Jingle & Wild Noëlle
Lambiek Fabriek in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Flemish Brabant, Belgium 🇧🇪
Lambic Style - Gueuze Winter|
Score
7.53
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Alengrin (11561) reviewed Jingle & Wild Noëlle from Lambiek Fabriek 2 weeks ago
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Lambiek Fabriek returning to that odd tradition of Christmas geuzes pioneered by De Troch (Chapeau Xmas) in times that were very different for lambic - but doing so in their own brilliant way, namely by blending a dark lambic with a 'normal' one aged on whisky barrels... I recall examples of both dark lambic (a novelty of the 21st century with very few credible representatives, Bogaerden's version being the only one in regular production now) and whisky barrel aged lambic (some of which were delicious, others rather too sweet - but again a very small and very new subgroup), but never the combination, so I think were are in for a ride here... From a 75 cl bottle with cork and crown cap. Medium thick, pale greyish-tinged white, partially opening, bubbly and eventually strongly receding head, misty amber colour with pure and deep orange glow - which is what you get when you blend a dark beer with a blonde one; thin strings of refined sparkling rise up from the middle. Complex and refined bouquet of old-fashioned autumny storage apples, grape skin, oaky vanillin with even actual whisky sweetishness piercing through, sourdough bread, redcurrant, red wine vinegar, Cabernet pomace, ripe red plum, a whiff of pomegranate somewhere (very volatile), gingerbread fleetingly passing by here and there (probably just the sweetness of the whisky again), forest floor, old dusty attic, dried orange peel, medium dry to dry sherry, purple gooseberries, rhubarb, background funkiness ('putteke') and damp hay. Spritzy onset, sharpish carb but still fit for a 'geuze' of sorts - stretching the term to its extremes in this case - with notes of red plum, sour grape (strong), wild apple, redcurrant and unripe medlar, even a touch of unripe persimmon; strong minerality running through this tart autumn-fruity onset and through a smooth bread-crusty base, with lemony and lactic acidity at the edges but also a somewhat 'thickening' toasty element at its core due to the dark malts that went in here. The finish is long and layered, with ongoing lactic sourness (in a red-fruity kind of way) and maltiness, superseded by tannic woodiness and a clear presence of sweetening whisky - somehow whisky always tastes sweet when plunged into the sour depths of lambic. The combination, also including Bretty funkiness (though not too overwhelmingly here), wood and a deep presence of earthy hops, works wonderfully well, with a warming and - more importantly - very vinous character too, as in dry sherry, brandy and pomace; somehow Lambiek Fabriek managed to tie all these knots together and created this lambic with barleywine-esque features, one to indeed sip gently on a chilly night like this one. I reckon the whisky barrel aged lambic is Colon-Elle or its 'unrefined' lambic form, but I have yet to see a 'dark malt lambic' from these guys so I wonder if that other component of this amazing blend is out there somewhere as well - maybe for one of those top restaurants they create exclusive novelties for... In any case, Lambiek Fabriek presents a great piece of work here, refraining from clichés like adding Christmas spicing (the horror) but still managing to create a somehow very Christmassy lambic of doubtlessly huge ageing potential, great complexity and sophisticated taste. I am sincerely impressed.
Sloefmans (15338) reviewed Jingle & Wild Noëlle from Lambiek Fabriek 1 month ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8.5 | Texture - 9 | Overall - 8
Good, bit fluffy amberish tinted head, fast gone over fully hazy dark orange-amber beer. Sharp woody nose, sour, going towards solvent. Green, unripe fruit. Curry herbs, immortelles, hints of wineacids, even winereduction, sulphur. Lactic acid, wet wood, sulphur, horseblanket. Again green fruity, unripe grapes, some dried citruspeel. Hints at tannines, unripe banana; sultanas without sugar. The aftertaste almost becomes earthy - actually the only way the whisky starts coming out. Dry-out effect, quasi astringent. Acidthinning and some -burn. Good carbonation. Not an easy gueuze, certainly compared to Frank Boon's 10. This one is way more severe, hard, and what's more, keeps its strenght (only 0.5% less) hidden.
EvNa (5983) reviewed Jingle & Wild Noëlle from Lambiek Fabriek 1 month ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Bottle. Color: Clear amber, off-white head. Aroma: Some tartness, subtle funky, vanilla, caramel malt. Taste: Moderate to over moderate tartness, caramel and dark malt, barnyard funk, oak wood, some vanilla and Whisky. Bourbon barrels(?) Nice complexity. Curious how this one will age.