I vividly remember tasting a sample of a vintage Geuze Goossens, at that time no less than sixty years old, shared with the late Filip Van Damme at an exclusive tasting in Antwerp. The lambic brewery Goossens existed from the 18th century till the seventies and has been quite an important name in the field from what I read, so perhaps it was not such a huge surprise when I was told last year that the site was going to be revived, now in the hands of the Kestemont family. The result is an already wide array of lambics now on the market, including the classic geuze and kriek formulas but also some 'new' fruit combinations. Pinkish-tinged off-white, moussy, thinnish head, initially retaining well around the edge but eventually dissolving, over a hazy, deep carmine red robe with almost salmon-pinkish edges. Aroma of lots of ripe fleshy cherries, cherry wine, cherry jam and even a volatile touch of burnt cherries on an oven-baked cherry pie, stewed rhubarb, purple gooseberries, fried apple slices, wet wood, vague hint blood orange, subtle hints of wet wood, hay, Durondeau pear and swimming pool. Tart onset, lots of sour cherry juiciness filling the onset with side notes of crabapple, redcurrant and rhubarb, a tad astringent in exactly the right way, lively carbonated with supple, rounded, bit vinous mouthfeel; ripe cherry fleshiness, tart with a fruity-sweet core and a very faint salty note, keeps dominating in the middle, completely covering a bready backbone and matching perfectly with lactic acidity, gentle woodiness and mild retronasal funky notes (wet leather) - but the Brett remains well in the background here, so that the sheer fleshiness and juiciness of these doubtlessly excellent cherries gets the last word. Very generous and ripe cherry-forward, a bit like Lambiek Fabriek's Jart-Elle; lambic yeasts and bacteria do what they are supposed to do without overruling the feast of cherry juiciness and 'fullness'. A very promising start for an exciting revivalist, who will undoubtedly be able to find its place among the established traditional lambic brewers and geuze blenders.

Bottle. Color: Hazy dark purplish red, thin purple-pink head. Aroma: Funky, farm, dark cherry. Taste: Smooth, almost foamy, quite some farm-like and bit horseblanket wild yeast funk, oak wood, dark cherries, cherry pit and hints of hay. Light sweet and light tart, light to moderate bitterness. Long lasting farm-like and dry wild yeast finish. Less Kriek, somewhat smoother and less tart than most other Oude Krieks I've had and I like that.