Belle Vue Sélection Lambic - Brasserie Belle-Vue

Floydster

California

4.97/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Rating #1,500, 750 ml corked and caged bottle thanks to Yves, thanks a lot for the opportunity to try this beer, 1999 vintage, poured into my Belle-Vue flute glass tonight, color is a golden orange but there is a good amount of amber as well once you get lower down into the bottle, lots of tiny bubbles showing a good amount of carbonation after ten years in the cellar, about an inch of white bubbly head for the first few pours, had about five small glasses of this throughout the night, decent retention for its style, no lacing but some decent legs, not much sediment in the beer either, was very careful to keep the yeast at the bottom of the glass, the aroma consists of oak, berries, grapes, very similar to wine in that respect, also some grapefruit and tangerine providing a nice citric scent, light phenolics, lots of Brettanomyces, horse blanket, cereal, pineapple, and massive funk, flavor starts off with a huge sour bite, tart citric acid and raspberries are what hit me first, mellows out a bit through the middle and tart begins to fade into a dryness represented well in the finish, grapefruit lingers in the aftertaste, stuff was pretty acidic and it was more enjoyable once the carbonation settled down and it warmed up a bit, also became more complex with that, remains tart twenty minutes later but now has a bucnh more oak ion the finish, somehow this beer stays light and refreshing all the way through while being incredibly sour, did not think the funk that was in the noise really came out in the flavor, byt the end there was a large amount of lactic acid mixed with tangerines and various citrus flavors, became quite fruity for a gueuze as time went by, it has a nice grainy background that is neutral and allows the tart to bounce off of it and keep it very drinkable, loved the acidic flavors in this mixed with the dry finish, light sweetness also added another dimension to this beer and the grapes and plums really worked well with the wild yeast, tart, fruity, dry, light, sour, and prickly mouthfeel, medium bodied, soft to medium level of carbonation, tiny bubbles at first but they go away rather quickly while drinking it, taste lingers a long time and I am thankful for that, allowed me to enjoy this bottle over a three hour period of time, this stuff is very easy to drink and at just above five percent it is fairly light, no alcohol in the flavor at all, crisp and inviting, stuff is almost quenching and that is saying a whole lot about a beer when it is this tarty, could have drank more and I took down twnety-five ounces with ease, I was selfish this time around after only having an ounce or two when sharing one of my other bottles at a tasting a while back, fantastic drinkability for a simply awesome beer, I must say that I tried a sample of this a few months back and it did not blow me away but this time around it definitely did, one of the best gueuzes period, it is a shame this stuff is no longer made, ten years old and dynamic as can be, wish I had another bottle to cellar even longer, this brew is expensive nowadays but worth every penny, highly recommended, even it takes trading a lot for it

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2009 04:10:44 | More by Floydster

kscaldef

Oregon

4/5  rDev -5.2%

05-04-2013 22:57:58 | More by kscaldef

JRod1969

New York

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%

04-28-2013 04:36:32 | More by JRod1969

Thorpe429

Illinois

4/5  rDev -5.2%

04-07-2013 12:49:44 | More by Thorpe429

yourefragile

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev -5.2%

04-06-2013 20:50:25 | More by yourefragile

BucketBoy

Pennsylvania

4.23/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

As of this paralleling golden yellow beer looks really nice in my glass. Crisp comes the noses if you love them and the acetic mess. Touch of honey citrus must get cobwebby basement, vibrant and bright. The flavor is sharp piquant. Sharp Tartness almost stripping my teeth but thank you very well, complex see what I Redonda. whatever, why might be a touch of dental flaws, underwear fruit mostly tart orange and lemon, lemon rind, nice. Overall, what an experience! Thanks for the hookup, Ryan!

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 05:09:49 | More by BucketBoy

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.69/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

1999 vintage shared BucketBoy. Thanks Joe!

The beer is golden with a small white head. The aroma offers well water, mineral, funky citrus, musty basement. The flavor is brash and aggressive. Incredibly acetic and forward. Wow. What a bold and complex beer. A lambic that stands apart. Palate coating and sharp acetic finish. Lingering tartness and pucker. So good. A rare delicacy for the lambic connoisseur. I'm so glad I have a few more ounces to savor. Highly recommended. Wow.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 04:36:59 | More by Huhzubendah

SpeedwayJim

New York

3.1/5  rDev -26.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

Huge thanks to GrumpyOldTroll for this share. Had at Torst bar. 750ml corked and caged bottle into a oversize flute. 1999 vintage. Reviewed from notes.

Cork ejects with little pop. Beer pours near still. No carbonation, no head, no nothing. Oily legs with a nice, clear orange color. This one's really showing its age.

Nose is robust vinegar notes with a slight hint of oakiness and some cobwebs and dry hay. Just a touch of cheesiness too. A bit overwhelming on the tartness.

Opens tart and acidic vinegar. I feel like its burning a hole in my stomach. As I take a couple more sips, my palate adapts to the extreme acidity and tartness. Some sweet lemon and hay notes appear along with a wet woodiness in the back. Tart, acidic finish with a dry, puckering aftertaste. Again, this is a bit past its peak.

Light to medium bodied with little to no carbonation. Oily and slick in the mouth and dry and puckering going down. Finishes messy with a sticky, filmy, lingering aftertaste. Not bad actually, but I'm in the minority I think in prefering my gueuze a bit flat.

What was once a very solid gueuze has progressed over the hill here and it really shows. Almost no carbonation and even less life in the flavor and body. The beer is still not bad but at this point, its slowly turning to vinegar. No longer worth the trouble of pursuing in my opinion. Even though I'm honored to have had the chance to try it.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2013 15:37:34 | More by SpeedwayJim

CheapBeerBuzz

California

3.75/5  rDev -11.1%

01-30-2013 04:11:04 | More by CheapBeerBuzz

spycow

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%

01-12-2013 03:33:57 | More by spycow

westcoastbeerlvr

California

3.75/5  rDev -11.1%

01-10-2013 01:12:25 | More by westcoastbeerlvr

hooliganlife

Missouri

4.1/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

HUGE thanks to sean

1999 vintage

pour was a murky old dull golden orange. very little head.

very sour apple, old damp basement, and a hint of grandma. very strong.

stupid sour. very strong apple and grape and deep oak and funk. very musty and old. low acidic but strong sour.

saliva extracting sour, like cheeks sucking in and mouth closing up. mild carbonation.

REALLY good.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 14:17:42 | More by hooliganlife

HopHead84

California

3.53/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

10/27/2012

1999 vintage. Thanks to Anthony for opening this. Had this once before but was in no state to give it a proper review.

A: Hazy dark orange with a small fast fading head.

S: Strong acetic presence with acetone and firm lactic notes. Slightly cheesy with earth, apple, and leather. There's a little acetone in there as well.

T: Very tart with lots of acetic and citric acid. Some yogurt-like lactic notes. A bit of orange and lemon. Salty, earthy, leathery. Lots of vinegar. Tart and somewhat rough biting burning acetic finish.

M: Lower medium body with low carbonation.

Overall: Intense on many acidic fronts. Not super enjoyable and certainly not balanced in any way, but worth trying. Definitely an experience.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2012 18:17:28 | More by HopHead84

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.75/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 3 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml of the 1999 vintage, courtesy of CStromberg57, poured into a Cantillon tulip. Shared with good friends at a ridiculous Lambic tasting.

A: Clear pale amber that's carbonated - very lightly, but carbonated nevertheless. Always a good sign with a very old bottle.

S: Must old basement on top of remarkably intense acidity. Sour lemon and green apple. Incredible.

T: More purely sour and fruity here, with incredibly intense acidity behind lemon and tangerine. The sour, musty, slightly acetic finish lasts seemingly forever. Unbelievably flavorful - possibly the most intense beer I've ever tasted.

M: Highly frothy, prickly, and substantial. Amazingly lively for its age and head-less appearance.

O: This one deserves the reputation - it's insane, and insanely good. If you can afford the tariff, pick up a bottle from In de Verzekering tegen de Grote Dorst - it's an unforgettable Lambic.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2012 23:36:36 | More by woosterbill

t0rin0

California

4.25/5  rDev +0.7%

08-29-2012 02:03:38 | More by t0rin0

JAHMUR

Connecticut

4.75/5  rDev +12.6%

08-27-2012 16:03:19 | More by JAHMUR

illidurit

California

4.7/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

1999 bottle shared at Woodshop 7. Pours a hazy orange-gold with little carbonation. Dusty cobwebby aroma, straw, barnyard, musty acidic citric. Gorgeous complex flavor with lactic fruitiness, lemons, light stone fruit, berries, acetic accents. Very smooth and mellow with lots going on. An absolute delight and one of my favorite beers of the day.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2012 05:32:15 | More by illidurit

womencantsail

California

4.08/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is the 1989 vintage. Pours a hazed golden orange color with a small white head. A definite cork aroma, but not really detrimental. Quite lactic with a pleasant funky quality. Lots of grass and green apple skins, musty as well. Lactic tartness is evident, but there is a mild vinegar note. Surprising amounts of oak with some mild cork flavors. Quite a bit of lemon, grass, and apple. Overall, a nice (old) gueuze.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2012 20:25:09 | More by womencantsail

Fux

France

4.65/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

1999 vintage at De Heeren van Liedekercke

A: Copper orange. Thin foam which disappears quickly.

S: Very sour nose, citruses and vinegar acidity. Fruity (orange, tangerine), orange peel. A bit dusty.

T: The mouth is also very sour, vinous, fruity (apple, citruses, yellow fruits), orange peel, light oakiness. No sign of oxidation at all. Lingering acidity on the aftertaste.

M: The puckering acidity is balanced by the relatively low carbonation.

O: Expressive, quite powerful and tasty beer. But very refreshing and easy to drink. One of the best gueuzes I've drunk.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 21:57:24 | More by Fux

orangesol

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to Kramer for bringing this one to our recent gueuze tasting. 1999 bottle.

A - Pours golden orange with a small film of white head, dissipating down to little to nothing, leaving little to no lace down the glass.

S - Smells of strong vinegar acidity, light barnyard funk, citric fruits, sour apples and quite a bit of earthy oak tannins. I can already tell this one is going to be one sour beer...

T - Starts off with what can only be described as pure acidity that threatens to melt the enamel off my teeth. Once the acidity dies down a bit you get hints of citric fruits, light funk and even more vinegar acidity. Finish is bone dry, lingering long after the finish.

M - Medium body and flavor with moderate carbonation. The pucker was INTENSE, it feels like it burned a hole in my stomach, leaving the pallet bone dry long after consumption.

O - This is easily one of the most sour beers I have ever had. Even with all of the acidity this one was still really interesting to finally try. For being this old I was pretty impressed.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2012 06:29:20 | More by orangesol

JAXSON

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

1989 vintage. Poured apple cider orange with a small head. Nose is juicy, fermented apple, lightly sweet, a dash of malt, of course citrus acids and some dry earthy tones. Flavor is a pleasant sweet and sour montage, sweeter and more malty than most traditional lambic blends, with some good fermented apple, citrus, dry oak. Sour but not puckering, and not overly acidic, pretty soft feel overall. Has held up very well over the years.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 19:44:17 | More by JAXSON

Schade

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +18.5%

01-13-2012 20:20:05 | More by Schade

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I had this bottle at foofaa's enjoyed chilled from a cervoise thanks to Kramer.

The color is golden with lightly hazed clarity and quick dropping white cap which falls to a ring. The smell is pretty balsamic with intense vinous and light woody odors with slight vinegar tinge -nice if you like that sort of thing. I think the best part of this was the feel with the intense puckering and super sour tinges with dry astringent and not quite sweet feel with the sour intensity lasting long in the finish with lots of acidity.

The flvor has a big juicy taste with vinegar flavor that is sweet and sour with acidic impression on the palate. The flavor has a lemony tartness and mild grapefruit rind with a subtle funky and very oaky note. The tannin is smooth and there is gentle herbal qualiity from the wood too with light sour continuing into the finish. The overall drinkability is high for me, I like the way this held up from '99, the juicy sour elements give a complex drink to chew on and it borders on salad dressing it is so acetic.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 19:10:53 | More by Slatetank

sideshowe

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%

01-10-2012 18:52:55 | More by sideshowe

stakem

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Like many of the reviewers before me, this is the 1999 vintage shared at a recent tasting care of Kramer. Thanks again man. 750ml corked and caged bottle that opens without much excitement. Poured into a sample glass, it appears a clear orange color that looks nearly still. Some spots of lace make their way on the glass and a light swirl hardly releases a couple bubbles.

The smell is mildly reminescent of nail polish remover mixed with vinegar and apples gone apeshit. By apples gone apeshit I mean it's like apples but it's not. Maybe faintly of apple skin, but not quite when mixed with the other characteristics. Some lemony lactic notes emerge as it warms.

The taste is quite sharp. In fact, of the many brew's tasted on this fine evening, this one left the most acidic impact on me. The flavor includes vinegar and mild fruits intertwined like apple and pear skins. Some lemon and funk are evident as it warms but the mild vinegar is a large contributor to most of the profile.

This is a medium bodies brew with a low, yet acceptably enjoyable of carbonation. Very tart to acidic that is prickly on the tongue that makes for an overall big salivation factor about it. In a way, this beer sort of had a Flanders aspect about it that I wasnt crazy about but for being ~13 years old it was unique and enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 18:39:03 | More by stakem