St. Louis Gueuze

Brewed by Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck
Style: Lambic - Gueuze
Ingelmunster, Belgium

Draught at Capone’s: Aroma of tart fruit, light funk, citrus, light hops, and acetic acid. Poured amber/orange in color with a medium-sized, dense, off-white head that lasted throughout. Clear. Sparkling. Small lacing. Medium tart flavor. Tastes of tart fruit, funk, and light citrus. Medium body. Tingly texture. Average to lively carbonation. Sour funk finish.

Fine head on an unclear amber orange body. Sweet and sour grapefruity and woody aroma. Way too sweet in the flavor, it actually reminds me of a faro. Sugary, fruity and slightly woody. Rather cloying and not very good!

Bottle, LCBO Spring Release 05. Nice copper colour - very thin looking. Lots and lots of bubbles. Nice long lasting white head. Wine like sour aroma that was pretty light. Light to medium bodied mouthfeel. Interesting taste - some of the expected sourness, but really quite mild. Some hints of smoke and artificial citrus and sweetness. There was a bit of a "bottle" taste as well (Oct 05 Best Before). I enjoyed it somewhat and can see how it would be quite accessible for those who have not had this style before.

On draught at Brasserie Beck. Light winey nose, mild cherry wood or oak, and a mild fruity character. Not overly complex or sour, but a decent tangy freshness. Dark golden-amber clear, with very little white foamy head. Medium light body, watery with light carbonation. Starts with very light gueuze profile, mild tarty fruity notes, light oak, and some winey acidity. Bit sugary, and overall a bit watery. Run-o-the-mill quaff.

250 ml bottle, Best Before 05/07, via one of my many generous overseas traders. Pours a clear brownish orange to light copper body. A small beige head retains as a thin film. Light visible carbonation. The aroma is of light sweaty funk almost completely obscured with artificial sweetner. Very reminiscent of the bottled Faros available. Yikes! Sweaty grains and sweetness lead off with a very short sweet finish with some wheat, lemon flavored iced tea, and some rotten fruit. Mouthfeel is thinnish with a watery texture and soft fizzy carbonation. Overall, this was about as good as expected. Not really sure why this is a Gueuze and not a Faro?

Golden copper colour with a small head. Aroma of a much less complex Orval - a bit of band-aid and herbal notes, but quite one-dimensional. Thin body, and as DerWeg commented below, the flavour is oddly hollow (I really can’t think of a better word for it, so I stole one!). It has a promising hint of tartness in the beginning, but it’s completely dead in the middle, and finishes like a sweet cider. It’s sad that the LCBO would choose this as one of the two gueuzes that they’re offering Ontarians.

Nice clean crisp golden amber coloured body with a thinnish white head. Aroma of hay, sour grapes, wheat, honeysuckle, vinegar and a tiny bit of malt. Light-bodied; Nice sour flavour up front with a good yeastie finish coupled with the vinegar and slightly sweet flavours you’d expect. Aftertaste shows some puckering, along with musty and grassy flavours throughout. Overall, a good gueuze - sweet and sour at the same time with a modestly meaty body. I sampled this 37.5 cL ’split’ bottle purchased from Bier Tempel in Bruxelles, Belgium on 02-January-2008 sampled on my birthday 30-June-2008.

25cL bottle, courtesy of Papsoe. Thanks, Henrik! Pours a murky, muddy brownish color; light tan head with patchy lacing. Overripe fruits and apple juice in the aroma; minimal tartness, funkified sugar. Medium mouthfeel: slightly tart / spoiled apple juice and lemony citrus and a biscuity / flabby malt core; tart, sugary apple juice. Medium, tart apple and dusty finish.