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

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

07/03/2002 bottle courtesy of Christian. Audible effervescence from this murky mustard and apple juice body with a fizzy fluffy white head. The strange yet comforting aroma hit me and made my mouth start watering. I can already frrl it in my jaws and I have not even tasted it yet. Sweaty nose that in all other circumstances scares me makes me smile in this beer. Lemon sour with wood flavor and some orange puckering notes. So much acidity in such a small bottle. Sour leather finish. I don’t know why it is that I can like what I would otherwise detest in any other type of beer. But a nice and funky geuze is is so damn good. And this is a nice and funky geuze. Lingering band aid flavor is a bit of a negative, but not overly so. A great beer, that I want more of. Thanks so much Christian, I’m in your debt. 5 8 8 5 19

2002 Vintage, bottle at Ealing Beer Festival, April 2006. Hazy orange colour. Good strong horse blanket funky aroma. Excellent sharp, citric flavour with musty, woody undertones. Quite clean mouthfeel and finish. Classic geuze.

2002 vintage sampled at the RB gathering at capt lawrence. Funkier aroma than a 99, and a bit less sour/tart- more earthy and spicy with a nice sourness though. Nice more4 tart flavor, with some lemony sitrus tart-like quality and a battery acid finish and funkiness all the way through. Nice spritzy yet smooth carbonation and a nice lingering finish. Great Gueze. Vintage 2002 4.1, vintage 2005 4.3.

(Bottle, bottled on 13 April 2002) The first impression of this one nearly knocked me out, litterally. The cork flew out with enormous power, making a dent in the kitchen ceiling. Luckily I kept my head away. The beer pours a golden amber/orange colour with a huge, frothy off-white head. Musty, acidic nose with grapefruit, lemon, green apples, barn and old socks (yes, doesn’t it sound lovely?). Taste is acidic, musty, harsh with green apples, grapefruit, sour grapes and a slightly nutty bitterness. Extremely dry. Complex, balanced, beautiful, amazing!

Bottle. Amber beer with no head. Tart, oaky aroma. Tart flavor with apples, earthiness, and yeast. Low carbonation. Lingering tartness.

1. Vintage 2003 Bottle at the King’s Hall, Stoke on Trent 27/10/2006 Dry fruit aroma. Golden coloured and slightly hazy in appearance. Sour tasting. Some dried fruit flavour in a crisp dry finish. 2. From the Bottle dated 24/12/2005 at the GBBF, Earl’s Court 05/08/2009 Sour and slightly spiced aroma. Golden coloured hazy in appearance sour and fruity with a little dryness in an oaked finish.

Rating of the Vintage 2002 (tasted sometime during 2006). Dug it up from my old handwritten notes: Same as 2003, but apple (cider) in both aroma and flavour. Oddly I didn’t rate aroma as high as the 2003, though from my notes, the 2002 seems more complex. Felt more soft on the tongue without a lot of carbonation. 25/10 first ratebeer entry: Vintage 03. Hazy with white head. Sour aroma with citrus and lots of cellar...Sour in flavour with berries and quite fresh. 8-3-7-3-14

Vintage 2003. Cloudy golden copper body with a large white head. Some barnyard in the aroma with green apples and hay. Green apples is the main taste and it comes with its usual sourness and acidic finish. Acidity level is average for the style. Side by side with a Girardin Black Label (the reference?) this one was almost as good, a bit more fruity and lacking the brettyness of the BL it was nonetheless sharper and more aggressive. Excellent. BEWARE: I also brought back a bottle home that proved to be disappointing (mellow, too fruity, lacking punch). Being a positive person I’m only rating on the good one. I wish women would do the same with my performances.