Girardin Gueuze Black Label

Brewed by Brouwerij Girardin
Style: Lambic - Gueuze
Sint Ulriks-Kapelle, Belgium

Bottle gift from stegosaurus from once upon a vine in VA. Deep golden pour with a champagne and bread aroma. Sour tasting with a lemon/alcohol finish. Was not bad for this style.

375 ml bottle

The past two gueuzes I have tried have not agreed with me at all so I opened this one cautiously. I wasn’t as worried about the cork as what it may do to my stomach. It turns out this one was a bit more agreeable especially since I balanced it with plenty of water. At $8.99 I am unlikely to pick this up often but perhaps it will be one that I pick up for special occasions or to introduce people to the style.

Aroma / Appearance - A half finger offwhite head graced the top of a carbonated active body. It looked to be dark orange as much light trickled through. As I expected the nose was very sour and tart. Lemons, oranges and hay formed the relatively simple grouping but it was enough to make me want to give it a try.

Flavor / Palate - The tart dry sourness reminded me of the sugary substance that is left in an empty bag of sour patch kids. It fades fast with a slightly harsh mouthfeel attacking the throat. Oranges and hayseed are left behind. As I worked my way through the bottle it began to take on a corky characteristic. Other than that I found it almost perfect. Next up perhaps I will tackle a Cantillon gueuze.

[Sampled at DØE-festival, Valby, 2007 with svoger AT THE LAWN.]
One of my new favorites. Grapes, wood, fresh sourness, acid, acid fruits and complex.

grapefruit juice look, very citrusy flavor, a little sweet, a little sour, but outstanding prickly taste

Bottle. Pours hazy orange gold, white head. Aroma is tart, tangy, sour, funky, musty; cheese, fruit, pepper, oak. It makes my mouth water. Flavor is tart, tangy, sour fruit, and funky, musty, bleu cheese. I also taste salt/vinegar/pepper. Overall, very yummy.

Pours an attractive deep golden color with a temporary thin white head that pulls back to the edges of the glass. Great aroma - moderately sharp acidic/citric notes blended with a sweet earthy funkiness. The acidicity is there to be admired and not singe the nose hairs. The funk is subtle and gets the salivary glands going. The brew is well-carbonated and of moderate thickness. The taste is dry and tart to begin, the carbonation really lifts up the tartness. The finish is dry, sweet, musky, and the acidity really leaves my mouth tingling nicely.

12.7 oz bottle via Mystery Swap 2.0 (thanks moejuck!).Wow, 700 ratings and finally my first gueze! woohoo...Pours a hazy amber with a huge head the qucikly crawls out of the bottle. Nose is sour apples and cherries. Taste is quite sour, with granny smith apples, bing cherries, peaches. Finish is quite dry. Body is medium and carbonation quite high. This is quite good and unlike anything i have ever had, although some of the Russian Riber beers are a bit close...

What the heck does the description say? Anyway, I tried this at Stone’s 1st Annual Sour Beer Tasting. I’ve been looking forward to tasting this, because it is one of the highest rated gueuzes. Deep cloudy yellow color. Small bubble head. Mild, yet sour and very flavorful. Very drinkable, but yet I take my time. Great gueuze.