Eylenbosch Gueuze

Formerly brewed at Mort Subite (Alken-Maes / Scottish & Newcastle)
Style: Lambic - Gueuze
Kobbegem, Belgium

Bottle (1988 vintage - still from the old Eylenbosch factory)
Hazy amber to copper body. Nicely coloured. Sour aroma of wood and barnyard: very complex and no hints whatsoever of age. Harshly sour flavour of fruit (apple, pear, ...): quite complex and very well balanced. Surpringly it has a lot of carbonation for its age. This is a sublime beer!!

1988 750ml had at the Weekend of Spontaneous Fermentation, May 2008 (20 years cellared)
Pours from the bottle with bits of cork (it was stuck) a muddy dark orange/brown color. Heavily acidic and old (musty) metal and semi-oxidized bready malts in the nose. Sourness still holding up well, but there is some bit of wet cardboard oxidation in there. Damp crackers and bread and burnt peanuts at times (even some old meat and melon flavors), heavily acidic and tart, but overall very muddled. Really good, but somewhat faded.
7/3/7/4/15 = 3.6

1984 750ml consumed May 2009 (25 years cellared)
Golden color, light haze. Still somewhat fresh/zesty/active in the nose. Mellow acidity, some honey sweetness and some bubbly champagne-like carbonation. Slightly fatty/goaty, some faded white wine notes. Quite good. Better than the 1988 bottle I had a year before.
8/4/8/4/15 = 3.9

1988 vintage bottle at Akkurat, Stockholm. Pours hazy amber with an impressive little head considering its age. Highly complex aroma of fruit and cheese- still with sharp edges. The flavours are sharply acidic and fruity with yoghurt and a hint of cheese. Tastes actually more like a sharp vlaams rood than a geuze. Body is still decent. Impressive; quality passes the test of time.

(2/29/08) A bottle shared by an Italian guy called Alex (thanks Alex!) at In de Verzekering tegen de Grote Dorst during De Nacht van de Grote Dorst in Eizeringen. 1984 vintage. Hazy golden with a white head. Complex woody and citric aroma with some barnayard. An amazing dry sour, fruity, citrusy flavor. Exactly the right mouthfeel. An outstanding Gueuze.

Rating for the unrateable Eylenbosch Faro Extra:
(2/29/08) A bottle shared by an Italian guy called Alex (thanks Alex!) at In de Verzekering tegen de Grote Dorst during De Nacht van de Grote Dorst in Eizeringen. 1988 vintage. Amber color with a medium off-white head. Aroma of wood, fruits and sugar. Flavor is sourish with some sugar sweetness and some wood. Medium-bodied. Enjoyable but still somehow too sweet after all these years and something is a bit off-putting in the aroma. 6/3/7/3/13

A Mes rate: Early 80’s bottle during the Night of the Great Thirst.
Darkish golden colour and still with enough life to hold onto a head impressively well. Musty and just starting to show signs of age but still a tasty treat. Citric and slightly funky. Lip smacking finish. So very drinkable due to the age. Great stuff.

1984 vintage enjoyed at the Grote Dorst. Cheers, Brad. Bright, clear golden-orange color with impressive white head. Aromatics and flavor are tart and lemony, with just touches of must and dust in the backdrop. Champagnoise carbonation, relatively low acidity, and no funky stuff -- very fine! Light bitterness. Refreshing. It begs for big gulps, an amazing thing for a 24-year-old beer.

Bottle, vintage 92 (cell phone rating). Amber with off white head. Sour and sweetish aroma of berries. Sweet flavour with sugar and berries present. Thx Engelsmann.

From 37.5 cL bottle, thanks to Grovlam. Pours slight hazy orange with a light orange and diminished head. Fruity (apple and raisin) and acidic aroma. Starts very sweet fruity, gives away a mild fruity note and a mild brett acidity. Dominantly sweet in a thick caramel/cane sugar way. Unusual but very nice.