-
Stop lurking! Log in to search, post in our forums, review beers, see fewer ads, and more. — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate
Oude Gueuze
Hanssens Artisanaal bvba
- From:
- Hanssens Artisanaal bvba
- Belgium
- Style:
- Gueuze
Ranked #21 - ABV:
- 6%
- Score:
- 95
Ranked #1,790 - Avg:
- 4.26 | pDev: 9.86%
- Reviews:
- 539
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Feb 07, 2024
- Added:
- Oct 21, 2001
- Wants:
- 116
- Gots:
- 251
This is the result of blending different lambics of different ages. The second fermentation takes place inside the bottles and therefore they are stored for minimum six months in constant temperature kept cellars.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by woosterbill:
Reviewed by woosterbill from Kentucky
4.41/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.41/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
375ml bottle at Delaney's into a nonic half-pint.
A: Slightly hazy orange-amber body with only a wisp of superfine carbonation. Kinda flat, but I'm not too surprised.
S: Huge, in-your-face acidity, with tons of lemon, white wine vinegar, sour apple, and lactic acid. Plenty of funk underneath: light mustiness, some barnyard, and a hint of meatiness. Very bright and complex overall. Awesome.
T: Puckeringly sour up front, with lemon and apple dominating. A lovely candied sweetness shows up on the finish, making it taste like a Sweettart candy. Not as funky as the smell, but very clean and refreshing. Wonderful.
M: Fairly light bodied with a surprisingly generous amount of fine carbonation (considering how flat it looked in the pour).
D: Delicious, intense, and oh-so-lip-smacking.
Notes: This is right up there with the best Gueuzes I've had. I badly need to have a blind tasting with this, Girardin, and Cantillon. I'm pretty sure Girardin is my favorite, but it would be a tight competition regardless. I can't wait to have this again, and to try Hanssens' other lambics.
Cheers!
EDIT: At a recent Lambic tasting JAHMUR opened up a bottle of this from 1955. I couldn't not review it.
A: The cork comes out of the unlabeled, white-paint-daubed bottle in one piece, but is about a dozen different striated colors from decades of moldy funkification. Gnarly. It pours a clear, still orange body. Dark, but attractive. 4.0
S: Incredibly sour and funky, with pure lemony acidity atop some of the most profound filthiness I've ever experienced in a beer. So earthy it's almost smoky, with plenty of mushroom, oak, and cobwebs. Crazy, and awesome. 5.0
T: Sour up front, with lemon and grapefruit citrusy notes as well as solid lactic acidity. Woody, slightly sherry-ish oxidation is minimal but present. Palate-ripping acidity on the dry, astringent finish. Wow. 4.5
M: Slick medium body, no carbonation at all. The acidity is palpable. 4.0
O: For a beer so old that it could probably sign up for AARP, this was absolutely incredible. I've had older beers, but never an ancient one that still tasted so damn good. The bottle was so thick it that I think it weighed more empty than a modern one does full. Enjoying this beer was basically drinking a piece of Belgian history, and it was unforgettable. Thanks Dan!
Cheers!
Aug 30, 2010A: Slightly hazy orange-amber body with only a wisp of superfine carbonation. Kinda flat, but I'm not too surprised.
S: Huge, in-your-face acidity, with tons of lemon, white wine vinegar, sour apple, and lactic acid. Plenty of funk underneath: light mustiness, some barnyard, and a hint of meatiness. Very bright and complex overall. Awesome.
T: Puckeringly sour up front, with lemon and apple dominating. A lovely candied sweetness shows up on the finish, making it taste like a Sweettart candy. Not as funky as the smell, but very clean and refreshing. Wonderful.
M: Fairly light bodied with a surprisingly generous amount of fine carbonation (considering how flat it looked in the pour).
D: Delicious, intense, and oh-so-lip-smacking.
Notes: This is right up there with the best Gueuzes I've had. I badly need to have a blind tasting with this, Girardin, and Cantillon. I'm pretty sure Girardin is my favorite, but it would be a tight competition regardless. I can't wait to have this again, and to try Hanssens' other lambics.
Cheers!
EDIT: At a recent Lambic tasting JAHMUR opened up a bottle of this from 1955. I couldn't not review it.
A: The cork comes out of the unlabeled, white-paint-daubed bottle in one piece, but is about a dozen different striated colors from decades of moldy funkification. Gnarly. It pours a clear, still orange body. Dark, but attractive. 4.0
S: Incredibly sour and funky, with pure lemony acidity atop some of the most profound filthiness I've ever experienced in a beer. So earthy it's almost smoky, with plenty of mushroom, oak, and cobwebs. Crazy, and awesome. 5.0
T: Sour up front, with lemon and grapefruit citrusy notes as well as solid lactic acidity. Woody, slightly sherry-ish oxidation is minimal but present. Palate-ripping acidity on the dry, astringent finish. Wow. 4.5
M: Slick medium body, no carbonation at all. The acidity is palpable. 4.0
O: For a beer so old that it could probably sign up for AARP, this was absolutely incredible. I've had older beers, but never an ancient one that still tasted so damn good. The bottle was so thick it that I think it weighed more empty than a modern one does full. Enjoying this beer was basically drinking a piece of Belgian history, and it was unforgettable. Thanks Dan!
Cheers!
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by stcules from Italy
3.33/5 rDev -21.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
3.33/5 rDev -21.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Orange color, quite clean, off white foam, good.
Complex smell, fruity notes, gueuze notes, some baby sick, leather, strawberry-wine.
Sourness, right, quite intense, with spikes of acetic.
Not too right, lack balance.
Feb 07, 2024Complex smell, fruity notes, gueuze notes, some baby sick, leather, strawberry-wine.
Sourness, right, quite intense, with spikes of acetic.
Not too right, lack balance.
Reviewed by drdiesel9483 from Ohio
3.36/5 rDev -21.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.36/5 rDev -21.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Look - orange syrup not head ing lacing
Smell - very earthy tart citrus grainy slight chemical
Taste - funky dry earthy grainy
Feel - medium body light carb slight syrup
Overall - this must be old and wonder how much better it could.be young
Oct 16, 2022Smell - very earthy tart citrus grainy slight chemical
Taste - funky dry earthy grainy
Feel - medium body light carb slight syrup
Overall - this must be old and wonder how much better it could.be young
Reviewed by MikeWard from Pennsylvania
3.84/5 rDev -9.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.84/5 rDev -9.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
12.7oz corked and caged bottle. Dating badly smudged, but at least 4 years old.
Looks okay in the glass. Hazy dull orange body. Head dissipates very quickly, no lacing.
Somewhat funky on the nose, even a little cheesy. Barest hint of green apple.
On tasting, a little dry, quite sour. Mild funk, more green apple than the nose suggests.
Mouth barely reaches medium, finish a lasting dry sourness, spikes of bitterness now and then.
Overall, has its merits, but not as good as I was hoping for. Cork was a bit grubby on the edges, perhaps a mild contamination issue?
Jul 24, 2022Looks okay in the glass. Hazy dull orange body. Head dissipates very quickly, no lacing.
Somewhat funky on the nose, even a little cheesy. Barest hint of green apple.
On tasting, a little dry, quite sour. Mild funk, more green apple than the nose suggests.
Mouth barely reaches medium, finish a lasting dry sourness, spikes of bitterness now and then.
Overall, has its merits, but not as good as I was hoping for. Cork was a bit grubby on the edges, perhaps a mild contamination issue?
Reviewed by jkblr from Indiana
4.25/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
12.7oz green corked & caged bottle notched BOTTLED IN D 2016 (nearly 6 years old) poured into a teku glass at fridge temp 6% ABV. The beer pours mostly bright, soft medium amber in color with short lived, nearly white head. The head recedes to a few scattered bubbles about the perimeter of the glass. No lacing. The aroma is intense (like you can smell it while taking the picture) lemon, orchard fruit, horse blanket, funky cheese and vinegar. The taste is sour, overwhelming so to my palate, but I don't generally care for sour beer. Digging past my initial instinct to quit this bottle immediately, I get waves of citrus, big vinegar, and funky ass bleu cheese. Mouthfeel is thin bodied, highly carbonated and bone dry. Overall, I will capitulate to the BA overall rating of world class for a Lambic Gueuze and rate it accordingly. However, I would not serve this to a sworn enemy dying of thirst...
Jul 24, 2022Reviewed by MonDak_Joe1953 from Minnesota
4.27/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.27/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
12.7oz green bottle. Label has bottling date as 'D' (December) '2018'.
Cloudy, pale amber/apricot colored body. Brief off white head. No lacing.
Aroma is leather and grass. Very fragrant. Like its body color there is a hint of stone fruit apricot.
Taste is sour, with tobacco and leather flavors. Also some cut hay. There is the apricot fruit here. The intensity mellows in the aftertaste, with a hint of fruit and oak remaining.
Tart mouth feel, with a drying sensation. Very good carbonation.
Somewhat like a sour white wine, but still somewhat complex.
Apr 26, 2022Cloudy, pale amber/apricot colored body. Brief off white head. No lacing.
Aroma is leather and grass. Very fragrant. Like its body color there is a hint of stone fruit apricot.
Taste is sour, with tobacco and leather flavors. Also some cut hay. There is the apricot fruit here. The intensity mellows in the aftertaste, with a hint of fruit and oak remaining.
Tart mouth feel, with a drying sensation. Very good carbonation.
Somewhat like a sour white wine, but still somewhat complex.
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway
4.21/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
4.21/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Sample from bottle at RBNAG 2014, Halden, Grand Tasting. Golden colour. Lovely brett aroma, lemony and farmhouse notes. Even better sour flavour with loads of brett and lemony notes.
Mar 19, 2021Reviewed by AElfwine_Nerevar from Connecticut
4.39/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.39/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Bottled: April 2016
L: Pours a deep gold with light to light-medium haze. A slightly aggressive pour produces a white 2 finger head with some slight retention. After about 2 minutes the head has faded to a 3 mm ring around the circumference of the glass while the middle of the glass has a thin splotchy sheet of bubbles.
S: Lots of lemons, a hint of green apple, acetic acid, and some earthy and woody funk.
T: I get lemons riding throughout the whole palate with the barnyard funk coming in mid palate and riding to the back end. The back end is the aforementioned lemons and funk but accented by some green apple, oak, and a hint of earth. The finish is pleasantly tart.
F: Light to light-medium body with medium-light carbonation. The mouthfeel is prickly with a bit of dryness on the finish.
O: Complex and well balanced between the fruit and funk with a bit of oak to tie it all together. One of the better gueuzes I have had the opportunity to try. If Iambics are your thing this is highly recommended.
Feb 24, 2021L: Pours a deep gold with light to light-medium haze. A slightly aggressive pour produces a white 2 finger head with some slight retention. After about 2 minutes the head has faded to a 3 mm ring around the circumference of the glass while the middle of the glass has a thin splotchy sheet of bubbles.
S: Lots of lemons, a hint of green apple, acetic acid, and some earthy and woody funk.
T: I get lemons riding throughout the whole palate with the barnyard funk coming in mid palate and riding to the back end. The back end is the aforementioned lemons and funk but accented by some green apple, oak, and a hint of earth. The finish is pleasantly tart.
F: Light to light-medium body with medium-light carbonation. The mouthfeel is prickly with a bit of dryness on the finish.
O: Complex and well balanced between the fruit and funk with a bit of oak to tie it all together. One of the better gueuzes I have had the opportunity to try. If Iambics are your thing this is highly recommended.
Reviewed by Rug from Massachusetts
4.3/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.3/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Blend of 2016, 2017, and 2018 lambics, so this was likely blended in 2019
New year, new beer! I'm very excited to try my first Gueuze, and planned to open it for New Year's Day 2021 (more like New Year's Night at this point). Let's just jump straight into this
Pours a cloudy orange gold with just a thin white cap that quickly fades to a ring and leaves no lacing, the carbonation is very visible
A lot of fruit and funk dancing around in the nose. I get notes of apricot, underripe peach, lemon, horse blanket, sharp oak, sweet malt, and a small touch of tobacco, oddly enough for a beer like this
The flavor evolves quite a bit throughout the sip here. What starts off smooth and balanced in sweet and sour, turns into a funky dry tartness. It starts with notes of lemon, white grape, crisp but full malt, and buttery oak that reminds me of chardonnay. The swallow brings notes of sharp oak, leather, tart and funky apricot, apple skin, vinegar, and a light floral character
A light body pairs with moderate carbonation for a very refreshing drinking experience. It feels light than the abv, but finishes a touch too sticky
This was a damn good beer, and I'm happy to have tried the style! I know there's better ones out there, and I'd love to have more. Happy New Year's BA, cheers to a better 2021!
Jan 02, 2021New year, new beer! I'm very excited to try my first Gueuze, and planned to open it for New Year's Day 2021 (more like New Year's Night at this point). Let's just jump straight into this
Pours a cloudy orange gold with just a thin white cap that quickly fades to a ring and leaves no lacing, the carbonation is very visible
A lot of fruit and funk dancing around in the nose. I get notes of apricot, underripe peach, lemon, horse blanket, sharp oak, sweet malt, and a small touch of tobacco, oddly enough for a beer like this
The flavor evolves quite a bit throughout the sip here. What starts off smooth and balanced in sweet and sour, turns into a funky dry tartness. It starts with notes of lemon, white grape, crisp but full malt, and buttery oak that reminds me of chardonnay. The swallow brings notes of sharp oak, leather, tart and funky apricot, apple skin, vinegar, and a light floral character
A light body pairs with moderate carbonation for a very refreshing drinking experience. It feels light than the abv, but finishes a touch too sticky
This was a damn good beer, and I'm happy to have tried the style! I know there's better ones out there, and I'd love to have more. Happy New Year's BA, cheers to a better 2021!
Oude Gueuze from Hanssens Artisanaal bvba
Beer rating:
95 out of
100 with
1404 ratings
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!