Belle Vue Gueuze - Brasserie Belle-Vue

gueuzegeek

New Jersey

3.2/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I have no idea how old the bottles I have might be. I purchased them from a beer distributor in Philadelphia, and they appeared to be sitting around for a while. I have had about 10 of them already, and they were not entirely consistant. Overall, there is little to no head to be seen. Based on last night's tasting: The color is rather dark amber and it is cloudy, as it should be. The yeast smell is present, but not nearly to the degree of a beer like a Cantillon gueuze. There is almost a sweet-tart quality to it. I feel like it is a bit thin. The sweetness almost makes me think there are cherries in it. To explain why I still rated it as a 4 for drinkability is because it really is an easy drinking beer, which, if you forget about the fact that it is a gueuze and let it stand on its own for just taste, it can be rather nice. I found it to be refreshing, especially in the summer.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2003 22:06:35 | More by gueuzegeek

Danny1217

Florida

1.5/5  rDev -51%

05-12-2013 08:37:11 | More by Danny1217

randylangford

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +22.5%

04-26-2013 22:23:40 | More by randylangford

safaricook

Netherlands

3.5/5  rDev +14.4%

02-08-2013 18:21:00 | More by safaricook

AgentZero

Illinois

3/5  rDev -2%

12-06-2012 21:17:26 | More by AgentZero

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

GRUUMSH

Belgium

2.75/5  rDev -10.1%

11-14-2012 17:23:28 | More by GRUUMSH

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

schwee

North Carolina

2.25/5  rDev -26.5%

05-08-2012 15:42:22 | More by schwee

cdwil

Texas

3/5  rDev -2%

12-29-2011 14:00:51 | More by cdwil

stevoj

Germany

2/5  rDev -34.6%

12-25-2011 20:46:27 | More by stevoj

rekel

Netherlands

3/5  rDev -2%

11-28-2011 21:28:12 | More by rekel

avenuepub

Louisiana

3/5  rDev -2%

11-28-2011 14:17:41 | More by avenuepub

Rochefort10nh

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +30.7%

11-26-2011 00:24:30 | More by Rochefort10nh

I2uss

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -2%

11-18-2011 20:29:11 | More by I2uss

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