3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze Vintage (all from 2002-*)

Brewed by 3 Fonteinen
Style: Lambic - Gueuze
Beersel, Belgium

2003 vintage, poured from a 375 ml. Hazy, golden appearance. Aroma of springtime mist, all wet leaves, young flowers and distant funk. Goat cheese, feta, and blue cheese with bold pungency; watermelon, berries, and pepper in the lighter moments, though again dominated by the must, mold, and wet cat. The sour burst of taste is all lemon juice at first, though a lovely, light sweetness of almond runs through it, giving way to vinegar, wet juniper and ginger dressing. Rather tepid, but still exciting and bracing in its presentation. Pears, apples, sweetened lemon even it out. Light, and brilliantly dry in the mouth, finishing with a lot of tang and perfect animalistic funk. Perhaps even a bit more bizarre than expected, especially for a comparitively young example. To my memory this pales in comparison to the older vintages, though quite beautiful and intriguing in its own right. Thanks for sharing, Ken!

2002. Fine spritzy head, drops at a moderate pace, leaving a rich golden beer striking as the colour is far more golden than I expected. Soft yet rich nose, with what might be called that distinctive 3fonteinen nose. The flavour is far more rounded than the normal gueuze, yet maintains a long dry finish. All in all a really nice treat.

Bottle. Pours a nice hazy orange colour. Sour yeasty citrus aroma. Soft sour and sweet flavour with fuits yeast and a bit of mold. Sour fruitish finish.

Bottle from Noel Cuveliers. Orange gold with thin off whtie head. A rather nutty grapey geuze. Bit of lemonade. Nice.

Bottle labeled 07/03/2003. Poured a dark gold color with a white head. Slightly sharp horse blanket aromas. Upfront sourness. Light-to-medium body well-carbonated, dry/tart finish.

April 16, 2002 Vintage Bottle, Sampled October 2007
Pours with a lightly hazy, cherry tinged, light amber color (quite dark for a Gueuze / Lambic) and is crowned by an initially two-finger thick, light tan colored head that is a mix of large and tightly beaded froth that leaves some lacing patterns on the sides of the glass as it recedes. Ah yes, the aroma is just want I need; funky, woody, tart and fruity, it smells oh so good. Aromatic notes of cured leather, ripe plastic (in the process of curing), urea, dried mushrooms and a touch of farmhouse cheese are all noticeable. The aromatic tart notes run the gamut from hints of lactic, acetic, definitely citric, with notes of tart apples, sour grapes and even some touches of tart, exotic fruit. Other aromas of rotting wood, cedar, spicy oak, damp cellars made of stone and thick-amply-aged wood structure add more complexity to the aroma.

Soft and almost creamy up front before the acidity kicks in. The acidity is never hard or overbearing though (which I sometimes like and even crave in a Lambic) and in fact melds quite well with a substantial (for a Lambic) texture & body. The acid is most notably lactic in character, but has touches of citric flavors at times. Notes of crab-apple, un-ripe star-fruit, touches of grapefruit (and even more than that at times) and a green, un-ripened, sauvignon blanc grape flavor add to the fruit component of this beer. Despite the supple texture and heft of this beer it seems quite bone dry. The carbonation, though light for a Gueuze, adds a zesty textured touch of froth to each sip. The flavor is not quite as funky as the aroma was, but this is still quite funk driven. Flavors of woody mushrooms, damp leather in the finish, cherry pits, most definitely musty and even a bit moldy at times. Touches of ephemeral vanilla, butter cream flavors (or is that just evoked from the texture), uriatic acid (cat pee to the layman) and wild flower petals add to the subtle backdrop of this beer. Quite tannic at times, almost coating the mouth, though not the teeth like a very tannic green tea, in light astringency.

I could wish for a bit more carbonation here as I like my Gueuzes to be very effervescent, but this is a damn fine example of the art. Very well blended, very well integrated, there is nothing that is dominant here. I do love a good Lambic, Gueuze especially, and I wish that I had the ability to drink more of these on a regular basis. Almost a bit too refined for my tastes; still rustic though and definitely a finely crafted product, but I think I prefer the regular non-vintage, and the 1995 vintage that I had in 2001.

2002 vintage - hazy bright and dark orange colour with a little white foam; very complex aroma of hay, rhubarb and grapefruit; medium-bodied, juicy and very acidic; somehow smooth; very long acidic aftertaste with more dust, vinegar and rhubarb - a great beer!

Pours unclear golden with medium white head. Nice sour aroma with grapes, wood and leather. Complex acidic flavor with grapy notes. Very smooth and perfect balance. Finishes of dry. Excellent geuze.