Lindemans Gueuze Cuvée René

Brewed by Brouwerij Lindemans
Style: Lambic - Gueuze
St Pieters Leeuw-Vlezenbeek, Belgium

The best geuze on earth, I buy every bottle the store has when I go. Wonderfully complex, and quite sour, a full head and shoulders above any other Lindemanns product. Not sweetened and no artificial flavors. This single beer embodies everything you have ever read about the lambic style. This was until very recently my absolute favorite beer, now it is #2 after De Dolle Still Nacht, but just barely.

6/12/04: Bottle. Honeymoon night @ The Lofts in the Arena District!
Aromas of love, sharp Vermont cheddar cheese, wood barrel and age. Light golden body with a light, lovely amount of lace. Very pleasant, refreshing taste, which includes flavors of sour, grapes, green apple and some must. Nice crisp, refreshing taste. Aged most excellently for a perfect evening! Thanks to b_ender for bringing my favorite style of beer to our suite. :) 1997 vintage.

Bottled 2001 Well I have had this one in the fridge for a while, finally it started calling my name and looking all pouty faced when I opened the fridge, so I gave in. Hazy orage-amber with a quickly collapsing white head. Lacoing is excellent. The aroma, ahhh the aroma, it is truly amazing, hell it permeates the whole room. I must admit that it stung a little bit as I accidently inhaled some up my nose, not that this will be the last time that happes. Anyhow the aroma, barnyard, musty basement, very musty basement (tangent - reminds me of when I was kid, I used to love to go into the crawl space of my parents house as I loved the smell, this may explain my inoridinate fondness for Gueze). The flavor matches the aroma exceptionally well. Words fail me. Dry lively guezey palate. Damn this is some good stuff. This is up there with the Giardin. Brilliant.

Bottled ’94. This is a fantastic gueuze. Extremely complex yet balanced. Almost sweet nose. Musty, Horse-Blanket, hints of lemons and grass. Nice tartness coming through more than over the top sourness.

75cL 1994 Vintage, from old notes. Pours a deep blond color with rocky white foam, great retention and lacing. Aroma is pungently sour, lots of citrus rind. Flavor is big, lots of sour, lots of oak. Was the first Gueuze I ever had (6? years ago) and still remains one of the better ones in my book.

2002 Bottle. This one has a beautiful golden/orange color and nice lacing. The nose is floral, sour, grassy, earthy. Barnyard flavor: sweet, sour, and tangy. Wood. Subtle complexities, refreshing and enjoyable. Easily one of the best beers I've ever had.

Pours golden-orange. Awesome full aroma, one of the best noses in the world of beer...My girlfriend says it smells as if an apple, orange, and moth-ball had a 3-some and a baby, it would smell like this. Dry, nutty, cheese, champagne sweetness, very well rounded, the ulimate balance. Long, dry, finish; oh so delicious. Wooded roundness is incredible, one of my favorites. Is there anything better than a great gueuze?

2002: I’m really into sour beers right now, and this one didn’t disappoint. Stinky, sweet grass. A little pineapple, orange, apple, and yeast is mixed in there as well. Flavor is sour, but not over the top. Sour, dry apple cider makes up the base of this. Following that I get cheese, hay, earth, grass, and strawberry. Pour into my Unibroue Blanche De Chambly was incredibily creamy. Head eventially deminished and left a nice layer of lace to remind me of it. Very drinkable, and makes me feel like I’m in Belgium again.