Oude Gueuze - Hanssens Artisanaal bvba

whartontallboy

New York

4.08/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

Pours out a fizzy white head, pretty big with streaming carbonation through a slightly murky gold body.

Smell is interesting, funky, kind of like dry champagne, slightly vinegary and sour.

Flavor is unlike anything else I've ever tasted. Starts out like a very sour, tart sparkling hard apple cider, with a seriously funky note in it at the end. I really thought this was a sign that it had gone bad on my first sips, but as it warmed a little and I drank a little more, it became quite interesting and, dare I say, tasty. Really, really tart and dry, and quite interesting.

Mouthfeel is quite carbonated and spritzy, pretty nice.

Overall: My first gueuze, and I'm ready to try some more! I'm knocking it down on drinkability because there's no way I could finish more than one of these in a night, but it's a great change-up from the stouts and pale ales I've been drinking.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2005 04:17:01 | More by whartontallboy

orfeu

New Mexico

4.85/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

33 cL punted green bottle, corked and caged. Golden amber orange with a sticky, fluffy head that soon becomes a thin cap. Aroma is of tart apples, horse barn grass -- somewhat reminiscent of a dry white wine. The taste is dry, "farmy," and acidic. A very dry fruitiness, like Granny Smith apples mixed with, unbelievably, caju -- the Brazilian fruit cashews come from. The juice from one of these things will give you the most intense cotton mouth ever. It's insane, but this beer totally has this back of the palate dessicating effect going on that is only comparable to caju juice. Refreshing and mouth-puckering. Excellent stuff. I will definitely seek this out again.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2005 00:59:18 | More by orfeu

ikats

New Jersey

4.8/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This is a wonderful brew! I tasted it first time at Spuyten Duyvil in Brooklyn. Was recommended it by a bartender when I mentioned that I am looking for a gueuze. It was excellent then, and it is excellent now in a bottle.

It's golden color, maybe a bit reddish. I've never been in a real banyard, but I can definitely imagine how the aroma and the taste of this ale are described as banyard. The aroma is also full of sour notes - the kind of sourness you get from sour cherries or grapefruits or lemons. There's a bit of sweetness on the tongue. The finish is dry; the body is light. I keep catching myself smacking my lips.

Part of my attraction to this brew specifically and gueuze style in general is the feeling that you are going back in history. This was the enjoyment of life on a farm in Europe centuries ago. Looking for information about this beer, I've learned that the term "old" in the name implies that it was blended the same way done for hundreds of years. It's even protected by an EU law. Some people visit old battlefields, I enjoy old gueuze.

It's definitely an acquired taste. I enjoy it and even I won't drink it just any time. You need certain conditions to enjoy it fully - maybe a special occasion. I am keeping it in my cellar for those moments when I crave something sour. Life is not all sweet, and neither should be beer. It's a wonderful brew!

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2005 03:30:41 | More by ikats

PatYoda

Colorado

3.9/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance is a nice copper with some head that fades slowly. Nose smells strongly of chemicals and plastic. I didn't expect that. Definitely some vinegar in there too. There is a definitely funky urine smell as well. Very interesting. Taste starts with some residual sugar sweetness. Interesting. I haven't had a gueuze quite this sweet yet. Perhaps because the yeast used didn't consume most of the sugar present, this gueuze is also much less tart than the others I've had. It's taste is a little muddled as well. Can't seem to find focus between the tart and a mild malty flavor. Mouthfeel is nice and effervescent, does its job. I finished most of a 750 by myself so drinkability isn't too bad.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2005 23:50:38 | More by PatYoda

gbontrag

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

61 F.
Aroma is acidic, and of sodden old straw, and wet pasture. It's straw-colored with beautiful spotty white lace. It really begs to be tickled with my tongue.

this is so light and effervescent. How charming to meet you. A dry sense of humor that edges to caustic and socially inappropriate. This lady manages herself well, however, and makes great company. She's lively with a bubbly personality. Yes, though armed with a stick and not afraid to lash out, she's a picture of amiability. She's a woman for all seasons. She's as inviting as a blossoming orchard after a spring rain; as dry as bitter chicory gone to bloom; as complimentary as rusty leaves and wild apples; as warm as an overyly ripe cheese. This beer is engaging to the senses, but not overwhelmingly assertive. She speaks her mind, but we were able to carry on a pleasant conversation, and afterwards she wasn't too restrained to pee behind the barn.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2005 15:52:05 | More by gbontrag

Troyone

California

3.38/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a clear apple juice color with an orange hue. Minimal head that dissipated to a thin layer thicker on the sides and no lacing with some carb action.

The smell is a harsh wet straw and sour malt with a hint of vinegar and cheese.

The taste is like vinegar I wish I had fried some fish.

A full bodied, syrupy texture, soft and lively carbonation, and a harsh astringent finish.

This beer is a required taste and not my type of Geuze. The Boone type was OK and New Belgiums La... whatever was great.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2005 09:08:37 | More by Troyone

silenius

Illinois

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

Poured from a 750ml bottle.

Slight cork pop and hiss as it is opened. Pours a hazed orange amber with a nice frothy head that disappears quickly and leaves a thin lace.

Smell is a nice floral sourness that does not come across as being harsh. I get some strawberry and ripe plum in the nose as well.

Tastes wickedly delicious! Hits with a zing that develops into a sour and earthy berry pucker ending in a woody note. Not tooth enamel dissolving.

Mouthfeel is puckering and dry with some light carbonation tingle.

Highly drinkable for a gueuze.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2005 00:30:31 | More by silenius

maltedmilk

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is my first Lambic ( thank you ,Malto).

I pop the cork on this small green bottle of Oude Gueuze.


appearance:

It pours an orangey, cloudy copper in my Duvel Glass ( and thank you Stu) with a very small white head that quickly dissipates leaving a wisp of white floating in my glass.



Smell:

Oh my lord…The aroma permeates the entire room. Judging by the smell alone, I would say this beer should be labeled toxic. What the hell is that smell? ..Horse shit or maybe some other kind of shit. I’m not a shit expert. Also the smells of funky vegetation. Horse shit in a meadow I guess.

And I’m drinking this of my own free will?

( I gave this beer a 4 on smell because , rumor has it, it is supposed to smell funky and it was right on)

Taste: Thank you lord..this doesn’t taste like shit or I should say, it doesn’t taste like I imagine shit to taste. It’s very sour but not unpleasantly so. It's very unusual to me but I assume, from what I have read about this type of beer, natural for the style. There is some fruitiness. No bitterness at all.

This beer is so weird to me. But you know what, I like it. Its not an everyday beer but worth a try if you are feeling adventurous. And I bet it would be a great beer to shock your friends with if they have never experienced the lovely smell of a freshly opened bottled of Oude Gueze.



Not for the queasy but definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2005 00:31:04 | More by maltedmilk

downes51

Cyprus

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

I brought a case of this home with me after a trip to Baarle Hartog. What a good choice. Lovely colour, nice foamy head, not too much effervescence, authentic gueuze smell and taste.... what more might you ask for? I can drink this stuff all day. Warmly reccommended.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2005 13:52:16 | More by downes51

beveragecaptain

New Jersey

4.83/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I've been craving gueuze the last few days. At last I went into the closet today and got the 750 ML bottle of Hanssens Oude Gueuze that I've been saving. This beer has a slightly hazy apricot color. The head is initially large, but subsides after a few minutes. I spent at least that long sniffing the beer before I even took a sip. I love the funky, musty, acidic vinegar aroma. Am I the only man who gets a perverse pleasure from watching his friends smell this beer? The flavor is as good as the aroma. Sweet at first, but only for an instant before the sour kicks in. Flavors of grapes, straw, citrus, funk, and honey. Funky, but not the funkiest of gueuzes. Certainly among the most sour. For anyone who ever finds himself in a beer drinking rut where all beers seem boring, I would recommend drinking a gueuze. Hanssens is a great example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2005 02:08:02 | More by beveragecaptain

blitheringidiot

Pennsylvania

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

Amber cloudy pour with a champagne like continual fountain to a scattered head, yet the second bottle pour was more head cap frothy.

Rigourous lemon pucker Earthy floral wildflower musty nose that blends into the flavors of bright light orange lemony pucker. Raw lemonade which becomes grounded slightly warmed up a bit.

Foamy light feel with a clean aftertaste.

Easily drinkable except for the price tag.

Last swigs: Attractive beading dandelions and lemons. Reminds me of Boon Gueuze. Second pour became more metallic.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2005 01:19:17 | More by blitheringidiot

pentathlete

Virginia

4.28/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Dark orange with a white foamy head. Funky musty smell that fills you with dread if you aren't expecting it (I'm judging from my spouse's expression). Tart tannic tastes that varies from sharp to astringent througout the mouth. Some sweetness and carbonic bite. What a ride for the taste buds. Mouthfeel is minimal due to the nearly complete focus on the tongue but the finish is long lasting. If you like unblended lambics or sour ales then you will find this emmanently drinkable. My wife popped a sparkling wine for comparison. It was like Dick & Jane vs. Tolstoy when it came to complexity. The latter of course being analagous to the gueuze.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2005 02:35:14 | More by pentathlete

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.35/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A harsh style to share, though the mouthfeel impact was muted. Smelled like vinegar and cider, and barnyard as well, so not pleasing to novices. Acidic, sour, with yeast mildly playing on the taste buds. Didn't work that well for me, even with food.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2005 19:12:23 | More by northyorksammy

crookedhalo

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

No dating on 75 cl cork and caged bottle. Pours a pale bronze color with a lively white head. Some farmhousey gueuze qualities in the aroma like sour apple, flint and gunsmoke, wet dog and other subtle nuances that would describe funkiness (Bootsy Collins not included). Intriguing taste. Sourness is aggressive upfront and a residual sweetness shows up well after the swallow. Light cheese and lemony notes. Beautifully crafted and balanced, which equates to a fully enjoyable and highly drinkable gueuze. I like this one a lot.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2005 08:22:59 | More by crookedhalo

cerevisiaephilus

Michigan

3.9/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Really a beautiful color. Very deep deep golden color. Almost orange. Like a sunset in a glass really...awww.

WOW. That nose is grande. Huge granny smith apples. Very tart tart tart. Get some good funk notes. Nice horsey notes. Also get a nice candied sweetness. Really nice mix between the funk and the candy.

Really nice flavor. Definately get some granny smith apples big time. Not an agressive funk, a kind of nice mellow fruity funk. Very tart yes. Very very tart. Finishes kind of rough. Definately earthy in the finish. But also an interesting something in the finish. Not quite sure what it is. Almost plastic-y. Like I was gnawing on a plastic crate or something. Not quite right I don't think. Maybe that's the enterobacter!! Definately some citrus notes in the finish too. Pungent lemon or grapefruit rind for sure. Really incredibly complex.

Mouthfeel is good, but honestly not dry enough I don't think. It is a touch on the cloying side oddly enough for me. Kind of leaves this slime in my mouth.

Not sure I'll ever be able to give a hardcore gueuze anything higher than a 3 in the drinkability field. Unfortuntely...

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2004 23:04:11 | More by cerevisiaephilus

merlin48

Kentucky

4.33/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served at cellar temperature into a goblet, this gueuze pours a hazed tangerine body with no head, but a longlasting collar. Lacing is classical Belgian, and looks very attractive on the sides of the goblet.
Aroma begins with profound notes of oak wood, followed by a sharp, citrusy blast of freshly sliced lemon. Yeast is a prominent player in the nose, as well, with complex olfactory notes of dirty blanket, must, barnyard, and dried moss.
Mouthfeel has the explosive, effervescent carbonation that is so typical in a quality Belgian. Light medium body.
Taste begins like the aroma, with a strong note of oak. The dominant tangy and tart character quickly takes over. The middle is like chewing on a fresh slice of lemon, then the yeast takes over the show with a musty, earthy, and woodsy presence. Sour cherries emerge toward the finish, and the final note is dry, tart, and mildly chalky.
This is the real deal. Ideal for style. I wouldn't change a thing with this one. Excellent drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2004 15:32:31 | More by merlin48

Rastacouere

Quebec (Canada)

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

Cloudy golden-orange. Gentle white ring. Gueuzes aroma can be smelled from far. Probably the most expressive cheese aromas I’ve experienced. Incredibly funky, horsey, sweaty, leathery, plastic-like even. Cider, basement, cobwebs notes etc. Superb yeast development. Fairly adequate malt base reminds of honey hence it’s not all about sourness. Truly a top echelon gueuze that does everything right and more. One I’d keep a stash of, this and cuvée rené. Dry oaky palate with loads of yeast complexities. Cider like dryness develops toward the acidic funky finish. FUNKY. I love it. Medium to full body, low-medium carbonation. How can you not admire a product that presents all those flavors that would be considered of in basically almost any other style with such gracious eccentricity and agility is something I can’t understand. Underated.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2004 18:04:04 | More by Rastacouere

Dukeofearl

California

4.5/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a slight hazy golden color with a HUGE off-white head. Aroma is tart, organic, almost pee-like in its intensity. That sounds disgusting, but it isn't. Words fail me here, but it is really interesting- am I starting to like this style???? Flavor is tart and sour, puckerful in its intensity, getting stronger at the back of the throat. Earthy, wet ground. Sour apples, unripe pears (I love unripe pears), and sour, sour, sour...

I used this beer as my packing companion for my first "it's all about the beer trip", my 2004 Belgium trip for the Belgian Beer Paradise in Brussels. What a sendoff!!!!

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2004 13:14:57 | More by Dukeofearl

Goldorak

Quebec (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev -9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Sampled at Le Zageman in Brussels, the bottle was served to me in those wicker baskets with a Gueuze-type glass.

Appearance: Cloudy orange with just a little bit a head.

Smell: Peppery horseblanket, with slight peachy fruit.

Taste: Good carbonation and acidity, but lacks a little of the punch I've had in other examples of the style, the finish seemed a bit more watery. It was however quite refreshing and easy to drink (as far as Gueuzes go, I suppose).

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2004 19:47:44 | More by Goldorak

CharlesRiver

Connecticut

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

375ml bottle. Corked and caged. No date on the cork that I can find. After a smooth pour it appears to be effervesant but with little head. The smell is sour, apple and sweet all mixed into one.

The first thing that I notice is it explodes in your mouth. Extremely smooth and complex. So many flavors keep coming at you. Again, more apple as well as citrus. Not as dry in the end as I expected. Not as in your face as the Cantillion gueuze if I remember correctly. Both seem very different to me. I can't wait to travel to Belgium to sample more Gueuze just like this.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2004 22:57:14 | More by CharlesRiver

twilight

Germany

4.33/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I actually had my entire house try this one before I had even tried it. "It tastes like it's gone bad" and "This is really disgusting" were the general consensus. So it goes. However, on my first sip, I was like, whoa! The pour is orange-ish with a little head, The smell is sour, but not vinegary. It was enough to intrigue my friends. The taste. Hmmm.... It has this lactic acid thing going on coupled with that sourness that isn't quite sour, as it goes kind of round before finishing off to a slightly bitter slight sour aftertaste. Gueze is definitely an acquired taste, but to me it's like fruit but with the sourness instead of the sweetness. Mouthfeel is good. Not too much carbonation. Drinkability is okay, but I'm not sure I could drink it all night. One bottle is definitely fine for me...

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2004 03:21:44 | More by twilight

cokes

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hazed golden, inflected by peach. The head is compact, and pale cream colored.
Reeks of manure, vomit, paste, diesel exhaust, rust, and cider. This is what gueuze is all about, but....whoa.
The base is lemon-infused cider, fortified with some sort of rotten oaky Chardonnay. It's a bit sweeter upfront (and very momentarily) than some. Then it gets funky. Rusted tin, piles of bile, acetic and uric acids. Dirtballs. Farm excrement. Intermittant leafy vegetables. More rust, and more puke, and more shit later on. Tartness grabs the periphery of the mouth and pulls inward. Singes the esophagus on the way down. Hard minerals upon completion.
Light bodied, but grabby, sheering and intense.
This is beyond foul. So much so, that a sense of endearment develops.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2004 23:00:04 | More by cokes

fdrich29

Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Shared a bottle with BA's at Anam Cara.

Poured a hazy, cloudy orange with a white head that quickly vanished (probably to get away from the smell). Smelled strongly of nature and quite sour. Tasted sweet and fruity with a heavy sour component. Enjoyable feel and easy to drink. I would share this one again wtih good company.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2004 04:54:27 | More by fdrich29

ark57

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

It pours a hazy orange with a white fizzy carbonation that dissipates fast. There is a strong musty aroma with some horse blanket smells. The taste starts with barnyard and horse blanket it has an almost mouth-puckering sourness. It is funky and acidic with a touch of woodiness and fruit, though no sweetness. It finishes with a musty quality, but it is refreshing nonetheless. A wonderful beer that I could drink very often.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2004 20:52:44 | More by ark57

BeerBuilder

Minnesota

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

Pours to a hazy orangish color with a white head. The aroma is yeasty, hay-like and tart, with medicinal qualities. The flavor is sweet and medicinal; sour and tart from middle to end. The finish is sweet and yeasty. It is light-medium in body and tart. It was a very enjoyable beer, I would definitely have another.

Sampled 12/13/03

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2004 17:41:21 | More by BeerBuilder