Dekoninck Gueuze

Brewed by Brouwerij F. Boon
Style: Lambic - Gueuze
Lembeek, Belgium

Serve in Flute, Tumbler

UPDATED: JAN 13, 2012 2010 vintage, 375ml bottle, opened 12/9/2011

A: Deep golden body, with a large bubbly head that quickly crashed to a thin skim, a few stray steaks of lacing

S: Bright citric acidity and musty oak. A nice funky character promises good things to come...

T: Those good things aren’t delivered. A pleasant, but muted citric complexion up front is left with nothing in the middle and the lightest bit of funk in the finish. Generally hollow, but pleasant.

M: Ultimately, the problems in the taste are mirrored by the watery, empty mouthfeel in the middle. Not much in the way of acidity or sourness.

O: A mild gueuze, that may serve some purpose for someone, but that person isn’t me.

Bottle. Pours a hazy golden orange color with a small white head. Aroma is quite lemony, with notes of vinegar, white grapes and some subtle funk. The flavor follows the nose with flavors of lemon, white grapes/white wine, vinegar, hay/barnyard funk and some old dusty notes. The body is light with a dry mouthfeel. Overall nothing but an ok Gueuze.

Dark amber color with thick beige head. Sour nose. Aroma is sour with fruity notes. Flavour is very soft with slightly citric tones. Finishes sour, no sweetness ever. Excellent

UPDATED: OCT 7, 2011 375ml bottle, bbd 23.09.2030, so would make sense a bottling date Sep 23 2010, making it roughly one year old. cork shoots out half-way through unwinding the cage, but it’s not a gusher and doesn’t become turbid. highly effervescent, and pouring carefully presents a dull hazed golden body with a soap-textured, sand colored head. general fruity, fatty and waxy esters with a plastic / cork / green bean fault noticeable but dissipating over time. mixture of light musty yeast and semi-sweet honey-tinged pale malt and wheat. medium-light body with a sweet approach, dissolving mid-palate but only drying slightly, but the sweetness isn’t excessive so it tends to remain somewhat balanced throughout, but never develops any of the rich and deep acids that are found in most of the serious / traditional geuze, and lacks the ester profile that makes wild yeast so delightful and expressive. so this beer places itself somewhere closer to the sweetened commercial geuze but has some character of young (6-12mo) lambik but perhaps comes closer, flavor-wise, to faro.

On tap in Brussels at the Ultime Atome at least I think it was. My French is non-exsistant. Poured a brown color with no head. Aroma is brown sugar and malt. Taste is dry, mild bitterness, watery, boring malt. Palate is boring dry, and moderately enjoyable.

Tepid amber gold, no head. Acetic nose of dust and burnt caramel, singular, biting, and bland. Flavor has heavy rind and acid with a bit of sugar and moderate cardboard oxidation through the finish. Acetic character grows with warmth, burning. Not enjoyable, singular, aged… in short, avoidable.

1990 bottle at DHL shared with MrChopin + 2. Original - not brewed by Mr. Boon. Bright golden color, no head or lacing. Aroma of subtle lemon. Taste is smooth and soft apricot. Not bad.

Bottle @ Delirium, Brussels.
[vintage 1978 !!]
Pours clear golden with a small, cramy, white head that stays for quite a while. Aroma is light dusty, sweet peach, citrus, barnyard funk. Medium carbonation, dry and nice mouthfeel. Flavour holds citrus - impressively no sign of oxidation - lactic and light funky. Long, lingering, dry aftertaste. Very delicious.