2016 Bottle shared at a our Méthode Gueuze tasting at Jimmy's. Thanks Jon! Notes: 2016 - Lots of funk and must on the nose. Great carbonation. Good crisp notes of lemon, funk and horseblanket.

2019 Bottle shared at a our AmLam Méthode Gueuze tasting at Jimmy's. Thanks Jon! 2019 - Lots of wood on the nose with horseblanket present. More of the same on the palate with some nice hay and aged noble hop notes. Drying finish with lingering brett notes. Very good.

'New classic' by Jester King since 2016, often considered the first American geuze (though there have been a few forerunners, like The Bruery's Rueuze since 2012, Bullfrog's Le Roar Grrrz since 2014 or perhaps even - in a 'looser' sense - Lost Abbey's Duck Duck Gooze since 2009). The craft beer movement has tackled every beer style in existence by now, both 'living' and 'extinct', and it was just a matter of time before some or other American brewer took up the difficult challenge to brew lambic and blend geuze the way it has been done for generations in and around Brussels; it is, however, noteworthy that these American tryouts in this particular field got opposition from HORAL, the Belgian association of lambic brewers and geuze blenders, for using the terms 'lambic' and 'geuze' - understandably, since these traditional producers did not want to see these 'imitators' steal the show they have been staging for so long, especially since many of these imitators made shortcuts in production to get results quicker, easier and cheaper. This Spon by Jester King, however, was made by meticulously following the production methods of the Senne valley, so no shortcuts here - contrary to the aforementioned examples by Bullfrog and The Bruery, I suspect, hence the fact that this more 'serious' interpretation by Jester King is also regarded with more esteem, even here in Belgium. Of course, the opposition lead by HORAL forced Jester King - and other non-Belgian breweries with similar projects - to abandon the term 'Méthode Gueuze' eventually, and replace it by 'Méthode Traditionnelle', a quality label installed by Jester King itself, ensuring that the complete traditional production process of both the lambic and the geuze are followed in detail, while at the same time avoiding explicit use of the terms, as a token of respect to the 'original', traditional producers in Belgium; apparently the entry here is therefore outdated, as subsequent vintages of Spon have indeed abandoned the word 'gueuze' on the label and show the 'Méthode Traditionnelle' logo instead. This is also the case on my specimen, the third edition of this Spon apparently, blended in February 2018 - so now two years old, which seems a right age to sample it properly. At last, I might add, because it has indeed taken me a very long time to get my hands on a bottle (and this one was anything but cheap, too...). Comes from an olive green 75 cl bottle with quite 'austere' label (style-wise still unchanged) and both crown cap and cork. Quite strong pressure on the bottle, but no gushing. Thick, mousy, papery lacing, uneven-bubbled but very stable (though eventually slowly breaking), audibly crackling, off-white head on an initially near-clear, warm peach blonde beer with 'metallic' pale orangey hue and large-bubbled, but fierce sparkling throughout; shifts to an equal warm peachy mistiness further on. Musty, estery, complex and very credible aroma of old dry lemon peel, sour green grapes, redcurrant berries, grass silage, very dry cider, very pronounced wet oak wood (more so than is classically the case in a geuze), haystack, plum kernels, unripe peach skin, jute bags, some vague stale urine but in a good 'geuze' way, freshly cut hard green apples, bitter plant seeds, hints of green tomatoes, minerals, dusty old cupboards, some damp earth in the background (briefly and subtly descending into manure even with more sediment - but very volatile, and this sometimes happens in traditional geuzes as well). Spritzy, lively, sour onset, lemony acidity - but very well-contained and not overly puckering, mingling with aspects of unripe hard nectarine, green apple, redcurrant and sour plum, adorned with crystalline minerally aspects from high, cava-like effervescence; strong lactic tartness running through the whole, with strongly drying effect, over a supple, bread-crusty and wheaty base. The esteriness and fruity and lactic sourness gain more complexity towards the finish, pairing with funky barnyard, haystack and wet leather effects from Brettanomyces above and quite a severe tannic woodiness below, making for a long, complex, woody and 'noble' yet refreshing finish. Dim earthy hops provide bitterness - with a bitter plant-like touch to it, as is the case in some traditional lambics as well (most notably De Troch these days) - but it is the sour fruitiness, tannic woodiness and bready maltiness that reign supreme, in about the exact same proportions as would be the case in any decent traditional geuze. Apart from this notably bitter and 'furniture polish'-like tannic effect, which is arguably stronger than normal in the style, this is indeed the most credible geuze I had from the other side of the Atlantic so far - Rueuze and Le Roar Grrrz were already very good, resembling lambic in many ways but clearly not entirely getting there, but this one, having respected and painstakingly followed every inch of the long and difficult production process, ticks all the boxes. I have been drinking traditional geuzes for over two decades and I have watched the new attempts - both within Belgium and abroad - with great interest, but this one to me is the most convincing example outside of the traditional circle to date (even - albeit very narrowly - beating Dutch Toon Vandenbroek's Watergeus). I have wondered for years what spontaneous fermentation in other regions than the Senne valley could potentially lead to - but apparently at least in Texas the results are very similar, probably because of similar bacteria being at work in combination with wild yeast; this is one first spot in a nearly blank world of potential spontaneous fermentation, as it were, because imagine what a beer world we would live in if this practice would become generalized throughout the civilised world... I think we are on the eve of a whole new dimension in global beer culture, not because of 'easy' fruited kettle sours, pastry stouts or even hazy IPAs, but because of this kind of experiments, conducted with utmost care and passion. Glad I finally ticked this one - and all things considered, including the potentially huge historical relevance of this product, worth every penny. It is also interesting to read reviews of earlier versions (1 and 2) below: I have the impression that Jester King only got better at this with each version, and that two years of maturing in the bottle has also deepened the sample I just had now. In the form it has reached me, I see no reason why I should not 'unprejucidedly' grant it a high score, comparable with many, though obviously not the best, traditional geuzes made here in Belgium.

Creamy white good mostly lasting head. Yellow colour. Moderate malty and hoppy wonderful acetic aroma. Heavy sour and moderate bitter flavor. Long great finish. Creamy palate.