Oude Gueuze - Hanssens Artisanaal bvba

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -13%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

(Served in a stubby chalice)

A- This beer pours a very slight hazy orange with a thick head of big bubbles that are soon gone. There is no real sign of carbonation noticed.

S- The aroma of white wine vinegar has a soft stone fruit note to it and an overripe fruit and mayonnaise note to follow. There are some brie rind notes in the finish that grow as this beer opens up.

T- The tart red wine vinegar taste is bright with some tannins and stone fruit notes to follow. There is a phenolic plastic note in the finish with a full brie rind flavor with softer notes of grapefruit rind and a bitter note. The tartness coats the mouth after each sip.

M- The light mouthfeel has a tart but not to astringent quality that burns the back of the throat after each sip but doesn't make my jaw lock shut. There is an alcohol burn along with the tartness in the finish.

O- I think this is one beer that doesn't benefit from being on cask. The sour character is to sharp in the aftertaste an the alcohol burn on enhances that. There is no a lot of depth of flavors but the cheese rind brett notes are really pronounced.

Serving type: cask

06-24-2011 19:42:53 | More by rhoadsrage

oglmcdgl

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On cask at res ale house.

A- no head upon arrival on top of a on top of a slightly hazy golden yellow orange brew.

S- lots of preserves lemons and funky funky wood. A bit floral with a touch honey like sweetness. Kinda smell like rotten lemon juice but in a good way if you can dig.

T- extremely tart and sour right out of the gate, so much so that your taken aback by it. After the open you get some very funky wet wood and some spoiled vegetation. Lots of lemons juice and just the faintest hint of a honey sweetness from the malts.

M- just about medium in body and completely still. Huge massive ass ripping pucker and almost a sting at the back of the mouth.

O- well its super interesting and wild as all get out but so damn funky and rotty that you lose some of the subtle complexity of the bottled version.

Serving type: cask

06-11-2011 03:27:47 | More by oglmcdgl

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On cask at the farmer's cabinet via a gravity fed firkin. I enjoy gueuze and jump at the opportunity when it presents itself. I approach this chance with great anticipation since this is my first time having one via cask delivery.

Served in a short glass, approximately 6 oz. This brew appears a perfectly clear color of copper orange. It has an appearance that is strikingly similar to apple juice. There is no head atop this brew, it looks still. Even a couple of swirls do nothing to perk up some carbonation on this one.

The smell is intense with sour quality, some funk and cheese pales in comparison to notes of vinegar. At times it comes across with a bit of an earthy touch but all in all apple cider vinegar is the major player in this brew's nose. Seemingly no indication of alcohol or hops which is fitting to the style.

The taste is an immediate throwback to the aroma. A serious kick in the pants of immense sourness seemingly strips all of the moisture out of my tongue. This brew tastes straight up of acidic apple cider vinegar. With each sip I take, I try to gather more flavors but come up short other than some minor earthy qualities and then back to the vinegar.

I thought this one would go down easier, I stepped myself up and was ready for this after having a berliner weisse to start off the day, then a lambic. I thought I was ready to tackle this one but it left me humbled and reaching for water to quench my thirst. I had this brew from a bottle before and this cask experience was a completely new beast. Color me impressed but at the same time quite confused. It could have benefited a bit from even a slight amount of carbonation but that was completely absent. Regardless, not bad and worth a try.

Serving type: cask

06-08-2011 02:18:07 | More by stakem

rfgetz

New Jersey

4.2/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clean and clear, near headless golden oranage, one of the darker tints ive seen from the style. Scent is musty baryard, damp wood and muddy earth forward, sour notes and a suprisingly bold fresh grain/malt presence. Taste is earthy, without being overly funky, muddy earth and damp wood present in quantity, lightly sour and puckering at serving temperature (cask remember) and stronger as it approached full room temp - really becomes a puckering being later on. The grain profile is heavier then many in the style. Limited cask carbonation here, beer comes across as medium and the sourness lingers on the palate. A nice find in cask, maybe not my prefered method to serve the style, but a good beer.

Serving type: cask

06-06-2011 14:54:19 | More by rfgetz

ktrillionaire

Florida

4.4/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Cask offering at Fountainhead.

I am shocked to see the waiter place a full pint glass of gold-ish brew, replete with white foamy cap, on the table in front of me. "Waiter, I didn't order this IPA," I nearly protested. Thankfully, I caught a whiff of intensely potent sourness before I blew the whistle on the ridiculous pour. They couldn't've been pouring straight-up pints of Gueuze all night, could they?

A - The brew appears to be a hazy apricot hue, but in this bar it is so dark I can hardly tell. It definitely has a nice pillowy head of froth, both considering style and the fact that it is on cask.

S - The nose is way tart. I can smell it from an arm's length away. I am reminded of WarHeads candy, bitter sour apple, strong lactic notes, oak and green grass. As it airs out, some strong lime notes arise, like the most sour lime juice ever. There is also a fresh green weed & thistle aroma.

T - The flavor is intensely tart; like, make a thizz face tart. The brew offers notes of lime juice and zest, citric acid, tannic oak, crabapples, underripe kumquat, and perhaps some sour berry aromas. As I get deeper in the pint, green grass and hay funk are noted. This is probably about as sour as a brew can be whilst remaining pleasurable.

M - The feel is pretty nice, but due to the intensity of the sourness, a less satiny / more pert feel may have given more of a respite from the bracing nature of this brew.

O - I have to admit it has become difficult to guzzle the second half of this pint, due to the oft-mentioned sourness (and the fact that I just had a few glasses of LP Kriek); it is a very delicious brew, however.

Serving type: cask

06-03-2011 02:07:01 | More by ktrillionaire

glid02

Georgia

4.1/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cask at the Brick Store.

Pours a slightly hazy golden-orange color with a half-finger white head. The head recedes into a wispy layer on top leaving decent lacing.

Smells of medium malts with solid amounts of funk and tart lemons. Also present are hints of wet hay.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Medium malt flavors kick things off and are joined almost immediately by moderately tart citrus. Midway through the sip the tartness subsides a bit and funk comes in, evening things out. The funk carries through to a crisp ending.

Mouthfeel is good. It’s got a smooth thickness with soft carbonation.

Drinkability is also good. I finished my glass without a problem and could have another.

Overall I’m not sure that I prefer styles such as this out of a cask as much as I would out of the bottle, but I’ll sure keep trying to see whether I can pin that opinion down or not. A solid beer that’s worth a shot.

Serving type: cask

05-19-2011 14:42:13 | More by glid02

Brez07

Maine

4.47/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On cask at Novare Res. 16oz pour into my chalice. Reviewing from last week's notes

A: Pours a golden orange hue. Slightly cloudy appearance. Very small amount of bubbly head that is gone within a few minutes

S: Smells just like a normal gueuze. Lemon rind, yeast, barnyard. A little sweet citrus countered by the funk

T: Briefly tart at first. Transitions to citrus and lemon zest/rind, before finishing with more sour tartness. Light amount of funk to it, definitely less than the bottle version. Small notes of oak and vanilla. Fairly smooth sourness overall

M: Medium bodied. Low carbonation, as expected. Slightly dry finish

D: Sets the standard for gueuze. Had no idea that they offered this on cask until a bartender told me about it a week prior to tapping. Awesome stuff, definitely recommended

Serving type: cask

05-11-2011 00:26:56 | More by Brez07

ToasterChef

Maine

4.72/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Served on cask as part of Novare Res' Belgian Beer Fest. Poured into my Uprising Chalice. Reviewed from my notes.

A: Opaque orange liquid—cloudy with swirling carbonation. Slight tan head of big bubbles. Has a great casked look.

S: Sweaty & funky. Dried/powdery citrus notes. Sourness isn't as in your face as it is when poured from a bottle.

T: Tastes amazing. Tart peach flavors. Some sweetness. Malt is more prominent this way. Sweetness is like pure fruit juice. Very nice.

M: Medium body and low carbonation levels. Coat has a lot of flavor but I don't feel much. No stickiness. Slight sour/tart burn as I swallow.

O: This is one of the best gueuzes around. World class and worth seeking out.

Serving type: cask

05-06-2011 13:17:20 | More by ToasterChef

FievelGoesWest

Illinois

5/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Had this on-cask at the Fountainhead Anniversary night.

A: Goldeny orange haze. Looks like what an alcoholic apricot nectar would be in a big soapy bath.

S: The smell lends itself to fermented fruits at the bottom of a sterile garbage can bag. It's cloyingly sweet and sour smelling with some hints of oak and vanilla.

T: All those smells hit your tongue at the same time for an overwhelming bombardment of sour, fruit, and vanilla.

M: The first sip will pucker your lips and make your cheeks rosey.

O: This was one of my few gueze experiences, but it was a great one. I had this in bottle format not 3 nights later and it was still an amazing brew.

Serving type: cask

05-05-2011 02:52:53 | More by FievelGoesWest

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.4/5  rDev +4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Cask at novare res to start their Belgian beer-fest.

No real head peach orange hazy color.

Nose nice light barnyard funk, sour fruit, tart cherry, some sweet malt, great sour fruit.

Taste semi sweet creamy and toasty malts surrounded by great tart fruit, light lactic acid, tart cherry, light funk, juicy, fruity, mouth watering, finishes with a light barnyard dry funk, light tart fruit and light flemmy.

Mouth is med bodied, light but decent carb.

Overall great, great fruit and sour flavors, nice wild funk, dry finish, keeps you coming back for more.

Serving type: cask

05-02-2011 00:55:49 | More by jlindros

MasterSki

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A rare cask of of Oude Gueuze on hand-pump at Fountainhead. Served in a tulip glass.

A - Served with a persistent of finger of foam that lingers as the entire glass is consumed, leaving behind spotty lace. The body is a lightly hazed golden color. Quite attractive.

S - Very acetic, with tons of tart appleskins, funky blue cheese and feet, and white wine vinegar. There's some wet oak flavor that I don't generally get from other gueuze.

T - The taste is less funky and more sour, with plenty of tart appleskins and lemons. Some sweet malted grain and oaky vanilla character in the finish keeps this from going off the map in terms of flavor balance.

M - Low carbonation but a little higher than I expected, smooth medium body, and a ridiculous moisture-obliterating dry finish. Some tannic character as well.

D - I had two glasses, and other than the fact that my stomach was melting by the end I would have had more. Too expensive in the US for drinking all night, but if this was at a Belgian bar for a few euros I'd definitely indulge.

Serving type: cask

04-26-2011 15:27:52 | More by MasterSki

hoppymcgee

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Sampled at Brett Fest at Spuytin Duyvil in Brooklyn, NY in August 2009.

6 oz. from the cask into a tulip.

A: The best feature of this beer. Sparkles like a white wine.

S: Smells like vegetables.

T: Similar to biting into a lemon.

M: I'm not sure if it was in my mouth long enough to tell!

D: Very sour and therefore not so drinkable.

Overall, this beer was tough to get through. I wish I knew what year it was.

Serving type: cask

12-19-2009 03:46:11 | More by hoppymcgee

emerge077

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Rare cask serving at Map Room, 10 oz. pour into a Sam Smith glass. Bright orange with a light haze, a surprising puffy head that rises above the rim for a few minutes. Miniscule traces of carbonation rise to the surface. Mildly pungent and sharp, wet wood, with a vegetal note like wildflower and lemon peel compost. Tastes much the same, a moderately citric lemon sourness: 6/10 scale, very soft and supple feel with little carbonation. The woody element seems to dominate, with some bitter tannin in the aftertaste. A few of these would be really great, but I had to limit myself to one. The novelty of the cask serving made me daydream of what it must be like to drink in the rare Lambic cafes found in Belgium. Also, thanks to quinnsi who shared a bottle recently at Sheffields!

Serving type: cask

03-23-2009 18:05:57 | More by emerge077