, easy to drink. Great mouthfeel.

o - Overall I thought this was an amazing gueuze; another winner from Drie Fonteinen. Super funky and some nice sourness, and easy to drink. Up there with their Armand series and Oude Gueuze Vintage as some of my favorite available gueuzes. Glad I have a bottle of this and will be looking to buy more.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2012 17:29:14 | More by mdfb79