3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze

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

750ml bottle: I’ve got a real relic here. It is Oude Geuze 1999. The best by date on it is 31-12-2010, and the ABV is 6.5%. I traded for this maybe 6 years ago, and it has been hiding in the back of the fridge since then. It opened with a strong "pop". It pours an orangish-amber color. There was a small head on it, but it dropped away rather quickly. What an aroma. I really don’t know where to start on this one. Bunches of sour fruits, and definitely a bit funky. There is some sourness in the aroma. The taste is superb. All kinds of sour fruits in here, that have blended together over the years. A bit of spiciness also, with some earthiness in the background. Kind of hard to explain, but there is a fullness as well as a lightness to the body at the same time. What a nice treat for the new year!

Bottled, 1999 vintage, thanks to fiulijn ! - amber-orange colour, no foam, strong aroma of vinegar and rhubarb, lactic, notes of haye, very acidic and sour but never too aggressive, very dry sourish rhubarb finish - waouh ! this is what a geuze should be; perfectly wonderful !

1999, 750 ml bottle, cellar temperatue in a Lindemans flute. Not very often anymore that I get to rate a "new" beer that has a lot of ratings and a 4 average...excitement! It pours with a surprisingly stable, dense snow-white fine-bubbled head, topping a slightly oily, relatively clear gold body...it smells, well, like gueuze, lots of farminess and horseblanket, but also some lovely perfumy notes and a bit of white grape, very complex, subtle and engaging....there is light oxidation also, but it merely adds to the mysteries...sourness up front and center on the tongue, moderate carbonation but appropriate with six years, tart appleskins and light metallic & alcohol bitterness...at the end, strong black pepper is felt, and the mouth tingles and tingles. The flavor and mouthfeel don’t quite live up to the extraordinary nose, but this is still world class, no doubt about it...I suspect that in this case, I would prefer a slightly younger sample.

750ml; Bottled 11 December, 2000: Dusky peach. Loose mixture of large and small off-white bubbles. Soft flowery, irony, brett-laden aroma with restrained musty wood, grass, toasted pine, and cactus oil notes alongside a smidge of dried apricot, honey sweetness. Spritzy bubbles with a firm, round body. It touts its balance right away with a stunning display of flower, herbs, leather and explosive, yet understated tartness. Touches of brett and peach skin are evident, but are held in check by the earthiness. Brief woody glimpses remain an afterthought throughout its entirety. Finishes brashly dry and fuzzy, lightly herbal, and perfumey with a sumptuous, elegant blend of fresh, lightly toasted malts and juicy hop flavors. Dried apricots, leaves, lemon, bitter grass, and leather linger on the palate. Enamoring, multi-layered gueuze.

Very sour and refreshing. Very complex aroma and flavour. A bit more powerful than many geuzes. Perhaps because of the relatively high alcohol content.

Corked bottle, Vintage 1999, 6 years old, 5% ABV
Hazy golden color. Wonderful aroma, very complex, balanced (cellar aroma, sourness, some fruitness). The taste has still some sugars, well sour without being excessive. It’s difficult to ask for better…

bottled. pretty serious geuze. lightly hazy orange with a quick white head. aroma of white balsamic vinegar, white grape, blood and bone fertiliser. champagne texture, very sour and lightly woody and very swillable for the style

(750ml 1999 bottle) Sure it's sour, but the sourness is the leading, rather than the overwhelmingly dominant, characteristic, making this superior to any other gueuze I have tried. Opaque golden body with medium off-white head. Aroma is mild sweet, horseblanket, strawberry, light banana. Taste is mild sweet, very sour, horseblanket, yeast, strawberry, other fruitiness. Light, bubbly, acidic body.