Category Archives: Belgium

Tilquin Oude Cassis À l’ancienne

Brewery: Gueuzerie Tilquin
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.3%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)
Other Notes: 2018-2019

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Dutch) Bier met spontane gisting, de Oude Cassis Tilquin is verkregen door het gisting van 200 gr zwarte bessen per liter van lambiek. Niet gefilterd en niet gepasteuriseerd, dit bier is hergist op fles.

(translated to English) Spontaneous fermentation beer, the Oude Cassis Tilquin is obtained by the fermentation of 200 gr black currants per liter of lambic. Not filtered and not pasteurized, this beer is refermented in the bottle.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.72
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.5

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle, with a neck label of 2018-2019, and a best before date of 25th March 2029. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy reddish orange brown colour with a slightly more than one finger off white head that dissipated fairly quickly to a very thin but replenishing cap, while leaving some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Wonderful blackcurrant, with light notes of funk and oak.
Taste: Tart, lightly sour, blackcurrant, oak, with notes of funk.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: It may not be as complex as other great lambics, but I really love blackcurrant flavours and this has it in spades. Super enjoyable and easy to drink. I could just keep drinking this over and over again.

Tilquin Oude Pinot Gris À l’ancienne

Brewery: Gueuzerie Tilquin
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8.4%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)
Other Notes: 2017-2018

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Beer of spontaneous fermentation, the Old Pinot Gris Tilquin is made from the fermentation of 280 gr of Pinot Gris grapes by liter of lambic. Unfiltered and unpasteurized, this beer is refermented in the bottle.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.74
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.6

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, with a neck label of 2017-2018, and a best before date of 21st December 2027. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear golden orange colour with a one finger white head that dissipated quickly to a small lasting collar around the glass, while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Apple peel, yeast, doughy, green apple, white grape, vinous, oak, with some light funky notes.
Taste: Sour, tart, white grape, vinous, oak, straw, funky, apricot, with some light pear and citrusy grapefruit and lemon notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Excellent, super enjoyable. The aroma was perfect, followed by great flavours, complexity, lots of fruit, and vinous, balanced with oak and funk. Looks like I’ll need more for my cellar.

Tilquin Oude Gueuze À l’ancienne

Brewery: Gueuzerie Tilquin
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Gueuze)
Other Notes: 2017-2018

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Dutch) Bier met spontane gisting, de Oude Geuze Tilquin is een mengeling van 1, 2 en 3 jaar oude lambiek gerijpt op eiken vaten. Niet gefilterd en niet gepasteuriseerd, dit bier is hergist op fles.

(translated to English) Beer with spontaneous fermentation, the Oude Gueuze Tilquin is a mixture of 1, 2 and 3 year old lambic matured in oak barrels. Not filtered and not pasteurized, this beer is refermented in the bottle.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.45
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle, with a neck label of 2017-2018, and a best before date of 22nd November 2027. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen gueuze glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy golden orange colour with a thin white head that dissipated quickly but settled to a ring around the glass, while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Lemon zest, green apple, straw, hay, barnyard, funk.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, grapefruit, green apple, grape, lemon, funky, and oak.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: One of my favourite regular Gueuze’s in my opinion. Just great balanced aroma and flavours.

Hanssens Oude Kriek Handgeplukte Schaerbeekse Krieken

Brewery: Hanssens Artisanaal
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Ale fermented with sour cherries and aged oak barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.06
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle, with a notched bottled on date of January 2016. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy dark ruby red colour with thin to minimal head, and no lacing.
Aroma: Sweet fruity, cherry, marzipan, acetone, oak and balsamic notes.
Taste: Sour, tart, sharp, acetic, cherry, vinegar, oak, lemon juice.
Mouthfeel: Sharp, acetic, acidic, medium bodied, with soft carbonation (but maybe feels like more because it’s so sharp).
Overall: In classic Hanssens style, it’s sharp and acidic, but luckily it’s got good cherry and oak notes, that help with what may seem harsh.

Nectar Bohème La Petite Balade

Brewery: Nectar Bohème Sprl
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Belgian Saison / Farmhouse
Other Notes: 50 IBUs. Hops – Triskel and Hull Melon

Brewer Description: (from BXLBeerFest FB page) A variation of A La Belle Saison with more wheat and a late hopping of Triskel and Hull Melon.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.57
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 750ml bottle from the 2020 BXL beer pack, with a best before date of June 2022. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with a big three finger white head that had good retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Yeasty, honeydew melon, grass, floral, wheat, with citrus zest notes.
Taste: Saison yeasty, bitter, grainy, wheat, citrus, orange zest, melon, floral, grass, and light peppery spice.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: It’s not bad, but not my favourite flavour profile, with the Triskel and Hull Melon hops seemingly pushing through melon, floral and citrus notes.