3 Fonteinen J & J Oude Geuze Blauw

Formerly brewed at 3 Fonteinen
Style: Lambic - Gueuze
Beersel, Belgium

Bottled. Hazy golden coloured with a medium sized white head. Good balance with notes of barnyard, hay, citrus, berries and vinegar.

Quite a gusher, half a second after popping the cork it starts to gush up and out. Luckily my glass was nearby so I didn’t really lose any beer. I wasn’t even able to get three fingers of beer into my tulip glass before it was full of foam though. The head is a light tan color and it sits on top of a lightly hazy, orangish tinged, light amber colored brew. As the head slowly subsides it produces spotty lacing patterns on the sides of my glass. The aroma is sharp and acidic with a substantial funkiness to it. The tart aromatics are certainly not one dimensional either, it is a mix of lactic, acetic and other funky acids. This smells of ripe cheese (more emmental than cheddar), plus it has a backdrop of funky, more farmhouse cheese notes. This has a substantial barnyard Brettanomyces influence here; goaty, sweaty, with lots of fungal woody notes. Speaking of wood, this seems to be much more wood influenced than your typical Lambic, it is spicy and almost has a cedar like note to it. If you really dig for them, there are still some noticeable grain notes here; these notes are in the finish and are dry, with a distinct character of fresh crushed wheat berries.

The beer is quite well carbonated, which adds a wonderful texture to this brew. It dances across the tongue in a light, airy manner, yet still has a fullness to it that keeps it from being anything near watery. Sharp and acidic, yet not over the top in it tartness; lactic acid notes form the larges component of the sourness, but there is flavors of lemons, sour grapefruit and a hint of acetic acid notes that help to round things out. In the finish there is a woody component that seems to provide some tannic structure as well as some light oaky spiciness. I like that body that this brew has, overall it is light and drinkable, but there is some influence here (tannins from the barrel seem the likely source) that provides this with a certain viscosity and heft that allows for a greater palate presence. The texture actually provides a really nice balance to the tartness, it almost mimics a sweetness in some ways, but most definitely keeps the sourness in check. The wild barnyard funkiness is not as noticeable as it was in the aroma, but still does contribute with notes of woody mushroom, lightly phenolic soaked cotton balls, some fermented bread like yeast character. Funky, phenolics & esters provide a sharpness to the middle of this brew all the while coupling with a substantive astringency. A flavor that is reminiscent of tart grapefruit becomes more noticeable as the beer warms up and overall the beer becomes much rounder and balanced.

This is eminently drinkable, the extra carbonation and slightly greater complexity (especially in the aroma), make me understand why this is better rated than its partner. I am especially relieved to get a Gueuze with actual Gueuze like carbonation levels, though this one might have been a wee bit overdone. The carbonation really is such a defining characteristic of a good Gueuze as it helps to bring to life so much of the aromas and flavors of the brew.

sampled at the San Diego Strong Ale Festival Nov 2008, an event shared with what seemed liked hundreds of ratebeerians and enjoyed mostly through a straw, since my face was a bloody mess of scabs and stitches. this came from the RB table full of bottles. JohnC provided this 750ml treat, which was from 2003. this beer was really fing amazing. poured a hazy golden with a big head, strong sour gueze aroma, but not overpowering. flavor was funky but balenced with lots of citrus and dry vinous notes. the best gueze i’ve ever had! so glad i got to share this with everyone

Thanks to JohnC. PPSAF 2007. Golden brown in color with a nice head. Orange tangerine sour aroma. Light zesty cheesy and sour flavor. Tart tasting. Finish is crisp, dry and fruity. Well balanced. Wow. Very nice. Full mouthfeel.

Pours a hazy dark yellow with a huge, rocky, white head... that diminished. Sour and bitter with a light sweetness. Berry aromas. Medium to full bodied. Lively carbonation. Long bitter finish. One of the best lambics I’ve had. Tak bager.

bottle....did i just have a cable car and now we’re having a J&J blauw (sounds better as blou not blue!)!. another thanks to drewbeerme for this one.....pours a slightly opaque orange brown with a hefty and considerable off-white head.....awesome nose of tart sour cherries, a nice assertive funky presence that really just blew me away. i wish i could be more eloquent with my depiction of this but i just cannot be.....flavors of earthy funkiness with a much more withstanding and dominant sour tart sensation......i truly can’t get enough of this one. fantastic!

Sampled at "An evening with Pantanap #2", thanks for bringing this one out as well. Orange hazy, beige head. Aroma is strong funk, dirty dry citrus, oaky, yeasty, acidic, I could smell this forever. Sour, acidic flavor with sweet orange, maybe lemon, starts our sour upfront and fades to tart earthy lemon finish. Medium body with tart pucker. Very, very nice, I don’t know what is better, the flavor or the aroma. 9 4 9 5 18 --- Rerate, thanks to Mesandsim. Cloudy straw with white small bubbled head, great champagne like bubbles from the bottom of the glass as well. Dry, dusty, dirty blanket, fantastic. Dry lemon, slight citrus, no acidity, horse blanket. Medium body, light carbonation. One of the best lambics I’ve ever had.

Sampled at "An evening with Pantanap #2". 750ml bottle. Another amazing beer from andrew. Pours a hazy orange with a white soapy head. Whew that is a strong nose. Funky/musty/yeasty/bretty with sour/acidic and oak notes. Tart flavors that make my lips pucker on that first sip. Acidic, funky, horse blanket, earthy notes. Orange and grapefruit resin. Really, really good. I’d like to see a touch more complexity as the sour notes are so "loud" that the funky notes become a little lost. But really not too much else you can say about this one. A great beer.