Vieux Foudre Gueuze

A Mes rate: 1995 75cl bottle. Looking back I wish I had taken a picture of this bottle. It was the oldest looking bottle I had ever seen. I’ve had much older but it just looked like it was from another century. Thick cellar dust and webs all over it, the lable had long since given up its tenuous grip on the bottle and the cork was only just managing to stay in one piece. Lay in the basket it looked almost sad, like an open casket before it goes on up to the big bottle bank in the sky... Oh yeah, the beer! Superb stuff. Not suffered with 12 years in the bottle what so ever. Very cloudy and all the tarty sour lemon and sandalwood you could hope for. Barnyardy and tannine a plenty. Almost sharp but it is held in check by a little delicate sweetness. Great stuff.

Die Brauerei Vanderlinden bestand nur bis 1998, die Gueuze wurde meines Wissens Ende der 1980er in Flaschen abgefüllt. Ich habe das Bier mit MoritzF und pivnizub zusammen getestet, habe es aber vor ein paar Monaten von Joris P. Pattyn geschenkt bekommen. Dass das Bier perfekt abgelagert ist, brauch ich nicht zu erwähnen. Sehr, sehr aromatischer Geruch, die säuerlichen Aspekte sind nicht so stark vertreten, dafür zeichnet sich eine leichte Süsse ab. Betont säuerliches, detailreiches Aromenfeld, welches sich mit vielen Facetten anbietet. Dennoch ist die Säuerlichkeit nicht so stark ausgeprägt wie bei Artgenossen. Die Spritzigkeit überwiegt die sonst übliche Rate. Anständige Gueuze! Dank u wel, Joris!!

(75cl bottle, shared by DerDoppelbock at a tasting session together with pivnizub) Hazy amber colour with a small creamy, slightly off-white layer. Dusty, sweet and tart-fruity (apple) aroma. Soft malty, restrained sourish-fruity taste with well-balanced notes of apples; slightly sweet, dryish, fruity and tart finish. Well-aged Gueuze (05.10.06).

Bottle (750ml): Hazy, amber coloured, small, quite stable foamy layer; sweat - that’s right in the nose, combined with citrus fruity and sourish aromas; moderate sourish flavour, slightly sweetish; sourish, slightly fruity and tart finish. A very good and pleasant Gueuze ! Thanx to DerDoppelbock for bringing it from the donator JorisPPattyn...!)

(Bottle 25 cl) 6% ABV in my version. Pale amber colour with a very small head. Very low in carbonation. Typical fusty, sweaty notes (yeah, I know it sounds horrible....) with the typical vinegary, dry tartness. Even a hint of bitter hops in the finish. I would have guaranteed, that this was a classical, unsweetened Gueuze, but I can tell from Joris that it has some sweeteners. Well, they’re not really in any dominance. 180398