Oud Beersel Oude Geuze

Brewed by Brouwerij Oud Beersel
Style: Lambic - Gueuze
Beersel, Belgium

This beer made quite an impression right away - on my ceiling! As soon as the cage was loosened, the cork rocketed right off, taking the cage with it, hit the ceiling, and then landed somewhere in my kitchen, to be discovered tomorrow morning I’m sure. Pours a slightly hazy golden yellow with a massive (massive!) head with good retention (which I killed so I could drink the damn thing!) Pungent, tangy aroma, lightly sweet. Tastes much drier but not as tart as some Gueuzes I’ve had before. Light fruit, quince & pear, peppery, saison-like. Nice dry hoppy finish. Body is moderately carbonated, thin. Not too bad, not a favourite style, but I can’t really find fault with this one.

375 ml, bb 20/04/2025. Lightly hazy, golden pear color with a lasting cap of foam. Aroma of musty grapes, tart apple and cider vinegar. Flavor initially is earthy grape and apple; quickly gets totally knocked over by lemon juice and cardboard. Light-medium body is tingly and dry with acidity. Not a fan.

First rating
(37.5 cl bottle at Akkurat, Stockholm)
On August 9, 2008
BB 20.04.2025
Shady pale golden color, fluffy white head. Acidic, sour, tart, sourplum scent. Sour, acidic, metallic, apple taste. Not very complex compared to many others in the same style, still not bad at all. Slight bit moussy mouthfeel, low bitterness.
7/3/7/3/14=3.4

Rerate
(37.5 cl bottle from Systembolaget, thanks to deft!)
BB 04.06.2028
On October 10, 2008
Slight hazy pale golden color, big lasting fluffy white head. Acidic, sour, lactic, raspberry, lemon, fruity scent. Sweet, metallic and alctic with sour taste. Moussy mouthfeel, no bitterness. Turns quite cloudy with the last of the bottle.
7/4/6/3/13=3.3

Pours out a hazy golden color. Smells of citrus. Tasty dry and a little funky. Lower on the tartness scale than other guezes. Which makes it more drinkable, crisp and refreshing. Good stuff.

Bottle: Pours a nice hazy golden color with a pillowy, thick white head that lasts the entire time. Sharp citruses in the aroma. Some lemon, along with funky notes of damp basement, horse blanket, cork, and an acetone note as well. Pillowy feel with an acidic touch on the throat. The flavor seems a bit skunked (from the green bottle and the floor to ceiling sun exposing windows at Whole Foods) Has some chemical flavors (acetone), with earthy, wild fermentation notes underneath- cobweb, damp oak, leather and a smooth dryness in the finish. I wish to try a bottle of this stuff with less exposure to light. I see it’s potential.

Pours murky gold with little head. Aroma of citrus, hay and yeast. Not as tart as most guezes I’ve had, but really nice and subtle. Thinnish mouthfeel. Good beer.

Pours pale gold with a small white head. It’s somewhat opaque but heavily carbonated. The nose is tart lemon, moderate leather, and sweat/barn. Not quite as dirty as the Cantillon Gueuze, and the taste is disappointing by comparison: less complex and far more bitter. A carbonated sour citrus dominates, with grape sweetness, and hints of wheat and metal. A little thin and robustly carbonated, the finish is dry, bitter (almost baking soda), and long in lemon. It’s too acrid for me, and I think it lacks some of the refreshing complexity that I’ve found elsewhere, but no mistake that this is a good beer.

Bottle from Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville. Very cloudy amber/orange pour with quite a few almost alarmingly large chunks. But then again, I like that. Bubbly off-white head that disappears fairly quickly, leaving a bit of foam. Lemony wood, yeast, and a bit of must on the nose, but quite drinkable. Not as tart as some that I’ve had, for sure. Similar palate as on the nose, with an added pear and apple notes. Also some vanilla and a leathery taste, and even a taste of a lemony leather cleaner. Great beer. Would love to age a few bottles. Re-tasted an older bottle recently, which was actually much clearer in consistency, and even better.