Category Archives: Belgium

Tilquin Oude Abricot À l’ancienne

Brewery: Gueuzerie Tilquin
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.3%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: 2023-2024

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Beer of spontaneous fermentation, the Old Abricot Tilquin is made from the fermentation of 230g of apricots by liter of lambic. Unfiltered and unpasteurized, this beer is refermented in the bottle.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.91
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, with a neck label of 2023-2024, and a best before date of 14th December 2033. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden colour, with a one finger white head that had good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, unripe stone fruit, apricot, mandarin orange, orange peel, with notes of gooseberry, lemon, lime zest, and fruit vinegar.
Taste: Sour, tart, unripe stone fruit, apricot, orange peel, with a bright but sharp finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, with moderate carbonation, and a touch too sharp.
Overall: The unripe fruit flavours were too sharp, and just didn’t make it as good as other apricot lambics that I’ve tried; or even other Tilquin lambics that I’ve tried, for that matter.

Sako Geuze Adelaar Elderflower

Brewery: Brouwerij Sako
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Lambic – Fruit

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Carefully selected lambic aged in oak French wine barrels. Wonderful combination with the unique perfume of elderflower.

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.39
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.2

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, 21-22 cork, bottled in 2022, with a best before year of 2042. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden blond colour, with a big two finger white head that had pretty good retention, eventually settled to a thin cap, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Elderflower, a touch green, branches, citrus pith, orange zesty, and funky notes.
Taste: Sharp citrus, lemon zest, lime, a touch tart, maybe even soapy, elderflower, green vines, and lightly funky.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Not getting much lambic, and seems much closer to a Saison. The aroma is pretty good, but taste was a bit lost with the citrus and the soapiness I was getting. Even the elderflower had a better aroma than what I could taste.

Het Boerenerf Framboos

Brewery: Het Boerenerf Eylenbosch
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: Lambiek Framboos Rode bes 2021

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Dutch) Na maceratie, gemengd en gerust op vat. Verrijkt met kriekenlambiek.

(translated to English) After maceration (with raspberry and redcurrant), it was aged in barrels, before being enriched with cherry lambic.

My rating: 3+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.05
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, 2021 vintage, with a best before date of 15th January 2027. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy reddish orange pinkish colour, with a one finger very light pink head that had good retention, and left some lacing.
Aroma: Tart, raspberry, raspberry seeds, redcurrant, sour cherry, wood, lemon juice.
Taste: Sour, tart, raspberry, redcurrant, sour cherry, lemon zest, lemon juice, wood, with light funky notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: While the taste was good, I felt it was also on the borderline of being too sour at times. The aroma though, was especially good and enjoyable.

Het Boerenerf Kers Kaneel

Brewery: Het Boerenerf Eylenbosch
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: Lambiek Kers Kaneel 2021

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Dutch) Houtgerijpte kersenlambiek Kaneel receptuur uit 1907.

(translated to English) Wood-matured cherry lambic cinnamon recipe from 1907.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.06
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, 2021 vintage, with a best before date of 23rd January 2027. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy deep red colour with a slight orange tinge, and a one finger light pinkish head that had pretty good retention while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, cherry, cinnamon, mixed berries, wood, and lemon juice.
Taste: Sour, tart, cherry, lemon juice, wood, with some subtle ‘spicy’ cinnamon notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Drinks well with nice cherry in the flavour. Cinnamon was there but definitely on the subtle side. Would be interesting if the cinnamon was stronger.

Het Boerenerf Biet – Lambiek Biet Cider

Brewery: Het Boerenerf Eylenbosch
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Lambic – non-Lambic Blends
Other Notes: Lambiek Biet Cider 2021

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Dutch) Rode biet van eigen kweek. Maceratie op lambiek, gemengd met cider.

(translated to English) Home-grown beetroot. Macerated in lambic, mixed with cider.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.13
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, 2021 vintage, with a best before date of 7th December 2026. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A very slightly hazy golden dark orange colour with a slight pinkish tinge, and a one finger white head that had pretty good retention, and left some lacing.
Aroma: Raw beets, vegetal, apple, earthy, soil, with light funky notes.
Taste: Tart, lightly sour, raw beets, vegetal, apple peel, red berries, oak, and funk.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Tasty and enjoyable. I’m liking beets as an adjunct for lambic, quite possibly even more than rhubarb.