Boon Oude Geuze Mariage Parfait

Brewed by Brouwerij F. Boon
Style: Lambic - Gueuze
Lembeek, Belgium

2003. Strange clear off white colour with a bit of a head. Nice citric sourness in the aroma. Some funk taste but light overall with a nice sourness.

12.7oz bottle, Best before 25.11.2026. Clear orange with a one finger fizzy white head that fades to a ring before long. Aroma has very tart lemon acidity with lots of old woody dryness. Green apples with cobwebby horseblanket notes. The flavor adds some stale hop bitterness--more than I would have anticipated (3 on a 1-10 scale)--with more fruity sweetness than I had thought from the aroma. Still lemony tart and acidic, but still much more drinkable if new to the style. Dry finish. 8% ABV? You’re kidding. Medium body lightened by the moderate spritzy carbonation. Very good lambic.

Hazy/milky yellowish gold, nice white champagne head. Nose is giant acidic lemon up front, wood and very bright fruits come in, some horsey/urine notes. Flavor is lemon & bracing acidity, grapefruity distillate, some wood, grapes. Some sweetness comes in at the end. Almost some of the rich malt of a flemish red but super fermented out. I find these malty notes very interesting as I’ve never tasted anything quite like it before. Very highly carbonated.

I love the sours, and this one had to really develop before it became completely drinkable. Initially, the flavour was very abrasive and acidic. With time, it opened into a complex and tart blanket of flavours. Not a Girardin Black label, but not bad.

I was a bit surprised that this wasn’t better. Quite dry with a fruity nose, but the taste was one dimensional, stale hops, a bit of bitterness and high acidity, distinct alcohol burn. Sure was pretty, though.

Bottle at Kulminator. Came in a little serving basket with proper glassware at the right temp. Gotta love Kulminator’s perfectionist attention to detail. I wish I had had the traditional Oude Geuze Boon side by side so I could see what the Mariage Parfait was all bout. Tasted like all the other delicious geuze I’ve had with the exception of the geuze I had at the Geuze Museum, which is also known as the Cantillon Brewery.

Bottle @ Beer Circus, Croydon. Floral apples in the nose. Taste is very hoppy, wildly fermented. There is an oakiness and bitter finish.

From a 375mL Bottle. Generously shared by arjoseph. Somewhat hazy, golden honey colored pour with a large head of fizzy white. Some acetonish alcohol qualities present in the nose, muddying up the fermented lemons and musty leather that lies beneath. Light bodied, thinly carbonated mouthfeel. Lightly toasted, crackery malt up front on the palate. Mildly acidic, dusty lemons mingle with some lactic wheat. Some barnyard funk and gentle white grape tannins remind me of an over-aged pinot grigio. A bit of a metallic taste lingers in the finish. This bottle was definitely below expectation, but due to the variation of the style, it’s definitely one to revisit. Thanks for sharing, Andy!