St. Louis Gueuze

Brewed by Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck
Style: Lambic - Gueuze
Ingelmunster, Belgium

Serve in Flute, Tumbler

Best By September 2009; Sampled July 2010
Pours with a frothy, pale tan colored head. The beer is a rich amber hue that shows a brilliantly clear, dark amber color when held up to the light. The aroma smells of fresh cut pears, apples and bananas even. There are some kiwi like aromatics that are brought out by a definite acidity. I should mention that the beer smells quite sweet too, so at least in the nose this is very different than something that is fully spontaneously fermented and conditioned. There is a soft, musky note here that smells strange when coupled with sweetness.

Not as sweet as the Faro, but this is certainly a sweet beer. The beer finishes with a lingering tartness that is mostly lactic, but has some definite acetic over-tones to it. Fizzy and light bodied, though perhaps a bit heavy for a Gueuze, but this also doesn’t have that Lactic slickness that one usually gets; this really isn’t that sour, so must not have enough to contribute this note. The sweetness brings out fruit notes that remind me of lightly oxidized apples, some pear, fake lemon, . A touch of sherry in the finish adds some age to the malt character. This also reminds me of sweet tea, though perhaps not quite as much as a Faro does.

This is worse than the Faro to me b/c it really shouldn’t be sweet. Judged as a Faro, I like this better than the three Faros that I just tried, but as a Gueuze this simply sucks; it is certainly not bad or objectionable tasting, just not a Gueuze.

Nice color and head, sweet aroma. Taste is also very sweet, very apple/fruit like.

375mL Bottle from the LCBO. 4.5%. Clear golden-amber pour with a bubbly white head, medium retention. Medium-high carbonation. Aroma is mild floral, sour fruits, and a lingering, chemical sweetness. Taste is sour initially, but trainwrecks into a colossal chemically sweet finish. Borderline unpleasant.

Bottle. A semi-clear, golden beer topped by a dense white head. Slightly funky nose, weak and citrusy. Sweet and fruity flavor with some sourness, not much funkyness to be found. Medium body. The sourness chimes in in the finish, but it’s quite weak here as well. A boring one, sure drinkable, but too sweet to down a few of it or use it as the quencher a geuze should be. 100327

Bottle. Deep golden colour with a white head. Aroma is acidic, fruit. flavour is sweet, yeast, sourness, fruit, metallic. Could be more.

Bottle. How is this not considered a faro geuze? It says right on the label that suar is added, as well as "other sweeteners". Clear bronze with a medium bubbly white head, aromas of green apples, faint vinegar. Palate is quite sweet with faintly funky undertones and a papery finish. Quite thin. Again, how is this not a faro?

Acidic apple jucie type smell. Kinda ugly, clear bubbled head, that’s weird... Taste starts off nice and sour with apple flavours, then gets super sweet. Tastes absolutely rotten, pure syrup aftertaste, drainpour.

bottle. Poured clear copper with an off-white medium, lasting head with great lacing. Aroma is spicy and yeasty. Light mouthfeel. Very sweet and sour citrus-apricot flavour.