Belle-Vue Sélection Lambic

Formerly brewed at Belle-Vue (InBev)
Style: Lambic - Gueuze
Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Belgium

Serve in Flute, Stem glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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Sample from 750 ml bottle (1992) at RBSG Montreal. Light hazy gold with touches of visible yeast-flecks, fairly still with thin fizzy quick-dissipating foam...intense peppery-sour, woody nose offers hints of lemon, vanilla, baked apples, a surprising amount of malt, and typical barnyardy pleasures...on the tongue, sourness is moderate and controlled by light wheaty malt at the front but intensifies dramatically as you swirl it on your delighted tongue, becoming hugely peppery and acidic on the finish, with cobwebby ancient dry yeasts completing the sour lemony goodness...perhaps not the masterpiece-to-end-all-masterpieces that I’d hoped for, but a treasure nonetheless and probably worthy of the hype...now I just need a larger sample, somehow!

UPDATED: JAN 22, 2006 (1992 bottle; enormous thanks Joris!!!):

Predatory sourness nesting atop the funky lemon infusion...A dirty dominion sends out its dry minions in millions...A laser with acute flavor propagation skills, illuminating and painting the palate...

A 1999 bottle was as enthralling believe it or not, intense mustiness, fat oranges, very aromatic, proud developing tartness, and nearly balancing fruity sweetness...Carbonation was somewhat of a deception, appearing almost tired, but the organization of flavors, complexity, and intensity scream authenticity...Same superb scores...

Cloudy dark orange colored with a disappearing head. Full and tart aroma dominated by grapefruit with tones of wild fermentation. Sharp and fresh and very nice. Very sharp and full flavor with some woody hints. Ultra dry and quite extreme, more than most other gueuzes I have tried. Thanks a lot Madsberg for sharing this fine and rare beer!

2/20/05. Poured out of 750 mL bottle, sample at Dr. Bill’s Backroom Tasting of the Toronado Barleywine Fest ’05 in San Francisco, CA 2/20/05. 1999 Vintage. Clear golden, pristine in color. Nice, tight sandy lacing. Almost no head. Aroma has a touch of nailpolish remover and a crisp tartnes with a dry pineapple funk. Barnyardy and crisply acidic. Amazing, explosively tart flavor, almost bilious and crisply fruity. Oily texture with silly dry puckery crisp finish. Soft on the back end with a black pepper and almost chili taste. Very distinct and impressive, but I do prefer other funkier, mustier geuzes. I didn’t even think this was a geuze-- I thought it was an unblended lambic with flavors closer to a wood-aged flemish sour (not unlike La Folie). Still damn impressive and explosive in its own right. I’d love to try a 10- or 20-year-old bottle of this.

UPDATED: MAY 2, 2005 Bottled. Cloudy orange. Aroma of barnyard and lemon juice. Very acidic with clean, rounded mouthfeel. There’s sweet malt beneath the powerful acidity. Very flavourful, but not as complex and lively in mouthfeel as the best gueuzes I’ve had.

Muddy blond color, poor head. Excellent Lambic. Should I say more? There is some apple fruitness in the taste; astringent. One straight, pure, lovely Lambic.

Bottled Vintage 1999: Orange coloured. Unclear. Off white fluffy head. Sourness, earth and spice in the aroma. Very citric. Flavour of fruit, earth, tart, citrus, yeast and loads of sourness. This is my kind of gueuze. Is very dry and refreshing. Very complex. Ends on a delicious sour note, balanced by a light sweetness.

Bottle #7505 (Bier Circus): Cloudy copper with a lasting white head. Dusty, woody sweaty aroma with citrus and white wine. Sweet sugary start with citrus following and an intense tart acidic finish. Orange, fresh grapes and leather in flavour too. While it is very tart it doesnt get too unbalanced as it keeps begging you to drink more. Smooth medium bodied with a tingle from the acidity. Really great gueuze. I wish they still made this :(

Five beers for a thousand - Beer #998. 1999 vintage - Bottle #7501. 750ml bottle at Beer Circus, Brussels. Pours cloudy gold with a small but lasting frothy white head - murky. Incredibly sour, woody and winey aroma, a whiff invigorates the senses. Other aromas are funky cheese, citrus and vinious. Palate rippingly sour in a full flavoured gueuze. Very tart and hugely dry and woody with bags of lemony citrus fruit and a acidic vingarish edge. Complex beyond belief with so many flavours assaulting the palate & tastebud from every angle. Fruity, dry finish and rather acidic. Would have worked great with some simple food. Fierce carbonation.

Hazy golden color, sick sour aroma, heavy sour dry taste, full body, long sour dry finish.