Belle-Vue Sélection Lambic

1999 Vintage. Thanks for this one Theis! Utterly amazing! Hazy amber color and almost still as I’d feared from the low fill level. It’s been years since I smelled barnyard that was quite this, satisfying, in a beer. The body starts out with more of this incredible barnyard character and finishes with a dry, citrus like sour tartness. Every sip was tarter than the last until my lips felt permanently puckered. Had carbonation survived, this would have been a perfect 5.

Bottle at Shefield RBESG 09 ...wasted on me :-) ... hazy amber ... little lemon ... little apple barnyard nose ... sour sour pickled eggs

Cloudy orange colour. Acidic aroma with notes of acetone, malt and stables. Spicy flavour with notes of citrus. A lot of acid. Dry finish.

Approfittando della trasferta a Bruxelles,quale migliore occasione per assaggiare le migliori birre belghe direttamente sul posto? Una di queste è la lambic di Belle Vue,qui in versione Sèlection. Colore ambrato leggero,un pò opaco,scarsissima la schiuma.Al naso sentori di uva bianca,limone e un qualcosa che definirei sulfureo.Gusto morbido,un pò acido con note di limone,spezie e pepe.Retrogusto acido e secco.Mi dicono che la produzione è stata interrotta o sospesa,beh,è una brutta notizia,fortuna che ne ho fatta un pò di scorta.Meravigliosa lambic,anche se quelli di InBev non sono dello stesso parere!

RBESG Sheffield 2009 Grand Tasting at the Harlequin. 1999 Vintage. Clear orange colour, white head. Aroma of sour apples, a hint of wheat, woody sourness. Flavour is mouthpuckering sour, nailpolish, light fruity notes but everything is overpowered by the extreme acidic sourness. Glad to have tried this, but I can’t appreciate it. Way way way too sour, and the nailpolish/acetone wasn’t helping either. Can’t make more of it.

Bottle at WSF. 1993 vintage. Pours hazy orange with no head. Aromas of wood, matured beer, fruit and earthy notes. Tart and dry flavour with notes of balsamic vinegar, dust and matured beer.
8 - 2 - 7 - 2 - 15 = 3,4

Bottle at DHVL. 1999 vintage. Pours slight hazy golden coloured with a small white head. Aromas of balsamic vinegar, wood, musty basement, honey, bees wax and grain. Spicy and citric flavour with notes of vinegar, red currants and funk.
9 - 3 - 9 - 3 - 17 = 4,1

1993 bottle at WSF 2009: Cloudy orange with a small white head. Funky fruit, wood and leather aroma, covered in a dusty and earthy blanket. Dry and tart dusty old flavour.

1999 bottle at De Heeren van Liedekercke: Funky leather, citrus and balsamic aroma. Very acidic, almost too sharp. Complex funky and balsamic character.

Pours cloudy dark gold with thin white head. Lightly sour aroma of lemon, fruit and wood. Puckery sour taste of lemons and cherries soaked in white vinegar.