De Cam Oude Geuze

Brewed by Geuzestekerij De Cam
Style: Lambic - Gueuze
Gooik, Belgium

Bottled Oct ’06. Pour is a brilliant orange/yellow with a tiny white head. Many bubbles in display throughout the glass. Mmmmm. aroma of lemon, funky/barnyard and earthy. Wow! Very sour and sharp, but mellows a bit in the middle. Very lively and long finish...nice brew.

(Bottle, Jan 2006) Pours a lightly hazy golden body with a spare white head. Aroma of sharp cheese, barnyard, lemon, white grapes, cork, and wood. Flavor of moderately acidic citrus that lingers.

Slightly hazy golden/amber coloured body with a nice tan head. Aroma of sour wheat, grapes and more sour vinegar. Light-bodied; Great potent flavour of sour grapes, citrus, hops and wheat. Aftertaste shows perfect geuze flavours, simply delicious! Overall, an amazingly well-rounded geuze - perfect. Yet another great belgian beer! I sampled this 375 mL split bottle from Chez Moeder Lambic in Bruxelles, Belgium on 28-December-2007.

375ml bottle, served at cellar temperature; Sampled January 2008
The carbonation on this beer is pathetic for a Gueuze, pretty much non-existent, after a careful pour there is neither a hint of a head or even a foretelling of a carbonation bubble. The beer is a clear, honey-amber color. The aroma is a dream though; funky sour, well integrated, overall it just pulls me back to Belgium sipping Lambic in the local cafes. Aromatic touches of grapefruit, lactic acid, hints of urea, mellow butyric acid like barnyard funk, piquant lemon, lavender, a bit of aromatic soap, dusty wheat, . Sharp acidity, piquantly spicy, just funky enough, this aroma really is just a fantastic treat; it is missing the lively, peppery, carbonic acid notes, but this is such a trip, I just can’t get enough.

A puckering sour note at first, but then it yields a soft touch to the tartness that was not in this beer that last time I had it. Certainly not quite as hard as when I last had this beer in 2001, still the acidity is omnipresent and quite appetizing. Just about completely flat, though there is a minuscule amount of CO2 here that just barely adds something to the body. Speaking of which, this beer is nice and light, though it has a hint of a viscous texture to it that makes it a bit thicker than water. Nicely lactic in its sourness, but it has a hint of citrus to it as well as perhaps a memory of acetic acid. A touch of musty, stale cat notes add a soft funkiness to the brew. A touch of barrel character subtly adds notes of vanillin and a certain tannic backbone that affects both the flavor, body and mouthfeel of this brew.

This is a really nice version of a Lambic, of course I was expecting a Gueuze when I popped the cork. I certainly do miss the lively carbonation and accompanying bottle conditioned funk that a grand Gueuze has, but this is a really good beer. The base Lambic is just so good that I almost don’t miss the characteristics of a fantastic (and this would have been one) bottle conditioned, traditional Gueuze; though in all truthfulness a part of me really does miss it.

Sampled at the source 2001
A sour lemony aroma with only a hint of mustiness to it. There is a definite sharp acidity to it, that I would say is on the hard side for the traditional geuze blenders. The carbonation is lively and seems to enhance the acidity.

Torre, De Haan. Freshly squeezed lemon aroma peppered with iron. Sherbet and slight mould. Zesty lemon and lime underpinned with oak. Slight bitterness on the end. No alcohol. Witbier haze draped with lace and lively carbonation. Classic flu beer.

Courtesy TheCheeseMan. Hazy gold/orange and a few white bubbles. Aroma of barn funk, citrus vinegar, sourness, and oak. Same flavors, more mild than expected after having their Oude Kriek. Medium body, smooth, a little resiny. Very nice.

375mL bottle, courtesy of ygtbsm94. Thanks, Brad! Pours a vibrant, hazy yellowish-brown color; thick, bright white head with excellent structure, retention, and lacing that clings. I could smell this from the moment the cork popped: dense, funky and musty geuze characteristics: horseblanket, citrus, and plenty of sour. Plenty of acidity and jaw-clenching citric sourness upfront; earthy, musty, with sour lemons and barnyard funk at the forefront; nothing exceptional stands out in the fruit character: mostly lemons and sourness coupled with light carbonation and plenty of potent acidity; well-composed and a perfectly well-made geuze; it just got a little boring by the middle of the bottle and I kept hoping for a little bit more; a slight metallic note appears mid-palate; nothing bad, but it’s certainly there where a fruit or yeasty character should perhaps be taking its place. An excellent standard geuze, really. Medium finish, showing citrus and that slight metallic edge again, with the sourness dropping off quite quickly; a little too lifeless at the very end.

A steady pour reveals a near motionless body that reluctantly lets forth a small amount of miniscule carbonation, forming a wispy white trace-foam. The body eminent is a deep apple-juice and amber blend, similar to oak-aged ice cider. The nose is focused, sturdy and funked out. What is happening in the nose is contrarian; two differing opinions meeting again after trekking full circle along the edge of the aromatic spectrum within the style. Everything seems full bore but regulated, moderated by some force unseen. Barnyard funk is interlaced with must, grass and fresh acid apples. Yeast is prevalent throughout. Must grows in the flavor, as all ingredients find a stability at at high-pitched meeting point that resembles a funky variance of balance and composure. This is quite interesting and very good, as well as easy to drink. Refreshing acidity and milder acetity coexist harmoniously with leather and earthy leanings. Sourness and tartness are medium high, both in the (interpreted)aroma and flavor. The finish is lightly bitter, highly sour and substantially drying. Fruit, especially apple and tropical varieties, dust the nose and flavor and grind away in the finish. The mouthfeel is sparsely carbonated to the point of near lifelessness but this has plenty of character and enough refreshing acids and tartness to seem as lively as a lambic this full-bodied could be. I’d imagine this would often be interpreted as a suitable introductory blend, as it lacks any notable tangents where harsh sourness or anything else veers over the top. Still, this could be classed among the greats for its power and commendable scope. Delicious.