3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze

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

March 2007. Vintage 1999. The pour is a cloudy, thick haze. Light orange, dusty color. Lemon aroma comes first. Blue cheese, sawdust, pepper. Finally it’s like stepping into a misty nighttime fog, the wet air heavy with the smell of new flowers. Damp as the walls of the cave. Spicy wheat flavor unravels into wild but sophisticated strangeness; orangey citric acid, wet moss, infection, white pepper. Brisk, clean, wild. Incredibly textured finish of greek olives and dry, sour goat cheese. Fascinating but comprehensible brilliance; so good that I couldn’t stop myself shivering a little. 9/4/9/5/19 4.6

July 2008. Vintage 1999. Clean apricot orange pour, with a touch of mist. Caramelized skins of citrus aroma, lemon and lime juices, vanilla, and a soft champagne vinegar. Seems to have sweetened a bit. A film of attic must envelopes the middle in dusty haze, even if there isn’t much horseblanket stink to make it really funky. A blanketing, if distant, salty, cheese and cured meat antipasto quality is really appetizing. Fruit characters are firm and soft, in watermelon, cantaloupe, and nectarine. Fleshy and chewy, and still seeming somewhat caramelized. The moist, evocative late summer sweetness of those fragrances seems crisply reminiscent of the glory of the Blauw gueuze.

Flavor is a burst of cheesy funk settling in the mold of citrus yogurts and stony fruits. Apricots and blood oranges swimming the tang of goat cheese cream. Mineral heavy, and coldly bitter at times, but ridden with a wild and fresh cleansing herbal character. A tang of a heavier balsamic type of vinegar lends a certain syrupy quality, sweet and musty. Wooden. I love the resilience of the bright and soft fruit sweetness; it’s like a stagnant humid sunrise of fresh summer stone fruits.

Medium bodied, cotton soft palate is bright and reasonably acidic. Middle brings a bit of mint, and the finish just lacquers the back of the throat in dried out, herbal goat cheese, smacking more intensely on the rind of the cheese and dirty minerals than almost every other confident gueuze I can think of, almost belligerent in confidence and force. It’s a textbook rewriting finish. All around awesome; gentle, but unbridled. A classic. 8/4/9/5/19 4.5

gold color with nice white head. Wonderful sour nose. Wonderful sour body with maybe the faintest hint of apple. Dry.

Monsterous champagne head,wonderful outdoorsey, haybarn horseblanket aroma,soft but spritzy tartness,touch of lemon, a touch of fruity sweetness, drys out quickly,a pleasing fruit sourness,a real thirst quencher,delicious

bottled 22JAN04 pours a hazy amber gold with minimal fizz and head. lemon wine nose is balanced with expected funk. flavor is tartly acidic with notes of hay and more citrus. not overwelmingly complex, but nice enough. oak flavor comes through in finish.

Had an 04 bottle.Lots of sourness dominates the aroma.Pours a very cloudy orange with an off white head.Flavor is a very balanced sourness.Medium mouthfeel with a very smooth sour finish.

February 2004 bottle. Nice looking orange color with med-large fizzy white head. Vinous aroma with some dark fruits and wine mixed in. Taste is a uniquely sour and complex mix of dark and tart fruits, oak, dry red wine, and yeast. Amazing complexity and a fantastic finish - great brew! Re-rate with a 1999 bottle - hard to put into words, just really damn good. Wonderful stuff.

75 cL drank at 3 Fonteinen cafe in Beersel. Bottled 12/1997--more than 9 years old. No label. Dirty copper color with thin, soapy head. The challenging acidity and sourness were but memories... This was exceptionally mellow, refreshing. Lemons and old socks were still there, with some tartness. Unusual and enjoyable.

Sour aroma--and that’s it. Golden brown body sports a full palate for the style. Nicely done sour flavor--very tart but still drinkable. Some oak flavors in the aftertaste help to balance the acidity.