3 Fonteinen J & J Oude Geuze Roze

Formerly brewed at 3 Fonteinen
Style: Lambic - Gueuze
Beersel, Belgium

Sampled this twice, from separate bottles. Much better the second time around, was more of a blend, I guess, than the first bottle, which truly tasted like lambik, and young. Overall not as much cheese funk as the Blauw, but still damn good. Fresh and fruity nose, some sour grapefruit scents, mandarin oranges in there as well, and some acidic, pungent aromas, which are smooth, rich, chewy and fruity. Smells at times of peaches and sweet potpourri, and when at room temperature the scent of white grapes and apple cider is noticeable. Some raw grain and honey flavors, with a sour (lactic) punch. Very young smelling, like some unblended young lambics I’ve tried. The texture is rich and sticky, thicker than most geuze, more chewy. Also has less carbonation than most geuze. Very good, but very different from most blends. €13 at Heeren van Lindekerke.

Photograph of Bottle
www.youforgotpoland.org/beer/JandJ.jpg

Bottled at LC-RBM. Sour vinegar aroma but not harsh. Hazy, dark yellow color, small head, nice lace. Sweet and bitter, vinegar, oak, soft and easy going. Not exceptional but nice.

Bottle @ Heeren Van Liedekercke, Denderleeuw. Pours a slightly hazy orange color with a small off-white head. Has a fruity tart aroma with hints of citrus and wood and some earthy hints. Fruity slightly tart bitter barnyard flavor with hints of citrus. Has a Fruity tart barnyard finish with some woody hints in the aftertaste.

Bottled - Chris O shindig 2007 - A hazy blonde coloured lambic with some whitish bits for a head. The aroma is excellent wih sweat socks, barnyards and tons of funk. The taste is lovely funk and actually has signs of the alcohol. Less funky than the Blauw but still delicious and tasty.

Orange with a small bubbly head. Smooth aroma, grapefruit and horseblanket hint of malt, hint of wood. Very tart but a smoother acidity than the blauw with some wood notes to it. I liked it slightly better than the blue.

Bottle, Denderleeuw, De Heeren van Liedekercke, May 2005. Head is initially average sized, frothy, off-white, mostly lasting. Body is hazy dark yellow, bottle conditioned. Aroma is moderately malty (toasted grain), moderately yeasty (barnyard, horseblanket), with notes of hay, grass, cask wood, lemon peel, sour apple, etc. Flavor is moderately sweet, heavily acidic. Finish is lightly sweet, moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Medium body, velvety texture, lively carbonation, lightly astringent. Woooooooo. That’s what I’m talkin’ about. This was my fave of the two J&J lambics, the Blauw being a bit more harsh/sour and less aromatically appealing. This is among the best geuze I’ve ever had, and as fate would have it, extremely hard to come by. That’s the way life is, I suppose.

Bottle. 2003 version. Frothy white good mostly lasting head. Yellow colour. very sour and powerfull aroma. Really sour flavor. Long powerfull finish but way too sour in a bad acetic way. Oily palate.

750 ml bottle dated 6/9/2003 (only batch), Montreal Sourheads gathering on February 26 2006. The cap popped with less vigor than the Blauw, but the appearance is quite similar, hazy apricot-peachy juice color surmounted by a slightly less vast, bubbly head....this is more acidic in the nose, citrusy (orange) to go with the everpresent apple and barnyard, also a touch of mango and bitter herbs....the body is quite dry and very sour, but there is a touch of sweetness as well as heft to the pale malt so that it doesn’t ever become overbearing, acidic as it is....sour lemons, somewhat lactic, almost vinegary towards the difficult but memorable finish....peppery and really mouthpuckering, woody and dry....finish just goes on forever. I found this a little harder to drink and closer to the over-the-top sour character of a Cantillon, thus for me a bit less impressive than the Blauw; still a near-masterpiece and confirmation that Drie Fonteinen is among the greatest of the world’s breweries....and that Olivier is a saint for sharing this with us.