BLIND GUEUZE TASTING.
So it has been a couple weeks since the gathering but I figured I should document the occasion for future reference.
A small group of six tasters gathered with a common goal.
Drink Gueuze !
Eleven bottles surfaced for the tasting ranging from supermarket shelf gueuze to bottles that were acquired via Belgian connections. We had my wonderful wife as the server to ensure no peaking at the bottles but everyone involved knew the line up, just not the order in which they were going to be served.
One by one the bottles were poured and tasted, most of us taking notes, blurting out which one we thought it may be along with some obvious tasting notes. Some were swayed by conversation, others were fierce in their stance no matter what everyone else thought.
The resulting bottles in order of how they were served:
1) Timmermans Oude Gueuze (dated 2/26/14)
2) Horal Oude Geuze Mega Blend 2015
3) De Cam Oude Geuze 2009
4) Tilquin Gueuze 2013/2014
5) Haansens Oude Gueuze 2013
6) Boone Oude Gueze (dated 4 23 2030)
7) Drie Fonteinen Oude Geuze 2013
8) Cantillon Gueuze 2013
9) Lindemans Cuvee Rene (batch LD04NGC)
10) Horal Oude Geuze Mega Blend 2013
11) Oud Beersel Oude Geuze (dated 6/6/2032)
The results:
WINNER
Tilquin - 21.3
Ratings ( 4.2 / 4.3 / 4.4 / 4.4 / 4)
Notes: soft, complex stonefruit, musky, fizzy, horseblanket, clementine, woody, fuzzy peach skin
Ratings ( 4 / 4.4 / 4.4 / 3.8 / 4.5)
Notes: musty, dusty, skunky, straw, tire funk, fusel, delicious, favorite, complex, acid
Horal 2013 - 20.2
Ratings ( 4.2 / 4.1 / 3.8 / 3.9 / 4.2)
Notes: light fruity, lovely, wet basement, funky cellar, musty earth, twangy, stonefruit
Horal 2015 - 19.6
Ratings (3.7 / 3.4 / 4.3 / 3.9 / 4.3)
Notes: prickly carb, skunky apple, soft, supple, mushroom, fuzzy fruit, moss
Cantillon - 18.7
Ratings (3.4 / 4 / 4 / 3.5 / 3.8)
Notes: astringent nose, spicy lemon, pickles, horsey, tannic, dry, herbal, green orchid, mushroom
Timmermans - 18.3
Ratings (3.7 / 3.6 / 4 / 3.2 / 3.8 )
Notes: leather, tangerine, simple but juicy, light sweetness, acetic, tangy
Oud Beersel - 17.2
(3.4 / 2.8 / 3.5 / 4 / 3.5)
Notes: slightly muted, metallic, copper pennies, musky, nectarine, watery, smells better than it taste
De Cam - 16.2
Ratings (3.1 / 3.6 / 3.4 / 3 / 3.1)
Notes: volatile rubber, burnt hair, leather, musky fruit, lemon, tangerine, short finish, quick
Boone - 15.8
Ratings (3.6 / 3.5 / 2.8 / 2.7 / 3.2)
Notes: cheap, watery, session gueze, dirty socks, thin, its boone
Haansens - 15.3
Ratings (3 / 2.4 / 3.7 / 3.1 / 3.1)
Notes: acetic, orange rind, simple, sharp, fusel nose, juicy palate, nail polish nose, lovely flavor
Cuvee Rene - 13.2 *
Ratings (2.5 / 3.3 / 2.4 / 2.3 / 2.7)
Notes: gueze?, young butterscotch, no complexity, weird, bready, yogurt, belgian single, not right
*We all agreed that this bottle of Cuvee Rene was off, we all have enjoyed many bottles of Rene in the past this one was different than anything else we had tasted from them.
LOSER
Moral of the tasting... drink more Gueuze, sell all your Cantillon on ebay and buy more 3F and Tilquin !
We also had a chance to relax after the drudgery of sipping all those sour brews by the fire to sip on some other offerings...
Deciduous Foreword
Thiriez Get Radical Train to Mars
Casey the Cut Blackberry
Prairie Americana
Trillium Double Dry Hopped Fort Point Pale
Voodoo Tenacious Wee (Eagle Rare)
Firestone Walker Stickee Monkey 2014
Firestone Walker Anniversary XVII
FiftyFifty BART 2013
Other Half Falsa Noctis aged in Wine Barrel
The final lineup/morning clean up !
