7.9

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

One of three special geuze editions created for the tenth anniversary of the renovation of Villa Servais, a 19th-century estate in the Pajottenland region now operated by a couple as a B&B and cultural centre; two other geuzes were made for this occasion by Boon and Ambreus. Light gusher, so be warned, but it stopped abruptly too so this may have been related to temperature contrasts. Medium sized but slowly dissolving, off-white, tiny-bubbled, shred-lacing, breaking head over a hazy, apricot-yellow blonde robe with ochre-ish tinge. Aroma of unripe green plums, pickled onions, wood sorrel, apricot vinegar, old dry sherry, damp hay, sawdust, old oak wood, gooseberries, armpit sweat, stale lemon juice, cucumber soaked in vinegar, dry strawbales, grass silage, farmland. Spritzy, crisp onset, tart-fruity with impressions of sour plum, gooseberry and gherkin, but also a softness of ripe apricot somewhere - 'mals' is the right word here; minerally carbonation through a supple cereally, bready core, soaked in fruity sourness, lime- and gooseberry-like, rounded and refreshing with a yoghurty edge. Woody tannins in the finish, but also quite some funkiness, retronasally revealing itself as freshly fermented farmland (manure), sweat and mouldy citrus peel - adding a 'heavier' dimension to a generally bright, fruity, juicy geuze. Elegant blend, typical Herberg style, with both a refreshing fruity side and a 'darker' funky side. An entertaining yet still accessible, all-round geuze, enjoyed it.