 ClarkVV (3547), Allston, Massachusetts, USA
Apr 5, 2007
Bottle shared at O’Briens on 3/23/07. I also bought one to go, but left it at O’Briens. There goes $45. Yay for being an idiot….
Nice to see this available at a beer bar in the States. At least now I can hold on to the bottle I do have in my cellar. Though I’m not so sure how long I plan on holding it, after having tried this bottle. This particular bottle had a distinct metallic flavor, not sharp and poignant, but rather sweeping in towards the end and blanketing the palate with soft metal notes. Hmm, that makes little sense, but at the time, Chris and I were better able to describe it. Suffice to say, the metallic notes definitely cut in to the experience in a negative way.
Not that I plan on scoring this beer based on this bottle. No, that would be silly. A bottle the next day and pretty much every review on this site mentions nothing of metal. Obviously just an off or mishandled bottle.
The aroma was rather impressive, nonetheless, and I didnt note the metal there. Very fruity, with tons of soft brett suggestions, none of the stronger, sharper lactic or pedio (or less of it, anyways) of the Cantillon, De Cam and newer 3F beers. And that’s fine, it’s still got a lovely funkiness to it, very musty, rustic and lightly sweaty, with a vibrancy that defies its age. Nice strength of aroma as well, with what lactobacillus notes there are, adding a little snap to it.
So back to the flavor, it’s obvious this is made from a very similar stock as the 1999 vintage. Fruity, very malt apparent (not sweetness, of course, but with a soft, well-malted texture) and highly bretty. Again, I prefer the stronger, more aggressive nature of the newer 3F gueuzes and Cantillon, as this one remains rather light and more "Belgian brett golden ale influenced" if you will.
Great stuff, but I’d be hard pressed to believe that even a bottle in great condition would be radically different from the 1999-2001 3F gueuzes. Appearance/mouthfeel/texture/carbonation are all perfectly to-style. No alcohol noted, of course.
tertons (100), East Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Aug 25, 2008 Thank to YGTBSM94. Easy drinking w/ a slight tart and funk. Balance, complexity, and all fruit notes excell here. Maybe my favorite from 3 Fonteinen. Ageing is working well as of 8/22/08.
DA (2389), Portland, Oregon City, Oregon, USA
Aug 18, 2008 RBSG 2008. What a treat. Dry and acidic, citrusy and tropical floral notes in the funkiness. The sourness and acidity were very relaxed, the aging mellowed this out very well leaving behind a beautiful mellow cloudy orange brew.
ironchefscott (226), long beach, California, USA
Aug 16, 2008 thank you dunk!!!! great nose of oak and funk...somewhat subdued funk compared to the younger vintages
glad to have tried it!
very complex
Marsiblursi (1400), Göteborg, Sweden
Aug 10, 2008 (Bottle) Pours a glowing golden colour. The aroma is of mold, barnyard, horse blanket, citrus fruits and dust with tropical undertones of mango. The soft sweetness from the malt makes a perfect balance to the tart and sour tones. The flavour is light sweet and medium sour, tart and acidic with tones of citrus, toasted/cracker-like malt, barnyard, horse blanket and mold. Bit fruity. The mouthfeel is clean and medium dry. Medium bodied. Fantastic.
DSG (844), Yuvalim, Israel
Aug 9, 2008 (6/29/08) Bottle sample at RBESG08 grand tasting in Plzen. Hazy deep golden color with a big white head. Aroma of barnyard, quite a lot of citrus and nice oakiness. Very sour flavor with loads of funky character, lemon, some grapefruit notes and wood. Medium-bodied with soft carbonation. This is outstanding!
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