Oude Geuze VAT 110

One of the four special blends from Boon's recently released discovery box, containing four new renditions of the "Mono" blend principle, in which 90% older lambic from one specific cask is blended with 10% young lambic; in this case that cask is number 110, which was included in Boon's production process in 2009 and formerly contained cognac. Egg-white, coarse-bubbled, medium thick head, slowly fizzing away in the middle till only a thin (and eventually dissolving) moussy ring and some 'rags' in the middle remain, atop an initially lightly hazy, beautifully warm orange blonde beer with lone, quite big bubbles shooting from the bottom of the glass to the top every now and then; ends misty with an ochre-ish tinge to it (i.e. after adding everything except from a small residue). Musty, estery and rustic aroma of unripe nectarines, sour wild apples, dried horseradish, rhubarb juice, lots of wet old wooden cask (even that typical vanilla-like oak note - but especially noticeable after emptying the glass, when the rest of all this lambic beauty has been consumed), grape must and very dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc), moist and fermenting hay, dusty attic, dried out lemons, unripe gooseberries, suggestions of raw bitter pumpkin seeds, very old and completely dried bitter grapefruit peel, cava, Harzer cheese, vague stale urine (as befits a high class geuze) and indeed a whiff of cognac topping it all in a delicate and beautifully subtle way, but without the booze. Crisp onset, cristalline and vividly tingling carbonation, lambrusco-like - of the kind that, instead of distracting from the flavours, highlights the crispness of sour apples, green gooseberries, unripe nectarines and wry grape peel, with a refreshing lemony sourness woven through; a very vague peachy note lurks somewhere, of a kind of pseudo-sweetishness drenched in beautiful sourness and wryness - just a vague suspicion of sweetishness, but in fact no sweetness at all. Supple body, smoothly wheaty and bready, with that initial crisp acidity dimming towards the end, quickly making room for the much-anticipated, high class nobility of the old lambic: deep, vinous, old sherry-ish with that lovely fruit peel wryness still connecting everything. Quite intensely drying, tannic, astringent woodiness rules the finish, but is kept juicy by the wealth of fruity esters - a combination which indeed provokes a certain cognac aspect, again, without the booziness of it, as if the alcohol had been distilled out of it. This beautiful, almost 'autumny' colour fills the finish and satisfies completely, accentuated by a late but clear, 'dim' and earthy end hop bitterness that matches with the woody and fruity astringencies. Alcohol is noticeable (this is an 8% lambic, after all) but only as a very vaguely 'oude jenever'-ish, warm glowing accent after swallowing, yet remaining completely covered by the complexities of the lambic with all its delicate yet firm facets of flavour - including that earthy hop bitterness, which lingers beyond; meanwhile the crispness, sour apple- and almost citrus peel-like, still tingles on the lips. I did not feel the need to taste this one in comparison with the others anymore: after comparing two of them some weeks ago, it became more than obvious that each of these Mono blends has its own, distinguished personality, one more noble and aristocratic than the other. It is difficult to choose the best one here: I have yet to taste the fourth bottle, but so far, all of them have been convincing masterpieces of the ancient lambic tradition - and the much younger tradition of blending lambics into a geuze. This is 'oude' geuze at its best, its noblest, its most refined - and now that I come to think of it, I might even like this one a little bit more than the two previous ones, no matter how majestic they were, each in their own right. I highly recommend this discovery box - anyone in favour of traditional lambic beers will thoroughly enjoy each and every one of these four bottles. I have had a weakness for lambic - and geuze in particular - since the beginning of this century and this one is proof of the delicacy, refined beauty, nobility and depth it is capable of.

Takie 3.9, nieco dziegciowe, poza tym podstawowym sianowato nieco owocowym profilem, smaczne

Bottle - pours gold with white head - nose and taste of cognac, oak, mineral funk and lemon - medium body

Bottle @ Pre-Pils-Festival, Odense. Pours Hazy copper with a White head. Funk, barnyard, manuer, tart as a mother. Complex!

Sample from bottle at SBWF 2017. Hazy dark golden with a small white head. Aroma of funk, barnyard, citrus and oak. The same in the taste, also some light cognac. Elegant and refreshing.

at SBWF Cloudy deep golden, small coarse head. Huge barnyard aroma with some lemon. Tart with light-medium body and rounded mouthfeel. Cobwebs and barnyard. Mild citric acid. Mid bitter finish.

Thanks Vran(s), Iznogud & others! Golden. Clean, somehow "fluffy" aroma. Funky, citric both in taste and aroma. I liked this a shade more than 92 I guess, but both are excellent.

The total VAT tasting! 17.09.2017. Thanks for organizing Kraddel! All 375 ml. green bottles split by 5 people. VAT 91. 19.12.2016 Bottled. Hazy golden, orange, creamy white head. Nose is very promising, dry lambiek funk, awesomely dry with heavy wood, low plastic, cork dry white pepper. Carbonation is way, way too heavy,… Carbonation kind of ruins it, taste is odd hugely plastic, overly plastic fruit, empty due to carbonation, weird mineral finish. Did not really get Calvados. Least favourite of the series. 3.6/5 VAT 92. 16.12.2016 Bottled. Hazy orange, fluffy white head disappearing. Nose is once again great lambiek funk, there is a faint yoghurt not feels like bit older Boon lambiek but it is probably the wine, great funk & big amount of wood as expected. Taste is fruit skin, red grape, mineral, funk, nicely dry but also here the carbonation is way too high in a bad way, mineral finish, if not for the carbonation. Wine is mainly an illusion but a nice beer, shame again about the carbonation 4.1/5 VAT 108. 20.12.2016 Bottled. Hazy bright golden orange, solid white head. Nose is bit more lemon nice Boon, dry, medium funk and neat lemon. Carbonation is effervescent, disappearing, too high but here it at least approaches sparkling,… Taste is touch empty due to it but you get nice fizzy interesting yoghurt taste, pleasant lemon taste, more approachable, nice funk, lemon, almost sparkling Champagne. Favourite one from the discovery box 4.3/5 VAT 110. 15.12.2016 Bottled. Darker orange, smallest head of the discovery box. Nose is nicely dank cellar, mushroom, nice funk, orange, interesting. Carbonation is once again far too high, empty in a poor way, too fizzy but still nice funk, low plastic, orange in this one, oak, white pepper, fruity,…. Too fizzy for its own good. Still very neat beer 4.2/5 VAT 109. Barrel appears to be the same as with 110. Age difference is minimal. 18.04.2016 Bottle still as expected with this style it is a bit different. Hazy orange, solid white head. Nose is nice pepper, cellar, funk, low mushroom, this one is a smidge more cellar funk. Taste is mineral, orange, bit more mineral, low cellar,…. Carbonation is far too high & fizzy still lovely beer with the mineral & cellar funk. Going 4.3 to maybe 4.4 on this one, gave it 4.6 the first time I had but these things mean nothing. VAT 79. 17.12.2014 Bottled. Low hazy orange, creamy white head. This is where the vintage yoghurt note pops up, interesting, yoghurt, red grape fizzy. Carbonation is high but here it works better, yoghurt in the body. Taste is yoghurt, overripe berries, lots of them, funk is lower. Aged far differently from what I expected. Very neat 4.5/5. VAT 77. 24.10.2013 Bottled. Quite hazy orange, creamy very solid head given the age. Nose is nicely funky, white pepper, lovely big wood, smells fresh, yoghurt vintage note is absent from the smell. In the taste you get it alright, milky yoghurt faint red wine funk, red grape, lively yoghurt body interesting. VAT 44. 31.08.2010 bottled. This one is the same makeup as 77 but a lot older obviously. Hazy orange, little white head. Nose is interesting huge bright oak, old dried orange. Taste is initially some lesser cellar but it clears up quickly with lovely bright yoghurt, lively, red grape almost, white pepper, near funk and almost caramel. Slightly challenging but great and the best one. Age really does help these, 44 came out as my favourite. 4.6/5. All comparable beers but still with clear subtle changes. Great fun to try them all like this.

At the total VAT tasting. Pours hazy blonde ( with yeast added ) . Decent white head. Smell is more fruity, very very mellow, some oak. Taste is full, very fruity, intense, very ma'ty. Mellow, bready. Nice acidity. Def the best of the new 4 to me. This comes close to the love I have for 77 !