Oude Geuze Vintage St. Valentijn Cuvée
Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen

Oude Geuze Vintage St. Valentijn CuvéeOude Geuze Vintage St. Valentijn Cuvée
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From:
Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
 
Belgium
Style:
Gueuze
ABV:
6%
Score:
95
Avg:
4.32 | pDev: 10.19%
Reviews:
9
Ratings:
52
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Feb 16, 2021
Added:
Jun 02, 2012
Wants:
  24
Gots:
  4
No description / notes.
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Rated: 3.48 by chippo33 from Vermont

Feb 16, 2021
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Reviewed by Stevedore from Oregon

4.71/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Natural cork. Bottled 2/14/2007. Served in an old school Drie Fonteinen tumbler glass. I found this to be perfectly carbonated. In fact, the cork popped off with a big bang. Light copper body, one finger frothy white head that actually retains for much longer than expected. Crisp lemon, moderate acidity, massive funk, hay, touch of straw, big oak and leather. Incredible, complex and funky. Medium bodied, effervescent, impressive carbonation, slightly dry with a tannic finish. Oh man, this vintage is amazing- on the level of 1999 Oude Geuze, Lente, etc. and I wish I had more of this one.
Feb 17, 2020
Photo of THANAT0PSIS
Reviewed by THANAT0PSIS from Wisconsin

4.82/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Drie Fonteinen Oude Gueuze Vintage 2007 St. Valentijn Cuvée

A: This ten-year-old special edition of the legendary Oude Gueuze Vintage series pours, like most other Drie Fonteinen gueuzes, that is to say bright orange-gold and mostly clear. Due to the unfortunate nature of the synthetic corks that 3F used around this time in some bottles (this particular one included), the pour is without much head or fanfare; around half a finger shows up even on a hard pour, but on the positive side, it does settle into a dense collar that sticks around for quite some time. Carbonation appears very lazy. Lacing is nearly non-existent. With the very impressive appearance that 3F usually displays, this is a little disappointing. 3.75/5

A: The disappointment ends with the appearance, mercifully. Mushroomy, forest floor funk, damp wood, and leathery Brett are the funky highlights, differing in character than the typical 3F barnyard, basement, cheesecloth and all the pleasantness and uniqueness for it. There is a smell of sweetness here that is also unique and lends itself well to the next phase of the aroma, the fruitiness and acidity. Ripe apricots and peaches, bright Sauvignon Blanc grapes, and, seeking very closely, even some cherry skin and green strawberry. Apple cider vinegar and some oaky vanilla are on the very back end, rounding out an incredibly unique and appealing aromatic experience. 4.75/5

T: Again, this eschews the more traditional barnyardy, musty, cheesecloth funk that is essentially signature 3F in favor of an earthy, mushroomy character completed by accents of rotting wood, which leaves the overall early impression on the palate as that of a heavily-wooded old forest just after a heavy rain. Leathery Brett is again prominent and also adds bright notes of apricot skin. Here, apricot and peach, slightly sweet and brilliantly ripe, take over. Shortly after, again it deviates from the 3F script into red fruit territory with distinct cherry skin and strawberry notes as it moves towards its cider vinegar and vanilla finish, which also brings a bit of green pepper and a pleasant oaky bitterness. The aftertaste leaves woody oak and impressions of crackery malt, honey, and malt sweetness while paradoxically being very dry. This is absolutely stunning and incredibly unique. 5/5

M: Shockingly, the mouthfeel may just be the best part of this beer, despite the awful cork, ten-years of age, and questionable conditions of storage on its path to this point. Up front, it is very refreshing and soft on the palate almost like spring water (in the best possible way!, but as it develops, a creaminess and wonderfully soft carbonation sweeps each sip along. The acidity is never overwhelming, and the slightly bitter finish is easily without acceptable, even pleasant levels. It comes across as refined and well-aged rather than brash and young, and it is truly beautiful from one sip to the next. 5/5

O: This is not quite a perfect gueuze, but it is within striking distance of that elusive modifier (and its brethren in Lente and Zomer). There is so much uniqueness here that other 3F (not to mention other gueuzeries) simply do not have, and that makes this more than worthy of seeking out even if the quality was not absurdly high. As it is, this is a must-try, IF a bottle in good condition can be found. I admit, I was very worried about this beer with the synthetic cork, but as this is not flat, not corked, not oxidized, and shows no flaws whatsoever (besides its comparatively weak appearance), I count myself very lucky. This is a real treat for (nearly) every sense, and with it being this gueuze's tenth birthday, what better time than today to enjoy it? Pair with the wonderful, unique stylings of The Number 12 Looks Like You's "Worse Than Alone." 4.75/5
Feb 15, 2017
 
Rated: 4.5 by Kurmaraja from California

Sep 19, 2016
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Reviewed by mothman from Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Orange hued gold color. White head.

This is the honeycomb gueuze. It has a very nice honey flavor without being very sweet. Nice funk and light sour level. Not very acidic. Some lemon and herbal flavors.

Light bodied. Clean.

Great gueuze. This drank very well. It was unique and flavorful. One of my new favorites.
Aug 04, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by halo3one from Georgia

Jul 07, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by drewone from California

May 16, 2016
 
Rated: 4.5 by enelson from Illinois

Apr 29, 2016
 
Rated: 4.27 by jaydoc from Kansas

Feb 23, 2016
 
Rated: 4.48 by CheapBeerBuzz from California

Jan 11, 2016
 
Rated: 4.05 by mattreitz49 from Florida

Jan 10, 2016
 
Rated: 4.49 by aasher from Indiana

Nov 29, 2015
Photo of popery
Reviewed by popery from California

3.9/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The beer is a deep yellow-orange amber color. Quite cloudy but it would settle out more with gentler handling. Small off white head, dissipates quickly. The aroma has wonderful funk and depth with lots of earth but the oak is fairly strong and dominates a bit compared to other vintages. Mushrooms, very light apricots, a touch of citrus. Taste has a lot of oak. Fairly bitter, really. The depth is there but there’s a funny malt flavor. Medium body. Not a great version/year of this beer.
Aug 01, 2015
 
Rated: 4.31 by Quafftastic from Virginia

Jul 30, 2015
 
Rated: 4.67 by trxxpaxxs from New York

Jun 13, 2015
 
Rated: 4.71 by CTJman from Connecticut

Apr 12, 2015
 
Rated: 4.28 by SocalKicks from California

Mar 09, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by akang from California

Mar 08, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by GRG1313 from California

Mar 03, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by olradetbalder from Sweden

Nov 14, 2014
Oude Geuze Vintage St. Valentijn Cuvée from Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Beer rating: 95 out of 100 with 52 ratings