2011 Brouwerij Timmermans Oude Gueuze

Community Tasting Notes (2) Avg Score: 95.5 points

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  11/20/2021 - forceberry wrote: 96 Points

  The base beer is fermented spontaneously and aged in old oak barriques. The Gueuze is blended from older and younger batches, the oldest batches being up to 3 years old. By blending some young, partially unfermented lambic, the beer continues to ferment in the bottle, resulting in the beer becoming naturally carbonated. After blending and bottling, the beer is left to age for 4 months for refermentation before release. Lot 14 10 11, brewed in 2011, bottled in 2014 and best before 2032. 5,5% alcohol. Tasted along with 15 other Gueuzes.
  
  The beer stands out from the crowd with its pale, luminous and quite intense neon-yellow color. Modest, creamy, gray-ish head. The nose shows remarkable complexity with aromatically open nuances of bretty leather, some farmhouse funk, a little bit of evolved caramel character, light oaky notes of vanilla and toasty wood, a sweet hint of baked apple and a touch of toffee oak. The beer is dry, firm and tangy on the palate with a medium body and moderate sourness. Intense flavors of lemony citrus fruits and sharp notes of Granny Smith apple, some bretty notes of leather and barnyard, light mushroomy notes of chanterelle, a little bit of caramel oak, a hint of savory wood spice and a touch of vanilla. The carbonation feels quite sparse and there is no perceptible hop bitterness. The finish is long, tangy and complex with a dry aftertaste of lemon juice, pronounced salinity, some oaky notes of vanilla and caramel, a little bit of sharp green apple, light mushroomy nuances of chanterelle and a hint of phenolic grip in the gums.
  
  Once again, this Oude Gueuze managed to blow my socks off - even in a tasting of 16 different Gueuzes, this brew stood apart from the crowd, being easily among the top brews of the evening and probably the crowd favorite. Unlike other brews, this beer showed a little bit of oak influence, but not to the extent of it being obvious - and it really just added a little bit of vinous complexity to the aromatics without making the beer feel particularly oaky at any point. Furthermore, there was a distinctive streak of mushroomy character that reminded me a lot of chanterelles that have just been thrown in a frying pan and are starting to get warm, but not yet fried. Lots of stuff going on here. And seeing how relatively youthful the beer came across as, I have no doubts this will keep its promise and drink well at least until 2032. At just 5,50€ for a 0,375-liter bottle, this was a steal.

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  6/25/2016 - forceberry wrote: 95 Points

  Brewed in 2011, bottled in 2014. 5,5% alcohol.
  
  Clear, grainy yellow color with a moderately big, foamy and rather short-lived head. The funky nose feels very classically lambic with dirty aromas of ammonia and outhouse, some dry hay, a little bit of bretty leather, light grainy malt tones, a hint of cheesiness and a sharp touch of lemon. The beer is noticeably sour, bretty and dirty on the palate with medium body and intensely funky flavors of leather, stable floor, earth, some soft-ripened cheese rind, a little bit of hay, light tangy notes of lemon and a hint of cider vinegar. The carbonation feels small but very crisp and fizzy. Overall the beer feels wonderfully and unapologetically funky and robust. The finish is tart, crisp and funky with long flavors of lemon, Brie rind, some bretty leather tones, a little bit of barnyard, a hint of mushroomy sous-bois and an acetic touch of vinegar.
  
  Timmermans is known mainly for their cheap, sweet lambic beers, so I had no high expectations of this beer. However, it surprised me big time with its unapologetically funky, mushroomy and dirty - i.e. textbook lambic - flavors. Especially the notes that remind me Brie cheese rind were a fun and nicely distinctive nuance. All in all, a fantastic and tasty beer that is drinking wonderfully now, but might continue to develop for years more. Highly recommended. Outstanding value at 5,50€ for a 0,375-liter bottle.

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