3 Fonteinen J & J Oude Geuze Blauw

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

Serve in Flute, Tumbler

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I hope nobody minds this placeholder rating for the purposes of the DD Top Ten list accuracy. l’ve got a real rating somewhere, and l’ll enter it one of these days, but for now l hope it’s enough to say that one of the bottles I had of this was the single greatest beer l have ever had, bar none. Simply incredible.

Huge thanks to Skyview for acquiring and sharing this gem. Opaque gold color and a tall white head. Heavily carbonated. Powerful aromas of yeast, barnyard horseblanket. Wild yeast. Earthy, dry, some cheese, very mild hops. Quite sour. Full palate and very full flavor. Probably one of the best beers ever made. One of my few 5.0 ratings. It is well deserved.

UPDATED: AUG 22, 2008 Bottle into tumbler, Heeren van Liedekerke, Denderleeuw, Belgium. I can smell the sour brettiness about a foot away. Huge rocky white head sinking steadily into a visibly effervescent orange beer. Smell is geuze sourness and brett balanced softly with a bit of black pepper; smells as light, fluffy and delicate as the head looks. Robust sourness (like the regular Oude Geuze), but here it’s even more aggressive; the very moment the beer touches the tip of my tongue, it seems like my whole tongue is prickling. Flavor begins as muscat grape with a very subtle confectioner’s sugar (lasts about 5 seconds); after the initial push, the sides and back of tongue feel the emerging of dryness, which rides the last of the fizzy carbonation on the way down. After the swallow, acid reemerges from seemingly nowhere (since it had completely died into dryness), watering the mouth and tasting of candied apple (but not that sweet); all throughout the finish a dry, champagne/proseco dryness provides a floor for the coming and going waves of sour fruits (apples, grapes, apricots). Eventually, the fruit settles into a sour apricot that rests on the very back of the tongue, as the sides persist in proseco dryness. I think this finish would last the rest of my life if I decided not to eat or drink anything else; it just doesn’t stop. I think I can still taste it now, thousands of miles and about a week later. The glass evidences the most beautiful and strange lace I’ve ever seen: I’ve been drinking from the same side of the glass, and the other side has an unbroken sheet that extends in three dimensions: it’s a 3D lattice of popped soapy bubbles, like a fossil of the head. Phenomenal. I’m pretty sure this is my new favorite beer. To say "dope" would demean it, and that’s usually my highest superlative.

Re-Rate: I’ve had this beer a couple times since that fateful day in Belgium, and while it has remained dope, it has never been as good as that day. Still, in conversations with some other dudes, I realized that this deserves a 5. In my mind, a beer can not get more perfect or style-defining, and it’s my favorite style. Every geuze that I drink gets compared to it (and pales), every time I drink it I love it unconditionally, and it defined the single best beer experience of my life. So it gets my first (and probably only) 5.

UPDATED: APR 28, 2010 Rating #1200 Bottle from fonefan. Slightly hazy light amber body with a large, chunky white head-lasting, nice lace. The nose is moderately sour with light lactic acid, melon, tons of horseblanket, pineapple, cobwebs and light cheese. The flavor is moderately sour, lightly sweet with lemon, melon, cider, cheese, tangerin and red grapefruit. Medium body is ultra soft and smooth with moderate/high carbonation that remains gentle. Brilliant stuff. Probably the best Lambic I’ve ever had.

I’ve had this amazing beer about a dozen times since my first rating. I’m quite convinced at this point that this is the best gueuze I’ve ever had. I see no reason not to rate it a perfect 5.

UPDATED: AUG 5, 2008 From a 750mL Bottle. Slightly hazy, golden caramel colored pour with a massive head of soapy white foam. The head lasts forever with an active, continuously morphing, self-sustaining quality. A fantastic acidic wave of red fruits, thimbleberry seeds, and raspberry stems greet the nose with a light woodiness. Some delicate, white grapey sauvingon blanc skins blend well with some maple bark. A little more light and tart acidic fruits in the bouquet relative to the Roze, and less funky and spicy. Extremely light bodied, effervescent mouthfeel. The beer just explodes over the surface of the tongue with its intense acidic flavors and aggressive effervescence. Lots of tart grapes, apple skins, and pomegranite seeds. A smidgen of cheese rind lingers in the final smack with a lingering presence of lemon rind and a small shake of tellicherry black pepper. This beer has the incredibly rare quality of impressing me more and more each time I’m lucky enough to try it. Every gueuze will always have the unfortunate fate of being compared to this. What is perfection? This. And then try it with Humboldt Fog.

This beer is freakin’ elegant! Great carbonation and head retention - this beer is still going strong. Intense aroma of Meyer lemons and funk, but the funk plays second fiddle to the pure fruit character. Glorious.

UPDATED: DEC 21, 2010 Bottle, 6.5%. Well-balanced fruity and dry aroma, grapefruity and refreshing. Like dry wood with a little acid. Cloudy orange colour. Very big stable white head. The flavour is much of the same with the fruit, grapefruity and dry wood, only with more acid, so it is even more refreshing. I had high expectations for this one, and I was not disappointed. Very balanced and drinkable. I could drink this for a long time and not get tired of it.

750ml bottle acquired in a couple trades. Tasted side x side with the Roze. Major gusher alert This guy prematurely spewed everywhere. Poured a medium and cloudy orangish color with a large sized off white head. Aromas of funk, musty, tart, and sour. Tastes of tart green apples, sour, lemons, and just all around tart. My description really doesn’t do this one justice This one was very nice and puckering.

Bottle thanks to mes, i havnt rated in a week i feel like a total amature here, however io am now sitting with the worst hangover ever(thanks to stone brewers getting me totally ruined on cask iipa) however this is rating 3000!!! I was soo taen back by this beer i didnt infact rate it by words. However it is possibly the most awsome gueuze ever only misses perfection by over carbonation.

UPDATED: AUG 31, 2009 A Mes rate: 75cl bottle dated 6/9/2003 in homage to Mr J. and Mrs. J, guess where from?
Clearly one of the best blends you can get. I promised myself I would not overhype this when it came to rating it but it is really hard not to. The nose is nothing short of perfection. Everything you would expect it to be but with a glorious sandalwood character. Not too funky, not too sour, just sheer excellence all round. A big hit of sour for the finish then instantly dry. Watching it settle after pouring is really a sight to behold and I don’t have the words to do it justice. Great head for a Gueuze and with some very chunky lace. Palate is again incredible and missing that prickly feel you can get with a lot of lambics. Wonderful wonderful stuff. A fine and deserving tribute to a fantastic place.
Re-rate: No new notes just a bump up to 4.7 I keep drinking this stuff and it is getting better and better as it ages. One day this might be the best beer ever...