3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze

Brewed by 3 Fonteinen
Style: Lambic - Gueuze
Beersel, Belgium

Ummm, this was the wedding day beer so it gets a couple more points for setting. Either way it is the smoothest, nicest gueuze I’ve had.

Vintage: 28.Feb.04. Poured a cloudy hazy yellow-amber color with tons of carbonation and a huge head. The aroma was typical for the style, lots of citrus-lemon aromas mixed into the funky barnyard, hay, and horse blanket aromas. There was even a note of spicing in the aroma, somewhat coriander or clove-like (but not). The flavor was much of the same (minus the spice in the aroma) and it warmed very nicely. The mouthfeel was full and dry. This one was more tart than the cuvee renee I had, but still quite enjoyable and a fair representation of the style.

Vintage 1999 - Unclear orange body, huge yellow head; Incredible nose with lots of ripe apple, some ripe orange juice, a little wood and a very little vinegar, incredible balance; Huuuge very light carbonation, a bit watery in a quite sour a bit harsh body; Evolving into long, long super balanced finish with old apples, orange peel harsh. Great, great beer with a lot of very pleasant balance, the harshness is the only thing that brings it away from 5.0!

Feb 28, 2004 bottling. 750 ml corked and caged. Bright deep golden colour, thick moussey white head. Very spritzy appearance. Beautiful appearance. Aroma is soft and funky. Tart aroma of lactic and malic acids, some light apple and pear aroma, dusty and cobwebby. Complex, herbal/woody aroma. Cologne and musk combined with some interesting berry-like fruity aromas as well. Falvour is amazing, pear, cologne, strawberry, grapes wrapped in lactic sourness. Very dry tasting but the texture is creamy and perfectly balanced. Perfumey flavour, a little yeasty with a long chewy leathery finish. Doesn’t hit you with any one flavour but rather is a perfectly blended medley of very subtle ones. Warming brings out some light vanilla and oakiness. Fantastic gueuze. Funky, fruity, amazing.

Vintage 2000. Rich orange cloudy beer with a thick white head. Sweet fruity aroma over a crackery pilsner maltiness. Loads of earthy, funky, cheesy funk. Sour and peachy with soft grapefruity sourness, barnyard. Soft, leathery, bretty funk. Another incredible brew from 3 Fonteinen. 9 5 10 5 19

10/04/2004 - This gueuze was fantastic with a cheese & salami plate. Very well-balanced, tart, slightly acidic. But there was also a nice sweetness to it. The finish was quite mellow and all it left me wanting was more.

2001 Bottle courtesy of CaptainCougar: Hazy gold color, medium white head. Aroma was nice and sour, some tart apple and lemon notes, and a bretty funk to it. Flavor is very sour wtih some lemon and other assorted goodies. Really delicious, up against 2 other sour beers the night I drank this it easily stood above the others.

New bottle with the new label 2005 vintage I guess? Sampled at Jimmacks 06 tasting. Pours a light gold lemony color hazy and a nice frothy white sticky head. Lace coats the entire glass. Aroma is thcik and sharp with lots of lactic bacteria, lemongrass, funky barnyard brettiness, and a slight hint of chlorine? Lots of brett up front and funky in the flavor, but finishes off very sour and makes your mouth pucker and I even think my eyes started watering from the sourness. Battery acid-like finish which was actually quite refreshing. Definitely one of the most sour lambics I have had.

2000 vintage.

This is my first, and possibly my only ever 5. I drank this on the eve of my college graduation, with my closest friends and girlfriend. Having saved the (rather expensive) bottle for many months specifically for this occasion, this beer not only represented the culmination of my 20 years of education, but after slighty over a year what will probably be the climax of my beer drinking life; thus, I felt it would be sacrilage to honor this beer, or more importantly this occasion, with anything but a 5. After all, I use this site primarily for my own records, and this will surely be a memory I’ll be happy to see at the top.

Granted, this beer was also quite awesome.

450 beers later and a year of drinking, sniffing, analyzing and rating, I am quite proud of the knowledge, palate development, and respect from others I have gained in the beer world. I am able to sit down with one of the world’s great drinks and see deeply into it; to notice complexities not readily evident, and, for a beer of this intensity, be able to bear and tame the visciousness in my mouth.

Drie Fonteinen Oude Geuze, 2000 vintage, pours a brilliant yellow orange with hazy highlights and a pillowy, wispy cloud white head. The head fades fast but leaves subtle, soft lacing along the slender edges of my glass. A powerful, pungent aroma leaps forth from the brew, consisting strongly of tart lemons, funky barns, and a stroll along the countryside. Once in the mouth, it is even more intense, striking at you with a brutal sourness that begs to be adored, overlaying a perfect horsiness and a touch of sweet lemon. Zesty orange and kumquats show up for the show as well. It is fizzy and biting, and leaves a warm feeling in the mouth, though different than that of strong alcohol. This is far and away the best gueuze I have had, featuring perfectly balanced and drinkable flavors, right on target, though not being the least bit tame or for the weak of heart. It was the perfect beer to celebrate the beginning of the rest of my life.