Girardin Gueuze Black Label

Bottle. Poured a hazy amber color with a large creamy white head that lasted. Good citrus and yeast aroma. Medium body. Moderate sour fruit flavor with a long citrus finish. Very good refreshing citrus brew.

Pale copper with disappearing head. Strong sour grapefruit flavor, with some lychee. Minor hay notes, a bit of weak hop bitterness that adds needed balance. Liquidy, astringent. Futile search for complexity. Eat a lychee and suck on a lemon and you’ll get the idea. Not very good, but very strong and worth trying.

Dusty deep gold. Nose lightly dark, a bit sour, fruity and tart, kind of smells like vaguely moldy citrus and, in yet another one of those "I never thought I’d say this" moments, I mean that in a good way. Flavor very dry, quick sharp bite of sourness, good farmyard depth to it. Some sour fruitiness, very dusty and musty. Not quite as flavorful as expected, I do enjoy the fact it’s not Cantillon-esque with overpowering sourness, but it’s a bit more subtle than I’d like. Crisp and incredibly dry at the end. Gueueze-wise, really quite incredibly drinkable. I wouldn’t have thought a gueuze could be a session beer, but this is close.

Cloudy, yellowish orange. Really nice aroma of corn, lemon, cherry and white wine, plus smoke and dust, plus some metallic aroma I can’t quite place. Sour, as one might expect. Flavors of citrus tempered with flint and dust, plus lemonaid and smoke. Really drinkable. Big thanks to Jcapriotti for the trade!

I secured a couple of bottles of this from “From the Vine” in Columbus, Ohio. And after this, I don’t think I like lambic all that well. Not that it’s bad or gross, I just don’t think it does it for me. Anyhow…popped this sucker open and it exploded lambic everywhere. Fortunately I was near the sink and saved my floor…for the most part. Once it stopped, and I was able to get it in a glass, I discovered that it was hazy orange and golden with a nice white head. The aroma was very interesting with sour fruit (cherries), and light barnyard notes. Full and crisp really. The taste was nothing if not sour! Not as sour as La Folie, but pretty darn sour. I also managed to note some finishing tartness, and horse blanket (I think I actually get that description now). Definitely funky. Mouth feel was nice. Smooth, medium body and finish. Interesting, as with most lambics I’ve tried, but this stuff is just not for me.

Bottle: What was left of this one after it exploded all over Indiana Red’s kitchen was delightful. Somebody stop the carbonation quickly. I thought I was at the NBA Finals with Magic Johnson . . . Anyway, it has aromas of dried, sweet apricots, apple cider and plastic. The taste is extremely tart which I like. This is the Sour Patch kids of the beer world. I loved the feel -- it is thin and immediately dissipates after drinking which seems appropriate for this style. Thanks Indiana Red!

Bottle Blew its cork and erupted tan foam all over my kitchen. The remaining of the 375ML bottle had very nice cidery aromas of apples, pears ets. Cloudy, orange light tan color.and a short lived lively head. Flavor was the expected dry sour flavor common to the style. I’m afraid a bit too much sediment was in with the last couple ounces in my sampling. A nice tart and, yes, quenching brew. Thanks to Degarth for slipping this top 50 ber in my box today.

A big thanks to Walt for this one. Lively looking ale, hazy and foamy. Clean, sharp, funky horse blanket and yeast aroma with some sour apple. Very quenching and sour. Horsey flavors with some minerals and what reminds me of nopalito(cactus). Very well balanced. Not overly tart or acidic with nice body and carbonation. Excellent.