 Ernest (4227), Boulder, Colorado, USA
Feb 12, 2004
1992 bottle. Head is initially average sized, frothy, off-white, mostly lasting. Body is hazy dark yellow, bottle conditioned. Aroma is lightly malty (toasted grain), moderately yeasty (barnyard, horseblanket, cobwebs), with notes of cask wood, herbs, sour apple, grape skins, lemon peel, etc. Flavor is moderately sweet, heavily acidic. Finish is lightly sweet, heavily acidic, lightly bitter. Medium body, velvety texture, lively carbonation, moderately astringent. Wow, see, now this is a gueuze...bold, complex aroma with tons of Brett character, terrific balance. My brother and I shared this [expensive] bottle in the Poechenellekelder, frankly we both wanted another.
arjoseph (554), Chicago, Illinois, USA
Aug 30, 2008 Bottle into tulip. Crazy-ass lambic tasting in our hotel room, GABF 2007. 1999 vintage. Cheesy as a mo-fo in the smell, wow, with chardonnay oakiness, vanilla, sharp acid and lacquer. Huge sour bomb in the mouth (me likey), balsamic in quality and tempered by sour apple notes, which stay on the tongue as the acidity fades into the finish. The acidity seems to coat the mouth like La Folie. End of the finish is dark, yeasty, echoing a little bit of the pale malts in the middle. Wonderfully tart. This is my kind of lambic. Still, might have been a little bit past its prime; a little thin, I think this would have been optimal a couple years earlier. Drink ’em if you got ’em.
ogglethorp (785), Ohio, USA
Aug 28, 2008 Huge thanks to miketd! Pours a somewhat coppery color, with a thin beige head. Aroma is vinegar, marashino cherries, funk. Flavor is tart vinegar, again those maraschino cherries, hint of musty cheese, vanilla. Palate is medium to light bodied, mild carbonation, finished refreshingly tart. Great!
tertons (100), East Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Aug 25, 2008 Thanks Miketd. An extremely acidic, tart, and intense pucker filled with a very cherry fruit taste. Slight funky and barny aroma. Seemed to be over the top with the sour impact, yet everything settles with the many nuances the best offer for investigation on the back end.
presario (2397), Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Aug 13, 2008 A real treat to find a highly rated retired beer. Poperinge opened it to celebrate a recent publishing coup. Good pop. Light tight head. Dark cloudy orange, moreso towards the bottom of the bottle. Big sharp sour aroma with essence of cheese. Refreshing, tart, citrus, cheesy and mouth puckering. Ounce for ounce maybe better than a good Hefe on the patio although scarcity and price may say otherwise.
Kalli (408), Falun, Sweden
Aug 4, 2008 [Rating salvaged from the archive] 1999 vintage. Amber with almost no head. Fair bit of carbonation from the looks of it but far from crazy.
Aroma reminiscent of preserved cherries and vinegar. The yeast and the hops, cheesy, show through. Quite dry but not so much as many others and it’s quite full in the mouth.
[I was probably quite... erm, invigorated by the beer as I wrote this "prose".]
Hint of preserved peaches but not that fruity or sweet, though. Might be toned down by the musty, cheesy hops? Hardly bitter and that despite what tastes like citrus fruit peels. Even a hint of aniseed on the exit.
Maybe I just dreamed it all?
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