Hanssens Oude Gueuze

Brewed by Hanssens Artisanaal
Style: Lambic - Gueuze
Dworp, Belgium

750mL, no date as far as I can tell. Pours a hazy orange caramel with a one finger whitish head. Aroma is of course quite sour with some very sour apples and lemon, good amount of musty horseblanket funk, fresh dirt, oak, and some dried grass--not necessarily like hay though, if that makes sense. The flavor almost hints at some grape juice sweetness but pulls back before it can actually happen. This is pretty tart and tangy, though not the most sour gueuze I’ve ever encountered (not that I’ve had that many). The flavor pulls back on the funkiness a tad bit and some moderately bitter earthiness shows up just before the dry finish. The oaky quality isn’t quite as noticeable as is in some brews. Light to moderate carbonation, medium bodied. Very good, I have a feeling some cheeses would go great with this (don’t ask me what kind).

750 ml bottle from Sam’s in Chicago, no date. Golden amber colour with a mostly lasting frothy and fizzy off-white head. Tart lemon, hay, yeasty, dank cobweb, and earthy aroma. Flavour is balanced somewhere between sour and tart with lots of lemon and grapefruit (fruit and pith), cheesy and dry yeasty bitterness to finish. Light to medium bodied, dry, refreshing, lightly fizzy but highly quaffable. Feels like it’s got a more substantial body than other gueuze, but retains the dry refreshing drinkability. Delicious gueuze.

Bottle corked. Poured clear copper color with an average frothy white head that was lasting with good lacing. Moderate sour yeasty aroma. Medium body with a dry texture. Medium sour citrus flavor with a medium sour finish of moderated duration. This is a standout for style beer.

Another beer at my brothers house the eve before Christmas Eve. This one was the final beer of the evening (okay, so we moved on to Celebration after this..) but after talking it up to my family about the experience in drinking a gueuze, they were ready. Aroma was funky with green apples, hay, funk, leather and cheese. I did find this much more fruity than expected. Appearance was hazy with a yellowish/orange color, normal head. Flavors were acidic, tart, fruity, funky, and leather all wrapped around a citric lemony background. No sweetness here with a nice dry finish. Glad I shared this with my family as there is no way I could drink a 750ml of this. It’s good but just sooooo hard to drink more than 8-10 ounces.

November 2008 (BB 8/2027) Real deal gueuze and it’s great to see them in Australia. Apricot orange in colour with a slightly murky overlay. Nose is kinda mild in terms of fruit lift but the insensity from the sour gueuze ’fruits’ and salt gives the senses a whack. Nice grapey / winery notes as well. Whacked again in the palate with a big olive / salty / sour kick. Acid drives a lingering finish with a touch of burn and plenty of bubbles keeps the beer dancing nicely. As powerful as any gueuze getting around right now. March 2007 (3.9) More serious gueze. Quite similar to the Boon but probably ups the intensity. Plenty of sour grapes and piercing tartness, both to smell and taste. Some lemon and citrus comes through later, as well as some serious Burgundian pinot fruit aromas (Jancis would be impressed!). Acidity gives a slightly hot, rusty finish. Great aparitif alternative to sparkling wine.

Aroma resplendent with that lambic funk. Taste is a nice moderate sourness with a hint of horseblanket. Nice representative of the style.

750ml. Aromas of barnyard and citrus. Acidic and sour with a sour fruit finish. Color is a radiant golden honey that is very appealing. This is not my favorite style of beer but I can appreciate its complexity and satisfying finish.

Robe blonde dorée très claire surmontée d’une mousse blanche mince. Arômes de pommes vertes. Saveurs acides de fruits, d’agrumes, de bananes et de poussière.