De Neve Gueuze Ongefilterd - Brasserie Belle-Vue

Thorpe429

Illinois

4/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Huge thanks to callmemickey for pulling out this bottle. 1991 vintage. Served in a mini tulip.

Pours a nice golden color with a short, bubbly white head. The nose brings some pretty heavy lactic presence along with some earth and mild acetic character in the background. A touch of oak comes through in the flavor along with a bit of earth. Nice acidity throughout. Medium body and moderate carbonation; very smooth and actually just a bit creamy. Quite good. This has held up well.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 23:52:26 | More by Thorpe429

UCLABrewN84

California

4.4/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle pour courtesy of mrbubbler at Woodshop 7 held at Beachwood BBQ & Brewing in Long Beach, CA.

1991 vintage.

Pours a murky honey orange with a foamy beige head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is sour, tart, and funky with some grain, wood, and cork aromas. Taste is much the same with an acidic quality on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a very good beer that has held up super well over 21 years time.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 01:36:26 | More by UCLABrewN84

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.73/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

1999 bottle vintage at De Heeren van Liedekercke; July 2010
The aroma has been influenced by a sweet oxidation; slightly nutty, oxidized caramel notes and apple-cider aromatics. The oxidation clearly dominates the nose of this beer.

Lactic sourness up fron is backed by nutty oxidation flavors that are much more restrained than in the aroma (but still quite noticeable). Light cider flavors throughout and hints of acetic acid in the finish add a spiciness and even a very light burn to the finish. The oxidation couples with a light funkiness to produces a sort of nutty, woody, mushroom like flavor. The oxidation character, while not heavy, is definitely the second most noticeable flavor-component after the tart / sour notes. Thee is some texture to this beer too, it is definitely not watery, has a lactic slickness to it as well as a faint, tannic textural influence.

This is tasty, but I wish it wasn't so oxidized; though with the nature of aging, I wouldn't be surprised if another bottle had almost none. It is really so interesting that some Gueuzes oxidize (e.g. this one), while others that are even older don't at all (the Eylenbosch from 1984)

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2010 19:58:48 | More by Gueuzedude

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.69/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

1984 vintages shared by Bill. Thanks!

The beer is orange with a surprising amount of carbonation. An inch of white head settles to a quarter inch and holds. Aromas of funk, oak, citrus, hay. Beautiful color and strong aroma. Impressive. Tangy citrus and oak. Lovely. What a treat to have a three decade old gueuze.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 22:47:53 | More by Huhzubendah

largadeer

Kentucky

4.3/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

1988 De Neve Gueuze. Cloudy orange topped by a tall fluffy white cap. Nose is funky and dusty, damp hay, strong barnyard notes with rotten lemon, moderate acidity. Palate has a nice lemon sourness, slight biscuit quality, wet wood. Very mouth watering and lactic. Ding dong largadeerio, this beer is tasty.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2011 01:02:45 | More by largadeer

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.75/5  rDev +11%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle of the 1991 vintage, shared as part of a crazy Lambic tasting. Big thanks to beerpirates for hooking me up with this ancient gem.

A: Clear, fairly deep amber body under a fine finger of tan foam. Good retention and light lace. Great, especially for being old enough to order its own beer.

S: Bright lemony sourness is right up front, followed by some deep, dry, oaky funk. Musty and fresh at the same time. Wow.

T: Balanced, rich, and complex. Citrusy, lemony sourness, vanilla sweetness, and incredible musty oldness. Terrific vintage Geuze.

M: Smooth medium body, creamy, moderate carbonation. Luxurious.

O: We opened this as part of a vintage flight alongside '84 Eylenbosch and '99 Belle-Vue Selection, and this was the perfect middle ground: it combined the musty funk of the Eylenbosch with the intense fruity sourness of the Belle-Vue, standing as a near-perfect example of well-aged complexity. Terrific beer.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2012 19:01:14 | More by woosterbill

ggaughan

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

75cl bottle sampled at the Kulminator in Sep 2008 with my brother, his fiance and my wife. Vintage 1995. Beer arrived with a nice layer of dust and in a nice lambic basket. There was a nice pop when the cork came out and the beer poured a fairly clear, golden color with a thick white head from a vigorous pour from our host Leen. The nose was a bit musty but the nose and taste were still strong, tart and a nice touch of citrus. Overall an excellent beer and held up well after all these years.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2009 19:56:06 | More by ggaughan

kscaldef

Oregon

4.38/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

1991 Vintage via trade with beerpirates. Opened for my 35th birthday.

Despite a nearly disintegrating old cork, this bottle still opened with an audible pop. Clarity is good, color is a nice orange-yellow. A small white head raised on the pour, with minimal retention. Aroma brings hay, lactic notes, and a citrus aspect that's not quite as sharp as the usual lemon I get from gueuzes. On the tongue this has great tartness but is only minimally funky. Carbonation is medium-low. Delicious and very drinkable, and has held up extremely well over 21 years.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2012 17:42:47 | More by kscaldef

BucketBoy

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Thanks, Bill!

This early '80s unlabelled bottle has held up remarkably well and has a beautiful sharpness overall. Not sure the exact vintage.

L - Beautiful glowing golden in my 3F glass, nicely craned, just a whisper of foam on top.

S - Mineral sulfur, honey, red apple and touch of lemon, perhaps a bit of grassy. Not super musty but a touch of wet basement stone.

T - Very flavorful, bright, and delicious! Lemon and lemon curd, mineral sulfur, some blond vinegar, apple skin and light apple flesh, perhaps some honey sweetness.

M - Light, smooth carbonation really helps this just enough. Could be a touch spritzier if I being picky, but for a roughly 30-year-old beer, as good as can be really.

O - What a delicious treat! Get some!

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 22:57:34 | More by BucketBoy