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

3 Fonteinen Armand’4 Oude Geuze Winter

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Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Lambic – Gueuze
Other Notes: Bottle date: 22/04/2010

Brewer Description: (from Untappd) After the thermostat incident, and in order to be able to bridge the following financial gap, Armand blended 4 distinct and unique geuzes with lambics he brewed himself. The resulting blends were bottled at the beginning of 2010. They were named after the four seasons, and launched in the specific seasons.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.82
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.7

Intro: A 750ml very dusty corked and caged bottle at 3 Fonteinen lambik-O-droom, bottled on 22nd April 2010. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A cloudy dark orange colour, with a two finger beige head that had excellent retention, and left very nice lacing.
Aroma: Musty, dusty, apple, wood, sherry, funk, grapefruit peel, and spritzy lemon zest.
Taste: Mildly sour, tart, funk, wet wood, hay, grapefruit peel, and apple peel.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: My second time trying, but this one at the source was much better. I suspect the first bottle probably travelled too much. This bottle was smooth, easy drinking, with layers of complexity, and just super enjoyable.

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

3 Fonteinen Zenne d’Auge (Two Barrel Calvados Lambik)

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Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 9.8%
Style: Lambic – Gueuze
Other Notes: Blend°122, Season 21/22

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Zenne d’Auge is a new addition in the Zenne-series and is the result of ageing lambik on old Calvados barrels. The Pays d’Auge is a beautiful area in Normandy, France. This region is known for its apple orchards, point-l’évêque and camembert cheese, and ciders and calvados.

For this two-barrel calvados lambik, we matured three thirty-one-month-old lambikken for a full year on two casks from a small organic cider and calvados producer. About one third of the grain bill used for brewing these lambikken was sourced directly with Pajottenland farmers from our Cereal Collective. We let them sit in our cellars for another full year almost before its release.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.77
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.6

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle at 3 Fonteinen lambik-O-droom, blend°122, season 21/22, bottled on 29th September 2022. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear golden orange colour, with a one finger white head that had good retention and nice lacing.
Aroma: Apple peel, cooked apple, wood, vinous, toffee, and raisin.
Taste: Raisin, apple peel, toffee, wood, vinous, with some nutty notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Wow, an impressive barrel that stands out with so much raisin and apple, yet does not take away from the lambic.

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

3 Fonteinen Pruim Mirabelle x Oloroso

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Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7.4%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: Blend°25, Season 22/23

Brewer Description: (from bottle) For this small batch Pruim Mirabelle x Oloroso, we macerated hand-picked Belgian Mirabelle plums for four months on three-year and four-year old lambik, before blending with more of such old lambik and four-year old lambik. The oldest lambik was brewed in January 2019 and was later on matured on an Oloroso barrel from Josefa Perez. As this old portion (and barrels) covers a considerable part of the lambik volume, the resulting weighted average of this blend is more than 34 months. The final fruit concentration is 328 grams of Mirabelle plums per litre of Pruim.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.5
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle at 3 Fonteinen lambik-O-droom, blend°25, season 22/23, bottled on 11th January 2023. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A cloudy apricot orange colour, with a one finger fluffy white head that had good retention and nice lacing.
Aroma: Juicy, plum, yellow stone fruit, wood, with notes of sherry and funk.
Taste: Lightly tart, juicy, plum, yellow stone fruit, wood, sherry, and lemon zest.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft to moderate carbonation.
Overall: Smooth, easy drinking, balanced and enjoyable.

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

Pellicle I Never Promised You A Rose Garden

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Brewery: Pellicle Vergistingen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: 2023 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Blend of different lambics macerated on Gorsem cherries & rose petals.

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

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, 2023 vintage, with a best before date of June 2026. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A very nice deep ruby red colour with a one finger pinkish head that had pretty good retention, eventually settling to a ring around the glass, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Sweet juicy cherries, spritzy lemon zest, with notes of wood and funk.
Taste: Lightly sour, ripe juicy cherries, lemon zest, a touch vinous, wood, and light funky notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Really enjoyable intense cherry in the aroma and flavour. Balanced and drinks really easy. The bottle went fast!

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

3 Fonteinen Zenne y Frontera Season 18/19 Blend 93

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Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.7%
Style: Lambic – Gueuze
Other Notes: Blend°93, Season 18/19

Brewer Description: (from bottle) 3 Fonteinen Zenne y Frontera is a unique creation of Armand Debelder and maître-sommelier Andy De Brouwer. This natural millésime beer is a blend of young traditional lambics that have aged on forty-year-and-older authentic Oloroso, Amontillado and/or Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. Zenne y Frontera is the perfect symbiosis of a few stubborn characters, a lot of wild ideas, a vast palette of aromas and two beautiful regions!

This Zenne y Frontera is a blend of ten different sherry barrels – nine Oloroso barrels and one Amontillado barrel. The Oloroso barrels were more than fourty years old. We filled these with young lambic from four different brews and some with four month-old lambic wort. The weighted average age upon bottling was 21 months. 100% 3 Fonteinen.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.53
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, blend°93, season 18/19, bottled on 24th July 2019. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed Zenne glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden orange colour, with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Funky, oak, damp wood, vanilla, nutty, sherry, white wine grape skin, yellow stone fruits, green apple, lemon zest.
Taste: Sour, yellow stone fruit, peach, green apple, wood, oak, sherry, lemon zest, with a touch of funk, and minerality.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Really enjoyable aroma and flavours, especially the aroma which was stunning. Good balanced complexity and easy drinking.