Lindemans may have been the first to introduce blackcurrant berries into lambic with their classic Lindemans Cassis from the mid-eighties, the first non-sweetened and unfiltered, traditional blackcurrant lambic only appeared in 2008, when Hanssens was the first to ‘experimentally’ use them in the purely traditional way. Since then, only Tilquin and Lambiek Fabriek have used this fruit in lambic in pure form, at least when it comes to the Pajottenland lambic producers; Boerenerf Eylenbosch therefore does not have a lot of competition with this new ‘cassis lambic’, but more importantly, continues its ways of addressing both very traditional lambic formulas (geuze and kriek) and less traditional ones, especially considering they added mead to the lambic blend here, and combined the blackcurrants with josta berries. Snow white, open, tiny-bubbled, loose head, deep and warm amber glowing orange robe, a very intense and beautiful colour. Aroma of indeed actual blackcurrant berries (less cassis – the soft drink made from them since the thirties), blood orange juice, sweet sherry (probably the mead speaking), kefir, raw rhubarb, stale armpit sweat, sweating abbey cheese even, old musty nut shells, sour apple, fermenting pear, wet wood. Tart onset, very vividly fruity with a lot of blackcurrant skin-induced astringency next to wild apple, gooseberry and redcurrant impressions, the latter from the actual fruit of course; soft carb, vinous mouthfeel. Slender and supple bready core under drying but citric, refreshing lactic acidity and ongoing fruitiness, very juicy and in that sense becoming a bit cassis-like; tannic berry skin and seed effects appear, while sour fruitiness and woody aspects persist. The fruit combined with the added mead produces a very sherry-like flavour and Brettanomyces adds a notably sweaty funkiness to the finish. Complex, vinous, notably sherry-ish, like an old oxidized blackcurrant wine, but still with this refreshing, young, acidic and fruity ‘lambicness’ at its core, this is clearly distinct from other ‘cassis’ lambics that have appeared so far, but deliciously so. Boerenerf hits my sweet spot again.

After a series of stunningly beautiful, quite idiosyncratic lambics with which they made themselves instantaneously famous in the lambic world, Boerenerf Eylenbosch – not to be confused with the ‘old’ (and now revived) Eylenbosch of Schepdaal – has produced a second generation of highly profiled products meanwhile, including this geuze, maintaining the original approach of connecting with tradition but experimenting at the same time. Off-white, medium thick, moussy, somewhat irregular, slowly opening head, misty deep warm orangey-amberish golden robe. Aroma of old books, dried orange peel, dusty old wooden attic, unripe plum, haystack, dry cracked leather, old lemon zest. Crisp onset, estery, notes of crabapple and unripe peach, medium carbonated; supple bread-crusty malt backbone under drying lactic sourness, slight lemony effects but generally remaining ‘mals’. Gooseberry, unripe stonefruit astringency and sour apple in the finish along with a strong tannic woodiness and light underlying ‘old hop’ bitterness, together creating a finish as ‘geuze’ as it can be. Almost unbelievably, Boerenerf Eylenbosch not only managed to produce a totally credible and authentic geuze in every detail, they produced a seriously good one. I must have this again!