Been looking for Cantillon Gueuze size my local (UK) couldn't get any. Spent the weekend in Prague and found a bar that had both 375ml and 750ml, as well and. Kriek and raspberry. I am a happy man!
This weekend was the "Toer de Geuze" in Flanders, a weekend dedicated to lambics, fruit-beers, faro and geuze in het Pajottenland, when all the breweries open their doors for visitors, and you can participate in tastings, foodpairings, guided tours,... 2 years ago I visited Timmermans, De Troch, Tilquin, Boon & 3 Fonteinen. This year, time was more scarce and I only could do Lindemans in Vlezenbeek. The goal was to pick up some bottles of the HORAL Megablend '19 (all participating breweries donate some of their lambics to make a megablend, which is then sold at the TdG). But then I saw 4 barrels and I saw that you could make your own blend for 10β¬/bottle (75cl). That was a no-brainer, so after handing over the money, we were given a big bottle, some explanation and tasters of the lambics available. MrsFingers made her own blend according to her taste, and I made one according to mine. Same ingredients, same 200mL of young lambic for the second fermentation, but different quantities of the old lambics. They have to rest for at least 3 months, but I'm going to give them at least two years.
In preparation for today's blending session for 2019 Everything Lasts Forever, I had the staff drink gueuze or unblended lambic from every traditional Belgian brewer and blender. Most were bought on the shelf in Atlanta, with only a few needed from my cellar. The question of good shelf lambic has come up a few times, so here's a fairly comprehensive guide to what's currently available. These were all bought at Green's in the last few weeks. Please be aware that there can be huge variation vintage to vintage. They're almost all worth trying, so I've only noted the especially good and bad ones. Consensus favorite was the Hanssens.
Tilquin 2017/2018, $19.99/750ml - immediate hop cheesiness on the nose, lemon/sour orange - almost candied, nice minerality, crackery and sesame stick, pleasant acid
Timmerman's 2013, $13.99/750ml - graham cracker nose, bright and thin flavor, lemon, green apple, quite sour, creme fraiche, not much hop character, one note
Hanssens, bottled 11/2016 (wort from Boon, Girardin, and Lindemans) $17.99/750ml - cheesy hop and mild clove aroma, bright but with good depth, mild but present bitterness, lemon, nice minerality, mild pineapple and graham cracker, quite sour but pleasant, complex
Boon Mariage Parfait 2013, $8.99/375ml - a slightly musty, stale aroma, light hops, lime, low carb, medium body, flavor seems less oxidized than aroma and hops come out more, bitterness builds, lots of depth/complexity,
De Troch 2014, $7.99/375ml - very nice aroma of lemon and pineapple with some mushroom and barnyard in the background, bracing bitter/sour balance, lime, very full flavored
Lindemmans, $9.99/750ml - candied cheesy hops, musty, lemon, bubbly and dry, decent bitterness,some white grape, kind of disappears, not very complex
Girardin black label 2017, $10.00/375ml - subtle nose that's a little floral and hay, starts malty, mild acid, some perfume, mild wood astringency, decent bitterness, skunky, not highly carbed, falls a little flat
St.Louis Gueuze fond Tradition, $7.99/375ml - phenolic peaty Scotch aroma - not pleasant, rotten apple, harsh sourness, gross. Both bottles were like this, though I've had good versions of this before.
Allagash Resurgam (bottled August 2017), $12.99/375ml - great mix of stone fruit and cheesy hops in aroma, bigger body, sweeter, and less acid than lots of examples, not very bitter, nice lemon, overall more tropical/citrus than most lambic but very close. Clean in a good way, but wouldn't mind a litt
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