8

Hapukas, puuviljane, tsitrus, kuiv, funky, nisune, nats puitu. Hea, aga jah väga konjakit pole.

7.4

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7

Bottle at Brugge BF. Dark brown beer lasting tan head. Some sourness on the aroma. Some good sweetness from the cognac. Very drinkable
Hides abv well. I like the cognac.

8.3

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 9 | Overall - 8.5

Pours chocolate brwon, unclear, small white head. Scent is typical Lindemans, fine apple acidity and funk. Taste is full, very aromatic. Dry, tart, lemon, apple. Tad sweet (unsweetened!) , fruity touch from (I assume) the Cognac. Very, very elegant. Very refined, even more so - this could be concidered a pinnacle of refinement. Cognac works super smooth, the roastyness gives more color than aroma, but handles that touch it does give, exceptionally well. Far better than feared. Obviously this is no punch-in-the-face greatness to the likes of some more sounding names in the lambic game, but as a refined, subtile yet very well made lambic, this is exceptionnal.

7.6

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Small, fast dwindling, lightly cream-coloured head over hazy reddish brown beer; some lacerings. Faraway farmyard/horseblanket, hints of chocolate(malt), bit sweet - suggesting corn. Again this hint of chocolate/cacao powder, immediately followed by lactic acid and farmyard flavours, if all mild. Wood, lemon, muddy medlar. I don't get the cognac, however, and there is no alcoholic streak. Acidthinning and light -burn, well-carbonated, medium bodied at best. Original, interesting. But we both preferred the last Lindemans specials. To me, it still is a gueuze, but not everybody agreed.

7.6

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Ever since I first started to take beer seriously, more than a quarter of a century ago, I have wondered why some old styles are what they are – including the fact that lambic traditionally is always a pale beer… I asked myself more than once why nobody at the time brewed dark lambics, but of course “sticking to tradition and history” is the only reasonable answer to that question, given that the experimental tendencies of the great global craft beer movement had not arrived in Europe yet at the time. The theoretical possibility of ‘dark lambic’ became reality in 2015 with Cantillon’s Zwanze of that year (a “spontaneously fermented stout”) and again in the spring of 2017 with Nocturne, 3 Fonteinen’s very first Twist of Fate; the latter was poured for me by the legendary Armand Debelder himself, who clarified that this experiment of turning lambic into a dark beer had lead to something eerily close to oud bruin (Flemish red), which may be the reason why the idea did not caught on, because what is the point if a whole tradition of oud bruin already exists… In fact I cannot even think of any other examples, at least not within the Belgian lambic tradition – and then suddenly Lindemans comes up with this: a ‘dark geuze’, aged on cognac barrels on top of that. Knowing how refined Lindemans’ special editions often are, I was stoked to sample this one, so big thanks to my neighbour Jo for sharing the bottle! Pale yellowish beige, moussey, medium sized, slowly breaking but generally well-retaining head on an initially clear ruddy brown robe with mahogany glow, hazy further on. Aroma of blackberries, unripe blueberries, sour grapes, dry caramel, brown bread, vanilla-ish oak wood and indeed a whiff of brandy, old wrinkled autumn apples, wet tree leaves on a forest floor (with sediment), touches of balsamico and passionfruit but little Brett ‘funkiness’. Very fruity, tart onset, lots of blackberry, medlar, halfripe plum and apple peel impressions, sour with a sweetish core – and sour in a very ‘malse’, soft way; moderately carbonated with minerally effects but no real ‘champenoise’ effect. Dry-caramelly, brown-bready maltiness, supple and rounded, with vinous mouthfeel and slick wheatiness underneath; the dark malts even briefly and gently provide a toasty bitter accent further on, while this tart ‘autumn fruit’ component remains very dominant, aided by yoghurty lactic sourness. The overall vinosity is even increased in the finish due to the cognac effect; the liquor does not become too strong, though, supporting the ‘grapey fruitiness’ rather than heating it, accompanied by rustic woodiness (even vague ‘oaky vanilla’ retronasally). Supple, tasty and, in all, quite ‘clean’; indeed – unsurprisingly – very oud bruin-like, even in a way reminiscent of Rodenbach Vintage and the like. Interesting beer in my opinion, but that said, if you are looking for an actual dark geuze, this will not live up to expectations, as it clearly lacks the ‘wild’ complexity, effervescence, funkiness and depth a ‘normal’ geuze, if properly done, has to offer. My rating here remains however based on whether I liked it or not, and I sure enjoyed this creation – and intend to keep another bottle in the cellar for a while and see how it evolves.

6.8

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 6.5

Bottle. Looking forward to try this one. First Geuze I'll have with roasted wheat malt. Interesting label. Color: Clear orangish brown, long lasting dense off-white head. Aroma: Clearly present Cognac, funk, some tartness. Taste: A messy blend of Cognac, funk, moderate fruity tartness (lime, berries), some wood and some dark / roasted malt, hints of caramel and a bit earthy. Medium body, below average carbonation. Tasting a bit like lemonade or candy, somehow. Light to moderate tartness. Unpleasantly surprised, I was expecting a lot better, especially for an anniversary Geuze.

6

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5.5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

750mL bottle at the International Geuze & Kriek festival. Pours murky brown with a beige head. Roasted wheat, cognac, gentle must on the nose. Flavour has light must, roasted wheat, and poor quality cognac barrels. A bit clumsily thrown together and the quality of the cognac shines through.

6

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6

750mL bottle, pours a clear amber with a small white head. Aroma has some roasty notes, some leather, and a touch of cognac. Flavour has bright, low-quality cognac, toasted malt, and leathery funk. That’s some crappy cognac character. Not a disaster but the cognac ruins the funk a lot.