Fond Gueuze Bierpallieters - Brouwerij Girardin

JAXSON

Pennsylvania

4.7/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a mostly clear peach amber with a scant head, wisps of it grazing the top as it's moved around. Nose is bright citric acids, then tropical fruits and stone fruits, darker than you normally see in a lambic. Mouth is super soft, low carbonation, incredibly refined tropical fruits, lime, peach. Little funk or must in the mouth, just full on citric mango pineapple. Not intense but refined and unique. This has a sweet quality with the plethora of citrus and tropical fruits, washed away with a short finish of lime acidity and then nothing. Feel is very, very soft.

I drank this next to a 3 Fonteinen Oude Gueuze (09). This has none of the champagne like effervescence or dry, mineral quality. But on a direct comparison the 3 Fonteinen, which is a consistent favorite of mine, feels almost a bit disjointed. Where the feel of the Fond Gueuze is a bit of a detractor, this has so much going on and such a lovely flavor profile, I can't think of another beer like this, let alone another lambic.

EDIT, 4/12. Opened another bottle of this with big carbonation, pours with a large white head. Oh yeah. Still not a particularly funky beer, but this bottle has picked up quite a bit more sourness on the palate. Still expresses a wonderful tropical fruit quality, still soft, but more complex at this point. If the carbonation picks up on all bottles this will be a legendary beer, in my opinion. It's incredibly juicy and expressive, now gaining some musty qualities. Amazing beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 00:15:23 | More by JAXSON

GrumpyOldTroll

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -25.7%

05-04-2013 03:36:27 | More by GrumpyOldTroll

DaSolomon

New York

3.25/5  rDev -19.6%

04-25-2013 23:14:25 | More by DaSolomon

joel66

New York

3/5  rDev -25.7%

04-25-2013 19:22:11 | More by joel66

jbuddle

New York

3.25/5  rDev -19.6%

04-25-2013 18:41:05 | More by jbuddle

MasterSki

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev +4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to t0rin0 for this bottle. Served in a tulip.

A - Seems my bottle is still sleeping. Pours still, albeit a nice attractive transparent apricot color.

S - Nice bright notes of peach, lemon, hint of white wine vinegar, slightly dirty and earthy funk, touch of vanilla and oak. More like 3F in terms of flavor balance, but with a bit more acidity than Armand's beers.

T - Taste is quite a bit more sour, with lots of acetic character and light lemony pucker. Vinous tart grapeskins, with a bit of pale malt sweetness and grain in the periphery.

M - Still, with a smooth medium body that yields to a super dry and moisture-obliterating acidity. Gets a tad stomach-churning after a while.

D - Really good, but clearly a bit young right now. Hopefully the yeast wakes up in other bottles, as some carbonation would help cut the acidity and clear out a bit of the lingering malt sweetness. It took Loerik nearly a decade to reach prime-time and this is only half-way there - get this while you still can. We had no troubles killing the bottle, but there are a number of gueuzes that I'd prefer to drink at this stage.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 03:57:11 | More by MasterSki

Sean9689

Illinois

4/5  rDev -1%

01-15-2013 19:51:09 | More by Sean9689

futura123

California

4.5/5  rDev +11.4%

01-10-2013 21:34:36 | More by futura123

hooliganlife

Missouri

4.03/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

sleeper gueuze, and well, mine is still asleep. dammit.

pour was a golden yellow, no head at all. pretty flat.

pungent lemon sourness, bright oak, mineral.

similar to nose. i noticed the flavor popped and was vibrant. the lemon to mineral complexity was great. what killed this from being higher than a 4.0 was the carbonation.

flatliners, like the movie.

good but missing that spritz. i noticed my bottle had little to no yeast at the bottom, could this be a driving factor? i will revisit this in a few years and hope for some bubble.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 14:33:21 | More by hooliganlife

bsuedekum

Missouri

4.5/5  rDev +11.4%

12-27-2012 03:07:08 | More by bsuedekum

pperez38

California

4.5/5  rDev +11.4%

12-18-2012 00:40:31 | More by pperez38

t0rin0

California

4.25/5  rDev +5.2%

09-08-2012 00:19:50 | More by t0rin0

womencantsail

California

4.48/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a cloudy golden color with a huge white head. Amazing funk aroma that just immediately says Girardin. Lots of earth, must, grass, and sweat. Lemon peel and apple give a nice tartness as well. Some yeast and light bread flavor to go with all the funk and tartness. Lemon peel and green apple sourness as well as heavy grass, earth, and must with just a touch of tannic oak. Nice high carbonation and dry mouthfeel. Awesome stuff.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2012 20:29:55 | More by womencantsail

CelticAleMan

California

4.25/5  rDev +5.2%

04-13-2012 06:09:05 | More by CelticAleMan

Sc0pey

United Kingdom (England)

4.35/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle at the 20th Weekend of Spontaneous Fermentation. It pours hazy golden yellow, with moderate carbonation and a small foamy white head. The nose is tart lemon, red apple, farmyard, egg, roast beef crisps (unusual I know), honey, orange blossom and honeysuckle. The taste is sharp lemon, granny smith apple, metal, orange and white grape, with a refreshingly dry finish. It has moderate to high acidity and is medium bodied. It is very tart, yet a lot of juicy fruit still comes through. The balance is spot on. It is perhaps tasting a bit young, so I’m looking forward to seeing how this tastes after a bit of time in the cellar.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2012 09:45:08 | More by Sc0pey

largadeer

California

4.38/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks, Raf.

Appearance: Burnished copper with a low level of carbonation. Bright and clear body, little head formation, only a thin collar.

Smell: Herbal, minty aroma aroma, quite sour and cidery. Eucalyptus, forest floor, damp hay. Makes me think of what Blauw may have been like when it was young.

Taste/mouthfeel: Bright acidic sourness with flavors lime, mint, herbs. Tannic wood and mushrooms. Mild carbonation, this clearly needs more time in the bottle, but it's still delicious. This will be phenomenal with some age on it.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 17:42:40 | More by largadeer