Category Archives: Belgium

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Gueuzerie Tilquin, Lambic - Gueuze

Tilquin Oude Gueuze À l’ancienne

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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.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Hanssens Artisanaal, Lambic - Fruit

Hanssens Oude Kriek Handgeplukte Schaerbeekse Krieken

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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.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Farmhouse Saison, Nectar Bohème Sprl

Nectar Bohème La Petite Balade

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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.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie de Blaugies, Farmhouse Saison

Blaugies Cerises

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Brewery: Brasserie de Blaugies
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: 2020 BXL BeerFest beer pack

Brewer Description: (from BXLBeerFest FB page) Saison with sweet cherry juice added.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.24
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.1

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle from the 2020 BXL beer pack, with a best before date of end of 2024. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy orange amber colour with a big three finger off white head that had excellent retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Floral, cherry blossom, saison yeasty, pepper spice, citrusy, orange peel, with light cherry notes.
Taste: Cherry candy, cough medicine, lightly tart, yeasty, bready, wheat, saison like, peppery spice, citrus zest, bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: The cherry appears at the very beginning as candy like cough medicine, which I am actually fine with, but it disappears almost immediately to a yeasty, bready, saison with peppery spice, before finishing with a lasting bitterness. It was this middle and end flavour profile that was too yeasty, bitter, and a little weird. And sadly, the cherry just didn’t last very long.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Boon, Lambic - Fruit

Boon Oude Schaarbeekse Kriek

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Brewery: Brouwerij Boon
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Oude Kriek Boon with 250g/l “Schaarbeekse cherries” is a unique taste experience. These powerful cherries of Belgian origin, harvested in 2018, support the mellow and soft sourish flavour of the lambic with a very powerful, but balanced cherry expression.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.31
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle, 2018 vintage, with a best before date of 3rd April 2039. Poured into a Boon stemmed glass.
Appearance: A nice hazy ruby red colour with a slightly more than two fingered pink head that had decent retention and eventually settled to a thin cap, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet and sour, cherry, lightly tart and some floral notes.
Taste: Good balance of sweet and sour cherry, tart, oak, and light funk.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: While the amount of funk is low, there is a good amount of cherry and a nice balance between sweet and sour flavours. Enjoyable, worth trying again.