Hanssens Oude Gueuze

Brewed By: Hanssens Artisanaal in Dworp, Belgium  

Purchased: 750ml (1 Pint 9.4oz) bottle bought at Binny's in Naperville, IL; 2014 (bottled September 2012????)

Style/ABV: Lambic Style - Gueuze, 6.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

I picked up this beer on clearance at Beeennnnny's for like $15 or less. Hopefully it doesn't suck. About Hanssens Artisanaal:

Hanssens Artisanaal is a brewery based out of Dworp, Belgium. The brewery started back in 1896, when Bartholome Hanssens bought an old dairy farm, and started the "Saint Anthony" brewery, brewing brown table beer using water from the stream behind the brewery/farm. During World War II, the brewery was compromised. Following the war, Bartholome shifted focus to brewing lambic beer. In 1929, Theo Hanssens took over the brewery; and in 1931 he turned the space into a house where he designed bottle drying racks and other features which are still in use today. Theo was succceeded by his son Jean in 1974. On January 1st, 1998, Hanssens Artisan BVBA was founded by Sidy Hanssens. In addition to brewing a Gueuze and Kriek, the Hanssens introduced the "Old Beitje," or strawberry lambic, to the lineup in 1999. For more info, you can check out the blurb on the brewery here.

The Oude Gueuze Lambic is a legit Gueuze: a blend of various Lambics that are matured for up to three years. This is then bottle refermented for conditioning and aging and all that jazz. 

Hanssens Oude Gueuze

As you'd expect, this yields a hazy and beat up orange body in the glass, kicking up a finger or two of off-white and short-lived head. The head does settle into a nice cauldron effect, and there is some nice carbonation here. It looks pretty standard. I will note that the cage and cork came off comfortably, but also seemed secure. This also didn't even think about gushing.

This has some pretty intense sourness on the aroma, with lactic lemon, pickled fruits, white cider vinegar, and deep notes of sour lemon candies, intensely sour green apples and cherries, tangerine, orange/lemon, and a faint and chalky note that is reminiscent of chocolate. This is also quite funky, with some musty cellar, old attic, and Brett coming along for the ride. It's like dusting off an old leather photo album.

I'm a little surprised at how this isn't quite as sour as the aroma implies. This tastes refreshing and funky, with all the lemon trappings and musty basement funk you would expect. It is sour, but the sourness is manageable. It kind of reminds me of a "natural" sourness, if that makes sense. Like biting into a green Granny Smith apple. This has nice lactic lemons, tangerines, white grape notes, and some hints of dusty and sour cherry/lemon candies. There's a big wet rain and basement funk character, and the finish is surprisingly bright and refreshing. If this is truly a 2012 vintage, it is drinking pretty nice right about now.

This is medium-light bodied, with above-average complexity and good palate depth/duration. As this warms up, the funk starts to crawl out of the woodwork. I'm also picking up some nice woody notes as I work through this. At 6.0%, this works as a sipper. That's a nice thing, especially since a bottle of this isn't cheap. I feel like the discount price of $15 that I paid is right on the money....I'd have a hard time paying a whole lot more. I digress. Up front: tart fruits, lactic character, wet rain, woody funk, lemons, tangerine, white grape; the mids roll into that dusty cherry and lemon candy, with some big wood character, wood tannins, more fruity notes, some jammy fruits; the back end drops Brett funk, funk, wet rain, basement/attic funk....pretty nice and the finish is fairly refreshing. This is super dry on the finish and pulls at the enamel. Not as sour as the aroma leads on but still pretty intense.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. A solid Gueuze for sure...this is actually really delicious, and has some nice woody tannins and funky character. It also opens up a bit as it warms up, and drops some really solid sour fruity notes when it is a bit cooler. This would pair well with mussels, seafood, white pasta, a nice crostini or bruschetta, or pasta with some strong cheese on top. 

Random Thought: Tomorrow night I will park my ass on the couch and watch some football. Realistically, I gotta pick Seattle....but it should be a good game. 

Russian River Beatification

Brewed By: Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa, California

Purchased: 12.68oz (375ml) bottle generously gifted to me in Chicago, IL; 2014 (Bottled on 09/11/2013 - b6)

Style/ABV: American Wild Ale/Sour Ale, 6.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

Since I'm not big on the beer trade scene, tonight's beer is truly a special treat...a California banger that was generously given to me for no reason other than people who drink beer are really nice. At least white people who drink beer. White people who aren't white trash. Anyway, Russian River everyone:

Like the Russian River really needs an introduction. The Russian River is where the salmon jumps five feet high out of blue streams. The Russian River is where brown bears go to sunbathe and mate. It's where the great Pliny the Elder lives. The brewery is also owned by the pint glass-hating couple, Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo. When the Korbel Champagne Cellars (founded in 1997) in Guerneville, California got out of the beer business in 2003, they gave the rights to the brand to Vinnie and Natalie. During the early years, Vinnie used his relationship with the nearby winery to experiment with brewing beer in wine barrels. And in April 3, 2004, Vinnie and Natalie reopened the Russian River Brewing Company as a brewpub in downtown Santa Rosa. In 2008 they opened a production brewery. The rest is beer history...but you can envy how you probably won't drink this beer, or you know, start trading. 

Tonight's beer, the Beatification, is 100% spontaneously fermented. The beer starts out in a cool-ship tank collecting wild yeast, and is then transferred to oak wine barrels. 

Russian River Beatification

This beer is too cool to even waste time with pretentious head retention or any of that crap. The white head on this one fizzles and cracks off in a matter of seconds, like it's some sort of Pale Lager or cider thing. The body here is murky yellow, cloudy like piss or Gatorade diluted with water. There is active carbonation in here...but this just radiates maximum funk. It's like some sort of wine-beer thing, because that's pretty much exactly what it is.

The aroma is oaky as hell, with big barrel character storming out straight away. I'm getting big Brett funk on the aroma as well, with hints of sweaty funk and leather. There are dry champagne notes in here, with vinous white wine hints and gooseberry, white grape, pineapple, peaches, and suggestive tropical-peach-Brett fruitiness. There are some kisses of lemon/lactic sourness on the aroma, but the main character seems to be giant barrel, Brett funk, and those fruity tones. 

This skips the petty insults and goes straight for your throat with a ridiculous attack of huge wood, sour candies, and lemony funk up front. We are talking about punishing levels of sourness. The mids dial up more ridiculous lactic acid and barrel character, only with growing sweetness and some lightly buttery oak; the back end drops tons of crushed pineapple, peaches, gooseberry, champagne dryness, and white wine character. This is an enamel stripper, doing damage from front to finish, but the finish is clean and dry like champagne...but this has so much more depth than any champagne. 

Reviewing this beer is completely unnecessary, other than for my own personal validation that Russian River does in fact make divine beers. This beer is sort of like heaven....imagine a dry champagne or white wine with lots of gooseberry and lemon notes...now imagine what that would taste like if it had gripping sourness. That's basically this beer. You don't get any alcohol here. The mouthfeel is light-bodied but aggressively dry and tart. Palate depth is fabulous (fantastic, whatever), and this has serious complexity. A lot of beers in this category overdo the Flanders Red levels of sourness, or end up with malts leaking out. This beer is all barrel, wine, and intense Brett/lactic funk. Again, the front end assaults your face with huge barrel, sour lemons, and aggressive kick with some oak; the mids drop more oak, huge lactic acid that claws into your stomach, and sweet tropical fruits on the horizon; the back end is a pineapple/peach festival, with wine notes and gooseberry and champagne goodness. 

Rating: Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Divine Brew here. There's not much else to say...if you can get this beer, pick it up. If you can't access it locally, maybe trade for it? This is one of the best sours I have had in general, and definitely one of the best wine-aged beers I have had. This reminds me of Jolly Pumpkin in some ways, but with a lot more balls. Sour balls. If Jolly Pumpkin can inject that warhead level of sourness...hot damn. Food pairings here are pretty much super strong cheeses, fatty burgers, poutine, and strong American bar foods. Maybe goat cheese crostinis? 

Random Thought: It rained a lot tonight, and consequently Lake Shore Drive was flooded. It was surreal having to pass up several exits just to get off the northbound side. I saw two cars completely under water. 

Hanssens Oudbeitje

Brewed By: Hanssens Artisanaal in Dworp, Belgium  

Purchased: 375ml/12.7 bottle bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2014 

Style/ABV: Fruit Lambic (Strawberry), 6.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

Tonight's beer was a random shelf grab from West Lakeview, which is something I occasionally do. West Lakeview has a large selection of European/Belgian beers, and this one seemed interesting enough. Who doesn't love a nice strawberry Lambic/Wild Ale. About Hanssens Artisanaal:

Hanssens Artisanaal is a brewery based out of Dworp, Belgium. The brewery started back in 1896, when Bartholome Hanssens bought an old dairy farm, and started the "Saint Anthony" brewery, brewing brown table beer using water from the stream behind the brewery/farm. During World War II, the brewery was compromised. Following the war, Bartholome shifted focus to brewing lambic beer. In 1929, Theo Hanssens took over the brewery; and in 1931 he turned the space into a house where he designed bottle drying racks and other features which are still in use today. Theo was succceeded by his son Jean in 1974. On January 1st, 1998, Hanssens Artisan BVBA was founded by Sidy Hanssens. In addition to brewing a Gueuze and Kriek, the Hanssens introduced the "Old Beitje," or strawberry lambic, to the lineup in 1999. For more info, you can check out the blurb on the brewery here.

Hanssens Oudbeitje

As noted, the Oudbeitje is a Fruit Lambic brewed with the addition of strawberries. The cork on this one came out without so much as a "pop." Nothing. The beer also poured flat, giving way to a copper-orange body in low light that really rides the line between juice and beer. It's clear this is unfiltered and bottle conditioned. I was ready to accept the lack of carbonation, especially since the aroma here is amazing, but as the beer sits in the glass streams of carbonation are appearing, and sure enough, a small ring of white head appeared for several seconds. I can still see carbonation bubbling away as I hold this murky libation to a bright light...hopefully signs of good times in my mouth(feels).

The aroma here is blissful...it reminds me a bit of the Goose Island Gillian, with jammy strawberries, wet rain lactic funk, biscuits topped with honey, far-reaching sourness, and gentle oak/barrel character hanging out in the back. The aroma is clearly strawberries, though. Make no mistake about it. When you smell this beer, you will think to yourself: "strawberries." I could call this one from a million miles away in a blind tasting. The strawberry note goes from jammy berries, to the actual fruit (thanks to the lactic funk), to more sugary-sweet with some syrupy notes.

This is under-carbed in the bottle, but who really cares with the range of blissful flavors provided here. I'm getting big oak character, tons of Brett funk, cola, lactic funk that still sits largely in that wet rain area, and lots of jammy strawberry and fruits. The strawberry that was overt and even sweet in the aroma takes a back seat to all the funk, hints of oak, and gripping sourness. This really has some nice Brett funk and lactic funk, and when the sour notes do show up your'e left with some jammy berries, peach, and softer notes (white grape, maybe?). Really intriguing...

...because I'm not getting much red cider vinegar in here, or picked notes. This manages to dial up a ton of funk and sour character, along with good oak and barrel, without getting into the Flanders Red levels of aggressive sourness. And that's a good thing. I'm getting no alcohol here. The mouthfeel here is somewhat oily and low-carbed, but probably medium-light overall thanks to the tartness and sour notes cutting through the thick of it. Palate depth is just okay, but I think this is wildly complex and intriguing. Like...the aroma itself still suggests these overt strawberry notes. Up front it's all about the jammy berries, oak, barrel, wet rain lactic funk; the mids do roll into some more strawberry notes, with some peach; the back end drops a massive lactic-sour bomb, with gripping sourness on the back end tugging at your throat and jawline. There's Brett funk, oak, sourness, and jammy berries for days.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. This is a really intriguing and unique beer...I can't say I've had anything quite like this. This still kind of reminds me of Goose Island's Gillian, but it's hard to say. I'm amazed at just how sour this beer is...and all the nuances. The oak, the Brett funk, the wet rain lactic character, the jammy berries...it's a lot going on. Food pairings here might include fruit salads, scallops, fish, or anything that benefits from big tartness. Me personally, I would just sip on this one.

Random Thought: Strawberries are my favorite thing ever, I wish more people would utilize them.

Timmermans Pumpkin Lambicus

Brewed By: Timmermans/Brouwerij John Martin in Dilbeek-Itterbeek, Belgium

Purchased: 1 Pint, 9.36 Fl. Oz (750ml) bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 (Bottled On: 07/24/2013)

Style/ABV: Fruit Lambic, 4.0% 

Reported IBUs: ?

I was very hesitant to pick up tonight's beer, which is a pumpkin "Lambic" brewed with natural flavors. We'll see how this one stacks up. About John Martin and Timmermans:                                                                

Timmermans brewery/Anthony Martin was founded in 1909 by British brew master, John Martin. Since then, Timmermans has been making a variety of beers. However, it also appears that the Timmermans Brewery dates back to 1702 (over 300 years), when the Timmermans started brewing Gueuze Lambics under the brewery name of "Brasserie de la Taupe." You can read more about the history of the brewery here.  

Tonight's beer is so OG there isn't even a webpage for it. Punching in at 4.0%, this "Lamic" is brewed with natural flavors, and spices (I'm assuming). 

In lower light, this beer pours into a nice dark brown/orange body, and kicks up two to three fingers of off-white head. The head wastes no time settling into a nice centimeter size, but the beer has tons of violent carbonation. Surprisingly, the beer looks about the same in bright light...ever so hazy, with a vibrant dark orange body that has some hints of brown/amber. The head soaks up the orange, and is leaving nice lacing. Head retention is nice, with tons of effervescent carbonation.

Timmermans Pumpkin Lambicus

On the aroma: lots of sweet, sweet pumpkin spice and pumpkin soda. I'm reminded of Shipyard's Pumpkinhead. I'm getting sweet cinnamon, pumpkin spice, pumpkins, and apples. There is some lemony straw and grass on the nose as well, with a hint of cereal grains and grain-funk ala a Saison or Wild Ale. There's some damp funk on the aroma...just tons of "damp." 

Not shockingly, the taste follows through with the nose...you get a lot of sweet, pumpkin spice/cinnamon soda, with big blasts of apples, apple pie, and cinnamon. This beer tastes a lot like apple pie. There is a slight oaky/woody edge to this, with some hints of tartness on the edges, and a little of that patented Sour Brown/Oud Bruin dark malt. And the sweet pie/apple/cinnamon flavors are actually held together quite nicely. This reminds me of a pumpkin wine or mulled wine. I'm going to let this warm up and add a few more tasting notes...as this warms, you get a whole lot more damp, slightly tart, pumpkin soda meets apple pie. The tart edge remains, and there's a hint of underlying wood/oak.

At 4.0%, this is very drinkable. I was worried that this was going to be watery, but this works out. Palate depth and complexity are alright. The mouthfeel is light-bodied, with good carbonation. Everything is mild. You get mild tart/oak that immediately gives way to sweet apples, apple pie, pumpkin spice, cinnamon; that rolls into apples, sweet spice; the back end is lingering sweetness, apples, and a finish that is damp and not dry.  

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Average on this. This isn't bad...in fact, it's very drinkable for what it is, and if you're looking for apple pie soda you'll be in business. I would pair this beer with light cheeses/hors d'oeuvres, a light pumpkin soup, or pumpkin desserts. This one was kind of pricey...around 16 or 17 a bottle, I believe. For those reasons, you definitely want to pair this with food. This is by no means a must-have Pumpkin Beer, but it's a fun twist for a fruited/sugared "Lambic" thing.

Random Thought: I can't believe it's only Tuesday night.

3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze

Brewed By: 3 Fonteinen in Beersel, Belgium  

Purchased: 750ml corked bottle (Bottled on 17 Jan 2013) bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: Gueuze, 6.0%? 

Reported IBUs: ?

Woo! Sunday night. Wait...no, I'm just kidding. Hopefully this week flies by, and it should, especially with a Bears game on Thursday night. About 3 Fonteinen:

3 Fonteinen is a brewery based out of Beersel, Belgium. The brewery was founded in 1887 as a café and geuzestekerij (a place that blends lambics to make geuze). The company was purchased by Gaston De Belder in 1953, and left to his sons Armand and Guido in 1982. The company bought a brewery in 1998. 3 Fonteinen is one of the few remaining geuzestekerijen. As per the back of my bottle:

"For decades, Armand Debelder has worked as a Geuze blender - just as his father did - mixing young and old lambics from other lambic brewers to create the classic beer of Belgium. Armand has lately begun brewing his own lambic. The Drie Fonteinen beers are among the very few traditional and authentic Geuzes and Lambics being made in Belgium today." 

Tonight's beer, the Oude Geuze, is a natural/authentic geuze consisting of a blend of 1, 2 and 3 year-old lambics aged in oak barrels. The back of my bottle states: "A true Geuze - a blend of 1, 2 and 3 year-old lambic, unfiltered and unpasteurized, and aged in the bottle for at least a year after blending. Refermentation in the bottle gives this Geuze its famous champagne-like spritziness. The lambic that goes into it is brewed only with 60% barley malt, 40% unmalted wheat, aged hops, and water, spontaneously fermented by wild yeasts, and matured in oak casks."

3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze

This beer is aggressively carbonated, as evidenced by the gushing upon pulling out the cork. The beer pours into an orange body, and kicks up two to three-plus fingers of fizzy, spritzy, white head. The head is supported with violent streams of carbonation. This beer is super carbonated in the glass, with numerous streams of bubbles quickly rising to the beer's surface. In bright light the beer is a radiant orange, and the head is clearly white. It's a good looking beer.

You get a lot of fruits and woody tannin on the aroma. I'm getting wood, sulfur, and light basement funk...there's some very faint hints of buttery oak as well. I'm also picking up lots of apples, some grapes, lemons, hints of pears and other stone fruits, and some mild tartness. It's worth noting that this bottle is relatively fresh, and I plan to revisit this beer sometime down the road when it has had a chance to "funk up" in the bottle.

This is actually very nice, and the tartness grows as your drink it. This beer also opens up as it warms, and things are more manageable once the carbonation settles down a bit. For all these reasons, you probably want to give this beer some time in the glass to warm up and settle in. I'm getting bright/tart lemons, sour lemon candy, some apples and grapes, lots of woody tannins, and some wine-like, buttery oak. There's some nice underlying funk, with mild basement, mildew, and hints of gym locker. It's a nice blend of wood, oak, tart lemon and fruit, and good funk.

Like a Gueuze should be, this beer is highly carbonated, very drinkable, and features a light to medium-light mouthfeel. The taste improves as the beer sits in the glass and warms up. At colder temps the beer isn't as sour, and veers into watery territory. At warmer temps, the oak and tart funk comes out. Palate depth is good for the style, and complexity is okay. This beer is going to get better in the bottle, I think. I'm guessing this beer will be fantastic after 3-5 years. You get a blast of tart fruits, wood/oak, and sour funk up front; that rolls into more fruits, some pale malt/straw; the back end dials up the lingering oak/wood tannins. The finish is dry, with lingering wood tannin and some buttery oak.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Strong Above-Average, and really reminds me of a nice, oaky white. I would pair this beer accordingly, with pasta with a strong cheese sauce, or fried mushrooms, or calamari. You could also pair this beer with strong cheeses, fruit salads/desserts, and maybe even a grilled chicken or something along those lines. I feel like this Gueuze is a nice blend, and will be even better down the line. I look forward to cracking open a vintage bottle of this in a few years. This one is kind of pricey, but you can't put a price on authentic Belgian beer. (You actually can...and at 15 dollars per 750ml bottle, I think this one worked out). 

Random Thought: The Bears can't lose to the Giants. Right?....?

Lindemans Gueuze Cuvée René

Brewed By: Brouwerij Lindemans in Vlezenbeek, Belgium

Purchased: 355ml/12oz bottle bought at Spec's Liquor in Galveston, TX; 2013 (Bottled: 3 Feb 2012)

Style/ABV: Gueuze, 5.2%? 5.5%? 

Reported IBUs: 16

Tonight should wrap up all the beer I bought while vacationing in Texas...I snagged two bottles of tonight's beer, and this is the last of the two.

Lindemans is one of those breweries that is famous and available. Odds are if you've purchased beer at any major grocery store you've stumbled upon their fruity Lambics. But aside from their Framboise, Kriek, Pecheresse, and Apple Lambics, they also brew a traditional Gueuze, and a couple of other treats. The brewery was founded by the Lindemans family in 1822, on a farm in Vlezenbeek, near Brussels. During the winter months when farming slowed down, they brewed beer. In 1930, farming activities were dropped and the focus shifted to brewing. In 1991, the Lindemans family built a new brewery to accomdoate a growing market. You can read more about the brewery on Lindeman's website. It's worth noting that Wikipedia has some additional (and conflicting) information, quoting the start of brewing in 1811. You can check their blurb here.

Gueuze is a fun style of beer. Gueuze are labor-intense and time-consuming beers. The style is a blend of young and old Lambics (spontaneously fermented sour ales). Traditionally, Gueuze is made by mixing one, two, and three-year old Lambic, but the blends can range from Lambics as young as four months to as old as three years. The mastery in crafting a good Gueuze is to find the perfect blend. Once the beers are blended, they are then aged and undergo a secondary fermentation. Traditionally, Gueuze/Geuze were spontaneously fermented with naturally-occurring yeast and bacteria (usually found in oaken barrels), but craft brewers will often inoculate their brew with cultures of yeast including Saccharomyces, Brettanomyces, Pediococcus and Lactobacillus in an effort to reproduce this effect. The base malt for these beers is unmalted wheat, Pilsner malt, and aged hops (used as a preservative, not for bitterness). The flavor and aroma should be balanced and subtle, with mild sour/acidic character balanced by wheat, citrus/fruits, barnyard, and possibly some wood. With that said...on to tonight's beer.

The Gueuze Cuvée René is an Oude Geuze ("old Geuze"), and is unsweetened and a blend of Lambics (blended by hand). This beer has been imported into the US since the early 90s, and naturally, has some batch variation. This beer also ages well, and for the most part, is affordable and widely available. All these factors suggest that this is a great entry-level Gueuze, and maybe much, much more.

I have to give props to Lindemans...the cork containing this lovely elixir parted gracefully, and the beer didn't even hesitate to gush or get cute. Also, the foil wasn't GLUED ON (hint, hint, other breweries), and came off with ease. The beer pours into a hazy/murky dark yellow/straw-colored body. The beer kicked up a finger or two of off-white/gold-tinted head. The head is fueled by wheat, and is competing with the wild yeast and other deterring elements. Needless to say, it's holding up nicely. In bright light the beer is a juicy gold/orange color, and there are mountains of fine carbonation bubbles streaming upwards. This beer is effervescent, and looks like champagne. The head is still slightly off-white in bright light, and is only being kept alive by the streams of carbonation. 

Lindemans Gueuze Cuvée René

The aroma on this is all kinds of okay. This beer embraces the funk, with big barnyard, wet rain, wet leather, some light cheesiness, and big underlying tart citrus. I'm getting white grapes, grapefruit, lemons/lemon bars/sugary lemon, apples, and pears. The nose is bold enough to set up big expectations in the taste. 

For the most part, the taste delivers. The taste is surprisingly sour up front, with puckering tartness (lemon, green apple, sour candies), followed by bright citrus and apples, and nice acidity. I'm picking up some oak in this, along with a hint of acid/vinegar. There's big lemons, grapefruit, apples/pears, grape, apple juice, wet leather, and tons of very mild funk. The finish shifts to a champagne-like dryness.

The mouthfeel is outstanding, divine stuff. The carbonation is perfect, and the finish is appropriately dry. This is a light-bodied beer, with plenty of tartness, acidity, funk, and a dry finish. While the palate depth is superb, there are moments where the body will fade out for a second and then quickly return...complexity is good but you have to wonder. This starts out sour/funky with some lemon, sour candy, and green apple; that transitions into acidic citrus, grapefruit, grapes, and apple; from there you get some nice wet leather/barnyard, wheat, and funk; the beer then fades out to dryness, with lingering vinegar/acid/lemon.

Rating: Above-Average (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. This is a great sour, with enough complexity to keep veteran drinkers initiated, but with some nice nuance and balance. I'd like to grab a few bottles of this to age. The price is right too...you can snag a 750ml of this for around 10-15 dollars, I believe. This beer would pair well with oysters, duck, mussels, risotto, ceviche, strong cheeses, and meats on sticks. Skip the fruity Lindemans beers and get this.

Random Thought: I think we all can agree that the three most important things in life are sleep, food, and sex. The question, then, is simply: on what order of magnitude do they fall? Surely food is the most important of the bunch (and beer is food). But sleep is pretty important too. But sleep on an empty stomach isn't fun. I guess sex seems like the luxury of the bunch, but anyone that's gone X amount of time without sex knows that it can interfere as much with sleep as an empty stomach. Perhaps the solution is a combination of these things, ala George Costanza. After all, pastrami is the most sensual of the cured meats.

New Belgium Transatlantique Kriek (Lips of Faith - 2013)

Brewed By: New Belgium Brewing Company (with Brewerij Boon) in Fort Collins, Colorado

Purchased: 22oz bomber from Binny's in Illinois; 2013

Style/ABV: Fruit Lambic/Kriek, 8.0%

Reported IBUs: 8

For tonight's beer, New Belgium teamed up with the folks at Brewerij Boon (makers of Boon Kriek and Boon Framboise) to make a spontaneously fermented lambic ale with cherries. About New Belgium:

New Belgium is based out of Fort Collins, and opened in 1991 when founder Jeff Lebesch took his home-brewing into the commercial world. For reference, New Belgium is the thrid-largest craft brewery in the United States. You can read more about New Belgium if you check out their website.

This is a big beer, clocking in at 8.0% ABV. If you roll over to New Belgium's Transatlantique Kriek page, you can get the breakdown of this beer. This beer is a blend of two beers, a 45% ale with cherries added to "55% ale." The ale with cherries is a spontaneously fermented lambic ale made with Polish cherries, aged in oak vessels at the Boon brewery (in the Lembeek region of Belgium). The "55% ale" is a "full-bodied golden lager to round out the light-bodied kriek." All-in-all, this uses Willamette hops; pale, red wheat, carapils, and roasted barley malts; lager yeast[?]; and Wise cherries. The flavor profile is described as sour with green apple, lactic, acetic/vinegar, and biley. Let's see how this one works out...

New Belgium Transatlantique Kriek 2013

This beer pours a comical soda-red color, like Big Red, with one to two fingers of fizzly, pink head. There's a lot of effervescence, as you can see carbonation streaming upwards. The head peaces out pretty quickly, leaving a filtered, bright red beer in bright light. Depending on the lighting, the head is more red/pink/white. Apples...how about them.

The aroma is a bit more nuanced than I was expecting. I'm definitely getting some woody oak, barnyard, Brett funk, hay blanket, bile, and mild vinegar sourness. There's some apple skin, cherry skin, tart fruit skins...and then a layer of sweeter cherries. There's maybe a hint of leather...I already prefer this to the Boon Kriek. 

This tastes like a muted sour, with earthy Brett funk, light oak/wood, bready malts, toffee/caramel, and some light nuttiness coming forward. You get lightly sour/acidic cherries, apples, and vinegar up front, with more malt in the middle. There's some cherry pie sweetness in the mix, with pie filling, and sweeter cherries. I'm also getting some light solvent-booze on this. 

This has light carbonation, with a light-full to medium-light mouthfeel. Palate depth is kind of meh, complexity is good. It's very drinkable for 8.0%...with just a hint of alcohol heat. This one seems to get bogged down a bit, and veers into watery territory...then it snaps back. You get tart cherries up front, immediately followed by bread/toffee/caramel and sugary cherries; that rolls into some light bile, Brett, earthy funk, cherries, oak/wood/leather; the back end is sweeter cherries, lingering toffee/bread. 

Rating: Average (3.0/5 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this beer. This is kind of okay...enjoyable at times, but not blowing me away. It's a bit strange to pull out some solvent/fusel alcohol on this, and the fruit could stand out more. The funk is nice, and the amount of sourness seems appropriate. I guess, at around 14-17 dollars a bomber, I couldn't recommend this over the various Belgian offerings you would likely be able to find. However, the amount of work required to make this beer does seem to warrant the price. I'm not even mad. This beer is kind of wine-like, so I'd pair it with a steak, strong cheeses, tartar, maybe a burger with mushrooms, and maybe even some mussels. The La Folie brought the sour...this one needs to bring the cherries. 

Random Thought: Though, I should give this beer credit for not veering into artificial sweetness/fake cherry land. The cherries in this taste legit, and are never cough syrupy or medicinal (in my opinion). Maybe I'll try this again sometime down the road... 

Bourgogne des Flandres Brune/Bruin

Brewed By: Timmermans [John Martin (brouwerij)] in Dilbeek-Itterbeek, Belgium

Purchased: 1 Pint, 9.36 Fl. Oz (750ml) bottle at Evolution Wine & Spirits in Chicago, IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: Flanders Oud Bruin (blended with Lambic?), 5.2% 

Reported IBUs: ?

There's not a lot of info out there on tonight's brewery, which is Timmermans brewery/Anthony Martin. According to their website, the brewery was founded in 1909 by British brew master, John Martin. Since then, Timmermans has been making a variety of beers. However, it also appears that the Timmermans Brewery dates back to 1702 (over 300 years), when the Timmermans started brewing Gueuze Lambics under the brewery name of "Brasserie de la Taupe." Whatever. 

Tonight's beer is an Oud Bruin. According to the Bourgogne des Flandres Brune page, this beer is blended at the "legendary Timmermans brewery," which is apparently the oldest lambic brewery in the world. This beer is described as going through a process known as "lambic infusion," where the best lambics are blended with a top-fermented brown ale. This beer is matured in oak barrels. So I guess this beer might not be a straight up Oud Bruin, and might be a blend of Oud Bruin with Lambic? Eh? 

Bourgogne des Flandres

In low light, this beer pours a dark brown/plum/raisin color, with 2-finger's worth of foamy/soapy tan, soda-colored head. Head retention is surprisingly good on this...with about a pinky's worth of soapy/creamy foam hanging around. In bright light, this beer is a swapy orange color, with a ton of tiny bubbles streaming upwards. This is very effervescent. The head still has a really nice reddish-brown color in bright light.

This almost smells like a Dubbel that crashed into a Bretty brown ale. I'm getting brown sugar, worn leather/band-aid, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and other spices, and some big candied/perfumey dark fruits; raisin, plums, apples, other stone fruits. There is a hint of vinegar and tart/sour, but it's very subtle and mild. It's really fucking sweet...like cherry cola. Maybe a touch of oak/wood?

There is virtually no sour or funk in this, with assertive cherry cola sweetness just blasting your palate. You get cherry cola, sweet sugary caramel, sugary vanilla, and maybe a dash of wood. The finish sort of dries out with some wood, and maybe some elusive spices dance around in this, but this is one-note, and it plays that note hard. This sort of reminds me of the very underwhelming Petrus Dubbel.

Before I pile on the mounds of hatorade, it is worth noting that this beer is likely a blend of an Oud Bruin style ale with a fruity Lambic. I swear I'm getting cherries in here...and they are okay. As I continue to drink this, I'm getting some apples and cherry skins, and hints of tartness. The whole thing has a very rich, chewy mouthfeel, and it's quite thick and smooth. There's some lingering buttery/diacetyl on the finish. Low complexity, good palate depth, lower carbonation and a thicker mouthfeel than I was expecting...this is medium in terms of mouthfeel, and drinks okay for 5.2%. And by "okay," I mean really fucking sweet. Up front is cherry cola, sugary vanilla, sugary caramel; this rolls into a dash of spice, a dash of wood, more sugary stuff; the back end is lingering everything, maybe an elusive flash of hops, more cherry, more wood...not very dry.

Rating: Average 

I'm feeling a light Average on this. This is a one-trick pony. With that said, I bet this would taste great with a scoop of ice cream in it, or if you blended it with a Stout. Hmm...it's way too pricey to justify purchasing again (imo), at around 13-17 for a 750ml bottle. Fuck that. You could pair this with a red sauce...I'm tasting a meatball sub from Subway, and this would go great with that. But meh. I'd pass on this for now.

Random Thought: I feel a cold coming on. FML. Sleep time.

Lindemans Pomme (Apple)

Brewed By: Brouwerij Lindemans in St Pieters Leeuw-Vlezenbeek, Belgium

Purchased: Single bottle (12oz) out of variety pack from Binny's in IL; 2011

Style/ABV: Lambic - Fruit, 3.5%

I feel like I did a pretty good job breaking down Fruit Lambics and Lindemans in my review of the Lindemans Framboise, so check that out. This is the other beer from the Lindemans variety pack, the Lindemans Pomme. Pomme means apple, and this is a non-traditional fruit flavor now being incorporated into Lindemans' Lambic lineup. This is relatively new (within the past few years) and has received a fairly lukewarm reception by beer reviewers. I have already tried this beer, but I'll ignore any previous notions.

Just like with the Framboise, this is as effervescent as they come. There are hundreds of bubbles rising upwards, supporting the white fluffy head. The head is holding at about a fingers-width, but it poured with 2-fingers worth. I suspect the flute glass exaggerates the size of the head a bit. The head is made up of tightly packed bubbles, and looks good. The body is transparent to the point where I can read the words on my computer screen through the glass. The color of this beer is a nice golden-yellow color: it looks like a pilsner or pale lager.

The aroma here is big on the apples, but there are subtle pulls towards a yeast-funk-barnyard note. The apple is sweet and slightly sour, and reminds me of apple candy. Apple jolly ranchers come to mind.

The first sip makes me immediately think of apple juice and apple cider, but then the slight sour note bites in the back end and I think of sour apples. This is largely an apple juice affair, with carbonated apples all over the place. There is a pull towards sourness here and there, which is where the sour apple note comes from. This is slightly tart, but sweet and sugary. Did someone melt sour apple candy in here?

The front end is carbonation and apple, the middles gives way to more apples and maybe a touch of barnyard funk and yeast, and the back end rounds out with a hint of tartness. This is a light-medium beer with very little in the way of complexity. This beer has as much depth as an apple (literally) but at least finishes slightly dry and has some nice effervescent qualities.
 

Rating: Average

Score: 51%

 
Unlike the Framboise which had a solid Lambic backdrop and decent complexity as far as the raspberry was concerned, the Pomme is pretty much apples, apple juice, apple candy, and just a hint of sour apple. So we have ourselves a good ol' dilemma here.

You see, this beer advertises itself as a "Lambic" beer. But I'm not getting a whole lot on the Lambic front. I'm hard pressed to even qualify this as a beer when it almost reminds me of an apple soda or apple malt beverage. 

If this was an "apple drink" then hell yes: I would say this beer rocks the house. If you are looking for over-the-top apples then this beer will rock your cock. If you are looking for a complex apple Lambic...

This is at the bottom-end of Average. I almost rated this Below-Average but there are enough pulls towards a sour note and something funky and yeasty that you are left with the impression that there is a Lambic here, somewhere. Having said that, I would not reach for this beer if I was looking for a Lambic or a Fruit Lambic. HOWEVER, if I wanted something that was all apples or over-the-top apples: I might grab this beer. This reminds me quite a bit of a cider, and might stack up favorably against other ciders. You might be able to pair this beer with an apple dessert or something like cheese. But again, I have to imagine there are better examples of Lambics with apples out there.

Oh, and again I was left with nice lacing on my glass. That's 2 for 2 with Lindemans. I guess I'll keep a running count now.  

Lindemans Framboise

Brewed By: Brouwerij Lindemans in St Pieters Leeuw-Vlezenbeek, Belgium

Purchased: Single bottle (12oz) out of variety pack from Binny's in IL; 2011

Style/ABV: Lambic - Fruit, 2.5%

I'll confess right up front that my experience with Lambics is limited to Lindemans. Lindemans is widely available and was one of the first beers that got me "into" craft beer, so it has been one I have returned to a few times. Lambic is a very unique style of beer brewed largely in Brussels and the Pajottenland region of Belgium. The beer is made using a unique brewing process called spontaneous fermentation. In this process the beer is exposed to wild yeasts and bacteria and is allowed to age for anywhere from one to three years. During the aging process the beer is exposed to open air, which is also unique to the style. Lastly, many Lambics are actually a mixture of several different Lambics, so it is a complex process and a complex beer. It's a very interesting style, and the extensive brewing process certainly explains the price. More info can be found here. 

Lindemans Framboise is a Fruit Lambic. Fruit is added to the Lambic after spontaneous fermentation, and the beer is allowed to age before being bottled. Traditionally Fruit Lambics included the addition of cherry and raspberry, but nowadays you can get peach, grape, and apple Lambics. Fruit Lambic tends to have a low ABV%, and just glancing over some nutrition info, it looks like they are relatively low in calories. While you lose some ABV, the trade-off is that you get a great tasting, super effervescent drink that could take the place of champagne, has giant fruit flavors, and won't make you fat.

The Lindemans website is awesome and has info on the brewery and the beer. They actually walk you step-by-step through the brewing process, which is really interesting and informative. The Lindemans Brewery started out as a farm in 1809 that happened to brew Lambic beer during the winter. The Lambic became increasingly popular, so in the 1930s Lindemans became a full-time brewery and shut down the farm. Today's beer, the Framboise, was released in 1980, and since then the brewery has expanded the size of their operation and released a number of additional beers.

The Lindemans website describes the Framboise as the prefect blend of the Lambic's acidity with the fruity notes of the raspberry. So that is what I will be expecting. One last note....the BJCP Style Guidelines do not make it clear whether they consider Lindemans to be a "Belgian Specialty Ale" or a "Lambic - Fruit." The issue at hand seems to be that Lindemans is overly sweet, so caveat emptor.

I always forget the cork-opener that this beer requires. On one hand I appreciate the attention to preserving the beer, on the other hand, what am I going to do when I don't have a cork-opener present? The beer pours nicely, and has a pinky-sized, purple-tinted or pink head. The head has a lot of fine bubbles, and the beer is super effervescent like champagne. When held directly up to a bright light the beer takes on a reddish-purple color, but out of the light this beer looks to be more dark purple. It honestly looks like it will stain your clothes, and the cork has a hint of purple from where it met the beer.

The aroma here is tart raspberries, hints of sour acidity (but not in a bad way), and some barnyard yeast funk. The raspberry smell is very herbal, and reminds me of raspberry tea. There are some currants in the nose as well, which is likely just the raspberry note getting frisky. The aroma really supports what you are going to taste, which is a lot of raspberries, candy notes, and a tart sourness. There is sour raspberry, which is tart enough to make me pucker my mouth, but also a lot of manifestations of sugar. I taste raspberry Jolly Ranchers. There is that currant-tea note as well. Some of the barnyard comes through, but not much and only dashes of hay or funk. The dominating character here is raspberry. There is also a slight acidity, which is pleasant. 

Rating: Above-Average
Score: 81% 

This is a light to medium-bodied beer, with medium depth and moderate complexity. The complexity is due to the subtle non-fruit Lambic notes buried behind the beer, as well as the multifaceted raspberry notes. The front end is carbonated and tart, which rolls into giant raspberry notes in the middle, and the back end finishes slightly dry and tart. At 2.5% ABV, alcohol never was an issue and it doesn't show up in the body at all. On the other hand, this beer is a sugar bomb and is super sweet: and that will slow the drinkability down.

I like this beer a lot. I think you do get a unique drinking experience here, and the raspberry flavor is really multidimensional pulling herbal qualities as well as some candy qualities. This is clearly a niche beer that you would drink in a certain situation, and not something to have daily. I could see myself pairing this with a desert or serving this to celebrate in place of champagne.

Whether or not you enjoy this beer will depend on how much you like raspberries, and what your threshold for sugary and sweet beer is. There is a good tart/sour quality that cuts through the sugar, so that helps keep this beer drinkable, but I would be lying if I said this isn't a sweet raspberry bomb. So if you do give this beer a try, make it a special occasion beer, and pair it with desert or something.

And look....there's even lacing in my glass. Nice.