Boon Oude Lambik

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

On tap at OBriens. Ah, yes. My good old neighborhood bar. I was ecstatically surprised to see this on tap on a random Friday evening. Listed as Vintage on the tap list, although I’m not sure exactly how old. Color is hazy gold that eventually settles to transparency. A nice light white ring of foam edges the beer. Aroma is a beautiful combination funky cheese, musty old oak, citric lemon and orange with wild yeasts. Quite the horse blanket aroma. Flavor is a bit mismatched to the flavor, leaning sweet with robust notes of apricot, orange peel and light vanilla cream. Kind of lacks the funky character of the aroma. Creamy mouth-feel. Easy to drink.

On tap at Engelbewaarder, Amsterdam. Bright golden body with no head. Very fruity nose. Taste of lots of fruits, citrus, orange, cherries. Very sour. Quite tart. Malty ad warming finish.

Barrel #59 @ Ebenezers. Pours a bold, bright golden-orange color; mostly headless; slightest viscosity. Huge amounts of tropical fruits, cantaloupe, honey, and very fresh, pitty raspberries in the aroma; huge amounts of generous raspberries with touches of Amarillo resininess. Relaxed carbonation. Medium-to-full mouthfeel chewy, slightly pitty tropical fruits, mildly tart citrus, funk and touches of honey-kissed sweetness; very different from standard lambics: lively, lightly tart tropical fruits / raspberries, and herbal notes; fresh, pitty, and delightful. Medium finish: toasty malts, tropical fruits, and some lemony tartness and funk; very nice stuff.

On tap at Engelbewaarder, Amsterdam.
Light hazy amber coloured, small off-white head, sourish cherries bubble gum nose. The taste is odd, also very sour, yeasty and fruity with notes of berries and cheese. Soft lingering finish.

Cask 17B 2007 @ Spuyten Duyvil. Poured a lightly hazed gold with no head to speak of. Nice Bretty leather with some sweaty notes. A mild sweetness in the aroma and flavor. It was ok but didn’t do a whole lot for me.

[1157-20080301] Cask. Aroma has a hint of cheese, otherwise mild sour maltiness and musty hayloft. Clear, medium orange brown body with quick bubbles, no real head. Vegetable (tomato?) mild yeast flavour with some bread notes. Medium body. Drinkable, good.
(ZBF 2008; Sint Niklaas, BE)

2 years old. Bottle. Special procurement. Dark amber colour. Muddy. Loose head. Barnyard aroma and some foot. Earthy nose - lots of bugs and cheese. Very low carbonation. Earthy, funky, and ultra cheesy palate with a sweet & sour finish. Excellent balance, crazy funk. Very rustic and scrumpyish. 9-4-9-5-19 = 4.6

Re-rate: This sampel, from WSF, was hazy dark straw and flat. It was tart in the front turning sweet later. Cidery, with a grapefruity tartness. Fairly simple, dull lambic but remaining quite drinkable. Certainly not the same stuff showcased at CBC ’08. 6-3-7-3-14 = 3.3; rating is a blend of the two.

Interesting drink. Hand-pulled from the cask at Belga Queen in Brussels. Bright copper color with a persistent layer of white bubbles. Nose is rusty and musty with big grapefruit tones. Flavor is tart, tangy and grapefruit-citric, mildly bitter and smooth, and low acidity. Bitterness fits oddly with that tartness. Quite soft.