Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8.5 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 8
One of three new geuzes blended specifically for the tenth anniversary of the 'reopening' of Villa Servais as a B&B; the villa as such dates from the mid-19th-century and was inhabited by (then) famed Belgian cellist Adrien-François Servais, hence the name. The couple operating the villa as a B&B (and tearoom) today already had a geuze produced for them by Boon five years ago, but this one is a different blend, containing lambics from much older casks (said to generate less sharp tannins), in different proportions of age. It was bottled in February 2024, considerably earlier than the two others in this miniseries, and actually intended to be opened only in June, because that is when the restorations of the villa will be ten years ago - so sorry Geert, but I could not wait any longer, curiosity got the better of me... Cork under very high pressure, rising from the bottle neck right after removal of the muselet, but no gushing. Rather thick and firm, egg-white, regular, densely moussey, well-retaining head initially supported by a column of champagne-like sparkling rushing through a warm deep golden robe with 'old golden' tinge, clear at first, turning misty and a bit ochre-tinged further on. Powerful aroma of freshly cut green apple, fresh wood sorrel leaf, unripe plum, old blankets, dusty attic, jute bags, dry old wood, a whiff of crémant extra brut, unripe lime, young birch leaves in spring, minerals, wet old leather. Spritzy onset, sharp cava-like effervescence bringing a wave of crystalline minerality, almost disrupting the flavours of green apple, unripe hard pear, lime and green plum, very dry, tart but nowhere sharply sour - rather 'mals' in fact, despite the high degree of effervescence accentuating sourness. Supple body, a smooth breadiness under this ongoing dry-green fruitiness, a glimpse of unripe apricot passing by, further dried by a deep but lively lactic acidity; a huge amount of minerality lingers at the back - even for a geuze - bringing an impression of sparkling spring water through lingering green unripe fruits, smooth breadiness and indeed soft woodiness, laced with these rustic Brettanomyces effects: old leather, old blanket, old attic. A deep old hop bitter note lurks below, clutching to the tongue's root, but it is this sparkly minerality and all-round smooth dryness that sets this apart - not just from its two contemporaries in this series, but also from the first Villa Servais geuze blended by Boon, which was indeed significantly more mellow in the wood department. Here the ancient barrels, in contrast with the relatively young barrels from the first Villa Servais, fill the bottle with the nobility and temperance of old age, perhaps contrasting with the temperament of stormy carbonation. Different from the original indeed - and a somewhat distinct one in general, even if it has Boon's house style written all over it.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
An orange colour, slightly hazy beer, a head is quite small and blond. Aroma has complex fruitness and balancecd sourness, grapes, banana, apple, some barnyard. Taste isn't so fruitful as the aroma. Sourness, green apples, barnyard. Medium bodied. Balanced sourness, surpringly fruitful aroma, tasteful.
gave a cheers!
Appearance - 9 | Aroma - 9.5 | Flavor - 9.5 | Texture - 9 | Overall - 9.5
It was a really enjoyable experience, a good one, well balanced and a perfect union of lambic, notes of peach and malt, refreshing!!!! 18.09.17, sharing it with Raoul at the Pibar.
gave a cheers!
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 8
(Bottle, 0.375l, from Alko, 20260110) The beer poured amber and hazy. Its head was tiny and white. Aroma had sourness, wood, tartness stomach acids and honey. Palate was medium bodied and dry with rather high carbonation. Flavours were sourness, fruitiness, tartness, wood and bitterness. Aftertaste had wood, sourness, honey and bitterness. A pleasant tart brew that hid its ABV very well.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Cloudy orange with a firm, off-white head. Lemon, light barnyard, mineral, a bit funky but reserved, oak, pepper. Full bodied. Finishes with light acidic funk. I was skeptical about this being so high in alcohol but I found this to be quite enjoyable. It’s not as intense as many of the other high end Gueuze but it’s a good beer. The thick body is an interesting twist for me. Maybe not something I’d want many more of but this was a fun one.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Bottle, second edition, batch 93501, 7% ABV, bb 29/11/2037. Color: Slightly hazy golden, white head. Taste: Fruity citrus, gooseberry and white grape, oak wood notes, rural funk, some hay and minerals. Light to moderate tartness. Medium body, just below average carbonation. Some more complexity than the Second Edition I've tasted earlier today.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Bottle, second edition, batch 92903, 6.4% ABV, bb 01/04/2036. Color: Slightly hazy golden, large white head. Still lively carbonated. Taste: Fruity citrus, gooseberry, oak wood notes, rural funk and minerally. Light to moderate tartness. Easy drinkable. Little complexity.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8.5 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Very good, dense, whipped eggwhite head, stable over hazy orange-golden beer. Horseblanket, floral, lemony as a fine mild gueuze, shoepolish. Lemony, mild acidity with a remarkable lot of foam in the bottle. Corresponding with the creamy oats? Horseblanket, farmyard. Spritzy and creamy at the same time. Acidthinning and light -burn. Oh yes, it IS gueuze. And, historians, isn't lambic not a wit(wheat)beer? The difference are the wild yeasts. It's already quite strong but doesn't have the same explosive brillance as the 10% Golden Anniversary Edition.
2022 - 2023 250 ml klasicky uzaver. barva zlatava zakalena s plovoucim bordelem. Vune kvasnice, jabka. Chut kysela, konec suchy jako jablecna dren. Neumim popsat. Moc dobry lambic.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Bottle. Color: Slightly hazy golden, white head. Aroma: Fruity, floral and earthy notes, Subtle funky, oak wood. Taste: Earthy, fruity white berries, some barley, floral notes, oak wood, minerally, subtle rural funk, hints of nuts. A more dense mouthfeel than a standard Geuze. Average carbonation. A little sweetness. Moderate tart, light sweetness. Nice.
Thanks Alengrin for describing the history of this beer in the first review!
gave a cheers!