Belle Vue Gueuze - Brasserie Belle-Vue

kojevergas

California

3.8/5  rDev +24.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

"Gueuze Belle Vue". Bottle served into a Belle Vue glass at the Celtic Pub in Bruges. Reviewed from notes taken July 2010.

A: Pours a one finger head of soft thick wonderful cream and great retention. Body colour is a dark gold.

Sm: Sourness, minimal hopping, bacteria. A mild strength but intriguing aroma.

T: Sourness, but not overly so; it's well balanced alongside the full-bodied simple barley foundation. A bit simplistic for the style, but delicious. Great sour bacterial finish. Some yeast notes. Well built and balanced all around.

Mf: smooth and wet, complementing the flavours of the body. Carbonation and thickness are good.

Dr: Very drinkable for a sour, and of high quality. Well priced even at a bar (at least here in Bruges). I'd have it again.

B+

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 19:39:13 | More by kojevergas

allforbetterbeer

Colorado

3.65/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a cantillon glass. Smells a bit basic, with some low profile Brett and mustiness. The taste is obviously sweetened, which means this is probably pasteurized. Of the dumbed down gueuze I have tried, this isn't the worst by a long shot, however it is a far cry from the real stuff. I can appreciate what this is though, and if I think of it as a new style as opposed to the real thing it is is actually pretty good, and very drinkable. Interestingly, my wife loves it, and she doesn't like much else in the beer world. Very cheap in Belgium, and worth a try. At least it isn't trying to look traditional wi th a cork and all that.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 08:21:18 | More by allforbetterbeer

DenverLogan

Colorado

2.33/5  rDev -23.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Oh yikes...smells OK...some sweetness and tennis shoe aroma, but the taste is way too sweet with little body or anything else tasty. Not sure what something was thinking, but this is not a good beer...lacking in anything resembling a decent normal beer or sour beer. Don't know that the objective was, but amongst 10 tasters no one liked this beast!

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2011 01:40:18 | More by DenverLogan

rvdoorn

Netherlands

1.85/5  rDev -39.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

several decades ago, this was the first geuze ever with added sugar. They did this to make the geuze more accessible for the non-geuze drinker.
Look: pours a amber-golden color with almost no head
smell: caramel, vinegar, citrus and some wood
taste: sweet candy sugar, vinegar and citrus.
Mouthfeel: low carbonation, medium body,bit sticky
overall: sweet geuze, not balanced, no bitterness... Drain pour please

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2011 06:43:18 | More by rvdoorn

woosterbill

Connecticut

2.38/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 2

On-tap at a random café on the south side of Leuven, poured into a Belle Vue glass.

A: Clear deep amber body with an inch and a half of light, creamy off-white foam. Great retention and lacing. Dark for a Gueuze, but otherwise perfectly gorgeous.

S: Highly acetic, with caramel, vinegar, solvent, and cherry. Weird mix of sweet and sour; definitely not right for the style.

T: Boring mix of vinegar and caramel. Harsh finish. Pretty bad.

M: Medium body, plenty of soft carbonation. A little sticky but quite pleasant.

O: What is this stuff? I ordered it while on a scenic bike ride around town, expecting to get a nice tart thirst-quencher, and instead got this sickening concoction of sweet malt and harsh acetic acid. Avoid at all costs.

Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

06-24-2011 03:07:46 | More by woosterbill

harrymel

Washington

1.83/5  rDev -40.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

Best by: Aug 25/2011
Brussels Trip

A: Pours golden near copper. Huge amounts of visible bubbles rise from the bottom making the beer difficult to see thru. Otherwise appears excellent in clarity. Single finger of loosely packed bubbles fall to broken sheet.

S: Smells woody, sweet, oxidized and with hints of metals. Not good for the style IMO.

T: Very sweet, not really tart at all, quite a let down. Candy sugar with hints of lemon. Pretty simple and the finish is metallic.

M: Medium to thin with low carbonation despite the appearance. Slippery example.

O: Drain pour.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2011 15:12:47 | More by harrymel

Wegomlegging

Virginia

3.33/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

After really liking another gueuze, I gave this one a shot. Not bad per se, just not the same pleasant experience. Decent appearance, with slightly thicker head than it's brethren. Smells of citrus as expected, with a slight paper mill scent thing going on I'm not sure if I quite dig. The flavor was slightly better than I expected, with slight sweetness and citrus, but a bit too much thickness and rotten fruit. The drink was quick and for a second I thought of ordering another just because it went down so good. Overall a decent gueuze, but not a competitor for my wallet in Belgium with so many other finer examples. Restaurant beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2011 03:20:43 | More by Wegomlegging

fewa

Belgium

2.58/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Bottle from the supermarket. The beer has a nice pour, an amber body, with a tall head. The aroma is bittersweet, some lemon/grapefruit smells along with a light, juicy fruitiness. No sourness at all. Taste: citric components, a sharp, sweet malt some very hidden sourness, light fruits, and a bit of sugary sweetness. The finish is lightly sweet with some citric bitterness added. This beer made guezes popular among the mass consuming beer drinkers, but I will never have it again. Junk beer

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2011 19:35:48 | More by fewa

ThaCreep

Belgium

2.95/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 4.5

Acidity in the nose but not transcendent because there also collects cardboard odors. The taste is slightly sweet, which is a good point in relation to commercial gueuzes often sickening glucose. However, it lacks relief, tannins and acidity are nonexistent unfortunately unconvincing. Only the finish is slightly tart but far from it to crown a great lambic.

Serving type: on-tap

02-12-2011 21:15:25 | More by ThaCreep

grub

Ontario (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

lantern corps beer summit 2010 - day 2, oct 9/2010. xmarcnolanx contributed this one. thanks marc!

375ml corked bottle. vintage 1979.

pours hazy light brown. no sign of head or lace.

aroma is good. slightly sweet fruit. sherry. whole wheat bread and cracker. grain. leather. bit of cardboard. malt vinegar coming through a bit more in the finish.

taste is nice. sweet! brown sugar. caramel. saccarin. leather. earthy and woody. salty mineral character. whole wheat bread and cracker. low alcohol. bit of sourness. low acidity.

mouthfeel is nice. medium body. low carbonation level.

drinkability is okay. this one is just too sweet for me, and feels muddy overall. seems like it needs something - more bitterness, or funk, or acidity - to balance out the sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2011 15:17:40 | More by grub

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

1.73/5  rDev -43.5%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Really old bottle. No idea on the date.

Pours a light white head. Color is a caramel brown.

Aroma: Rotten apples, caramel, sweet brown sugar, honey, and funk.

Taste: Rotten apples again. Honey, brown sugar. Just like the nose. No very sour or tart. Just really old. Vintage gueze. Reminds me of a faro.

Mouthfeel: Sweet and a bit acidic. Light bodied with a lower amount of carbonation. Ends dry and bland.

Overall, this gueuze definitely showed its aged. It wasn't very enjoyable compared to others that are a bit younger.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2011 00:24:38 | More by mothman

BucBasil

South Carolina

3.53/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured from the 25cL bottle into a int glass.

A: Brown with a cola appearance when held to light. Head was almost nonexistent - a half finger clinging for life.

S: Very fruity with hints of berry coming in and out of an apricot base. Some bready malt in there, making a sort of tart apple pie character.

T: Peach cobbler is the base. Apple and cinnamon come in and out, but some brown sugar also. Finishes again with a very peachy character.

Very fruity, but also a good introduction to the world of sours. Seems to be pretty popular with the younger locals as well...

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2010 08:27:15 | More by BucBasil

ccrida

Oregon

3.55/5  rDev +16%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

33cl bottle poured into my Supra tumbler, Belle Vue Gueuze looks like iced tea, but with a small white head, leaving no lace.

Smell is sweet, with a touch of must, and lemon.

Taste is very distinct, taste like candy, sweet tarts maybe, can't quite place it but very familiar. While it's sweet, it's not cloying or artificial. Nevertheless, it's kiddie gueuze, with no sourness.

Mouthfeel is crisp and light.

Drinkability is good, a quaffable kiddie beer that isn't at all sour, but not laden with NutraSweet either.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2009 04:30:39 | More by ccrida

EatsTacos

Yukon (Canada)

4.22/5  rDev +37.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a clear amber gold with a small white head. Not much lacing.

Smelled like sour apple cider. Pears and other fruits come though.

Taste: No real hop characteristics whatsoever. Very sour and tart. Reminded me very much of a sparkling apple cider. Not overly sweet or malty. A little one dimensional, but not a bad introductory Gueuze, as there's nothing offensive or overpowering going on.

Mouthfeel: Crisp sharp carbonation and a light body

Serving type: on-tap

06-02-2009 12:06:06 | More by EatsTacos

indiapaleale

Massachusetts

3.38/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Another bottle from De Bier Tempel in Brussels. This little capped bottle was 1.80 euros.

Looks nice, dark amber with a bit of a creamy white head.

Smell is straw/hay, vinegar and sugar/syrup.

Taste is hard to describe, its sort of medicinal tasting with some bubble gum, banana, citric acid and a dryness at the end to boot.

Not a beer I could enjoy a lot of and I am glad to be splitting this 25cl bottle with my brother as its a beer that could be tough to throw down by myself.

I am a fan of the traditional geuze beers of Belgium and I know this is not the best example.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2009 13:15:12 | More by indiapaleale

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.13/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Had a bottle at my hotel in Ghent. i found this to be a little similar to Lindeman's Faro in how sweet it was. There's a lot of sugar added by the taste, but there's still a tasty sour - nothing puckering, but pleasant. I'd call this a gueze for beginners.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2009 11:20:55 | More by tempest

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.15/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Date on the bottle of September 2007; Sampled April 2008
Pours into my 25cl tulip glass with an initially four-finger thick, light tan colored head that slowly subsides with a varied, textured surface and lots of lacing on the sides of the glass. The beer is a brilliantly clear, red stained, amber color, but shows a deep copper tinted, bright amber color when held up to the light. The aroma smells tart with notes of sour grapefruit, some green apple notes, some lightly oxidized malt notes of sherry. Only lightly funky with a caramelized mushroom note, with just a hint of barnyard and some musty grain notes. Very soft smelling for a Lambic, but most of the traditional aromatics are here, just more muted than one would expect.

Lightly tart up front, but then a caramel sweetness kicks in. The beer is not overly sweet for say an English Bitter, but it is a bit out of place here. A light lactic acidity provides a mix of flavors resembling sour-grapefruit and apple vinegar. As expected the flavor is not overly funky, in fact it is downright approachable for a Gueuze, the tartness makes this quite drinkable, especially since the light caramel sweetness offsets it; it is missing all that barnyard funk & wild character that I personally like to find in a good example of the style. Some sherry like, oxidized malt notes seem to show up here and are quite atypical of a Lambic (I wonder if they added caramel for sweetness to this and this is what is oxidizing).

Not nearly as bad as I expected, but still not my preference at all for a Lambic. I could see recommending this to someone who is a bit wary of traditional Lambics.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2008 23:50:32 | More by Gueuzedude

DoubleJ

California

2.48/5  rDev -19%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

I think it's time for a gueuze. On to the beer:

Into a stange it goes, and the beer has a foggy brownish-orange color, topped off by a white, compact head. The smell is fruity and sour, with just a little skunkw escaping. But what does it taste like? Calm down there. Damn, that's pretty sour and acidic. I can't find any fruit in the flavor, is that a bad thing? Ok, there is, but it's weak and watery. Tastes more like vegetables were used in this one, I don't know why. Why can't it taste like the smell? The sourness is starting to gain my acceptance, but it's too late. There's little else that makes me want to try this again.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2008 00:19:13 | More by DoubleJ

thierrynantes

France

3.03/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Beer bottle (37,5 cl), tasted in 2003.
Appearance: blond copper colour, abundant foam
Smell: aromas of lambic
Taste and mouthfeel: in the mouth balance between acidity and soft shades
Drinkability a correct gueuze, but without further

Review added 11-24-2007, translated from french 1-26-2008.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2007 21:48:00 | More by thierrynantes

smcolw

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev +33.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Clear dark amber color; good lasting head that provides very little lace.

The aroma is quite mild for the style

Fresh tasting without any of the sourness that I've come to expect from this style. The carbonation is very high while the body is spot on.

This is a gentle lambic--one that would be a good introduction to the style.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2007 02:18:08 | More by smcolw

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev +21.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

375ml corked and caged bottle paired with a salmon lunch.

Looks just as good, in some cases better, than other big name guezes. Presents itself with a huge fluffy head that sinks in on the sides leaving a rounded, foamy domed center. Tons of bubbles which drift up at half pace. A tawny brown colour.

The aroma is in character for a gueze - mild funk, light spice, lots of wheat. Smells just fine actually. It is crisp but musty at the same time. It certainly doesn't yield the "funk" that a true gueze will, but has otherwise mustered enough of the essence to fit the bill. Other than it being too 'agreeable' for the style, it is otherwise quite in character.

The mouthfeel is terribly under carbonated. There is only a mild funk which is very short lived. This is incredibly flat in the flavour component as well. Very mild. All together far too timid and lifeless for the style.

There simply isn't much to appreciate here. Granted it paired very well with typical Belgian food. I imagine it would also work well for cooking. It's a nice beer, just not when held in regard to its style...

True lambic lovers might (probably will) suck their teeth at this macro offering of a traditional and distinct style. Being impartial, I say it would serve very well to those being introduced to the style. If you can manage to acknowledge it for what it is (a macro attempt at a truly craft orientated style) than I'd think you shouldn't have too much trouble enjoying it - I did.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2007 16:13:32 | More by biegaman

janubio

Spain

3.18/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

37,5 cl. bottle. Poured in a Belle Vue flute glass, deep golden orange colour, correct head that fades but leaving always a thin cloak on the surface. Aroma of acid apples, oranges, some barnyard, not as sour as usual. Taste is of acid apples, wood, apricots, some sourness but not as much as other gueuzes. Probably good for lambics beginners, but not the best example.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2007 20:08:03 | More by janubio

MSchae1017

Georgia

3.48/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The Belle Vue Gueze pours into my champagne flute with a golden amber body adorned with a white frothy head that holds a nice film lacing down the glass. The beer has an aroma that is slightly skunked, from the green bottle with that familiar sweet Lambic smell and just notes of the normal sourness. The beer tastes very sweet up front followed by a mellow sourness from the spontaneous fermentation. The beer leaves a sticky residue upon the palate with a bit of dryness. The medium body is complemented by a lively effervescent carbonation. Overall, its a drinkable Gueze as its not too sour to overwhelm a newcomer to the style but not very complex and doesn't keep your taste buds guessing. Not a bad to try out the style, but seasoned veterans will get bored after a few sips.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2007 05:00:46 | More by MSchae1017

SkeeterHawk

Texas

3.33/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

My friend Chris brought this one over to share with me after we endured our first BJCP written exam study session. This was apparently a 12 year old example.

Appearance: Somewhat cloudy orange golden with a small head that faded pretty quickly and didn't leave any lacing.

Aroma: Some sweetness in the nose with evident green apple and a hint of lighter colored cherries. There is some obvious oxidation, but this mixed with the earthiness of the Lambic character is pretty nice.

Taste: The beer is medium bodied and comes across the palate a lot more substantial than any other Gueuze I have tried. This may be the lack of carbonation. The cherry and dry paper notes are obvious in the flavor. A little apple is also noticeable in the flavor. This beer is really clean with very little aftertaste, so it goes down really light and smooth. The aftertaste is also clean with no alcohol noticeable.

Opinion: This was an OK beer, but it was really mild for the style. I didn't know what to expect since it was so old, but it follow just about every other Belle Vue beer I have tried...it is mild and very drinkable which would appeal to more masses. I would stick to the Girardin, or Cantillon, or even Lindemans Cuvee Renee before I would pick this one up.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2007 01:50:52 | More by SkeeterHawk

GCBrewingCo

North Carolina

3.7/5  rDev +20.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer arrived crystal clear pale golden with a white, frothy and long lasting head which was long lasting and laced the glass.

The aroma was lightly tart and fruity with a light cherry fruity presence and a moderate level of acidic character.

The flavor was lightly tart with a light bid of acetic tartness and a lasting dryness througout the flavor.

The finish was dry wtih a light lasting tartness long into the aftertaste. The body was medium with a moderate carbonation level and a creamy mouthfeel. A darn nice gueuze from the standpoint of not being overly dry.

Draft at Cafe Den Engel in Antwerpen on 9/11/06.

Serving type: on-tap

09-19-2006 22:39:44 | More by GCBrewingCo