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Best By Date June 2027; Sampled January 2009
A solid pour into my large Tripel Karmeliet tulip produces a scant, finger thick, pale, tan tinged head. The beer is a honey color that shows a hazy, orange tinged, gold color when held up to the light. The aroma is grassy and tart smelling. A deeper smell focuses the sourness as well as bringing out notes of cat pee, a clean musky note (if that make sense) and milk weed. The aroma is very sharp smelling, it is not overly complex either, but still is an interesting aroma to try and dig through.

Sour up front, but not nearly as biting in its sourness as I was expecting. The predominantly lactic acidity is expressive, but somehow soft in some ways. This has a clean note of lemons that have been stripped of some of there citrus focus. The finish has a bit of tannic oak notes (hints of the flavor you would get if you were gnawing on some wood) as well as a light spiciness that seems a product of oak and fermentation esters / phenolics. There is a certain rustic grassy, not quite herbal, note to this beer and the tannins stick a bit to the palate and teeth after each sip. This definitely is nicely refreshing, which is what I want in a Gueuze (assuming you can get past the acidity in the style). The carbonation is not quite as lively as I would like (I really dig an explosive Gueuze), but does add some prickle to the texture and a touch of peppery carbonic acid. This is nicely dry, but, as a good Gueuze should, does have a certain texture and fullness to it that keeps it from coming off as watery. As the beer warms it begins to take on more of a grapefruit like edge to the flavor.

This is a solid example of the style; it definitely could use more Brettanomyces & other wild character and it needs more carbonation, but it is quite an enjoyable brew.

Served In: Tulip