Category Archives: Belgium

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen, Lambic - Gueuze

3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze Vintage

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Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Gueuze)
Other Notes: 2010 vintage

Brewer Description: (from lambic.info) Oude Geuze Vintage is 3 Fonteinen’s reserve series geuze.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.65
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.5

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged but unlabelled bottle at 3 Fonteinen lambik-O-droom. Bottled on 8th March 2010. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy dark orange colour with a just under two finger puffy white head that had good retention and left some nice sticky lacing.
Aroma: Funk, barnyard, hay, earthy, citrusy lemon, oak with hints of herbal and green apple.
Taste: Tart, funky, hay, lemon, grapefruit rind, wet oak and hints of green apple.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, light to medium bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: Just wonderful, with great aromas and taste continuing after 8 years in the bottle.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Bokke, Farmhouse Saison

Bokke Zomersaison

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Brewery: Bokke
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: 2017 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Fantôme saison w/ 1 & 2 yr old lambic aged on freshly emptied fruit lambic barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.02
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 750ml bottle at Koelschip, bottled in December 2017. Poured into a Cantillon tasting glass.
Appearance: A light pinkish red colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Fantôme, funk, tart, oak with light strawberry and raspberry.
Taste: Barnyard, Fantôme, light funk, light tartness with very light fruit and mixed berries.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with light to moderate carbonation.
Overall: Quite nice with the Fantôme base having a strong showing, while there is only light fruitiness.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Bokke, Lambic - Fruit

Bokke Pjassel

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Brewery: Bokke
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)
Other Notes: 2017 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) 2 year old lambic with red vineyard peaches.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.79
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.6

Intro: A 750ml bottle at Koelschip, bottled in December 2017. Poured into a Cantillon tasting glass.
Appearance: A very nice ruby red colour with a just over one finger pink head that dissipated quickly while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Peach and strawberry candy with some light bandaid (but in a good way).
Taste: Cherry, strawberry, peach, jammy, candy like, with a light vinous character.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with low to moderate carbonation.
Overall: Very nice. Love the wonderful fruity jammy candy flavours.

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

Lindemans GingerGueuze

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

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Breaking the mould among existing beer styles, Lindemans developed the Botanical Lambics, a collection of old gueuzes with a twist. Third in the series, GingerGueuze is based on a blend of 12 months with 2 to 3 year old lambic fermented in oak and fresh ginger. Refermented in the bottle, GingerGueuze has a golden colour and combines the sourness of lambic with the subtle flavours of fresh ginger. Ideal as an aperitif, it is also perfect for food pairings.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.12
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottled in December 2016. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear golden colour with a big three finger white head that had pretty good retention and left lots of sticky lacing.
Aroma: Ginger, lemon, floral, herbal, earthy, oak, funk, wet damp barnyard.
Taste: Cleaner than the aroma as in the ginger and lemon zest take centre stage, a bit ginger ale like, while there is light oak, herbal and funkiness going on in the background, but nowhere near as much as the aroma suggests.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: An interesting twist as I felt that the ginger did go quite well with Gueuze and in fact it reminded me a bit of ginger ale. Refreshing and tasty.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgian Quadrupel, Belgium, Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V.

Kasteel Cuvée du Chateau

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Brewery: Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V.
Country: Belgium
ABV: 11%
Style: Belgian Quadrupel

Brewer Description: (from website) The taste of Cuvée du Château is comparable to that of an aged Kasteel Donker, reminiscent of port. This ‘premier cru classé’ was developed in the style of a quadrupel. In this type of strong, dark brown beer that veers between sweet and bitter, malt has the upper hand. The Cuvée du Chateau has the characteristics of a madeirised beer, with initial hints of roast and caramelised malt, followed by delicate hop bitters in the finish. A fully-fledged gastronomic beer.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.71
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of June 2019. Poured into a Chimay goblet glass.
Appearance: Dark brown in colour with a thin less than half finger tanned head that dissipated quickly and left only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Sweetish dark fruit, raisin, prunes, plum, caramel malt, toffee, malt with hints of nutmeg and clove.
Taste: Sweet, raisin, prunes, doughy, bready with hints of wood and a boozy finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Quite nice, but really on the verge of being a bit too sweet for me.