6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 6
Good head retention - cloudy golden body - aroma of apple cider, lemons, musty old cellar smells - flavor is dominated by tartness - some earthness - mostly champaigne-like - some malt presence creeps in at the end - good for the style
Tried
on 13 Apr 2003
at 22:04
9.3/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 9
Aged sample. Colour is orange-pink-red (typical for Vandervelden, a little less fruit & colour); very little rosy-white head. Nose gives sherry and cherries. Typical woody-bitterish notes. Flowery, and vineous alike. Taste: restrained fruit flavour, cherries, but also redcurrant. Very fine, multiple acids, they're all there. There is also a taste as from fresh coriandre, not the seeds, but the leaf. The underlying lambic is characterised by a slight bitterish (vegetable) tendence. Quite light-bodied, refreshing. In the aftertaste, all the above fade away. At the end of the bottle, one gets impression of fresh fruit-juice. This IS the Oud Beersel to me, always a bit different from the rest: slightly bitterish, restrained - but REAL - fruit, honest. GREAT. The last years were slightly more mainstream.
Tried
from Bottle
on 07 Mar 2003
at 12:57
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
Colour: orangey-yellow. Gushing, very thick, yellowish head, stable. Nose of nail-varnish, lime, slight "horseblanket"; later green apples and malonate. Flavour like of honey without sweetness, flowery (nectar?). Very little acids, some wet wood or cardboard. Some sulphur, but restrained, also a bit of tannins. No new aftertaste, mouthfeel is a bit, unexpected, watery. Oud Beersel closed, about 2-3 months ago. The beers are still readily available. The whole community of lambic-worshippers is praying for a miracle of resurrection.
Tried
on 19 Feb 2003
at 12:07
9.2/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 9
Cloudy red; woody, big brett, leather. Very tart. Fruity - wonderfully balanced. I thought I'd successfully conceptualized the oude gueuzes and krieks of this world, but it's all moot anyway because they're all great. They're all artisanal classics of the beer world, and I love each and every one of them.
Tried
on 24 Jan 2003
at 18:38
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Cloudy ruby red color, beautiful thick pinkish foam. Cherry aroma, oak-conditioned, muffy. Cherry taste, very sour, more gueuze-like than kriek. But you can definitely taste the 'oldness' of the kriek.
Tried
from Can
on 31 Dec 2002
at 14:30
7.5/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
Hazy beige-amber, but with some sparkle. Thin head. The aroma has the usual cork/leather/horseblanket stuff, plus a nice herbal overtone (sage, savoury) and lots of wood as well. It starts cheesy, with some slight phenolic notes, has a malty but firm middle. The finish is semi-sweet for a gueuze, fairly cheesy, and with only a little bit of tartness. Very approachable.
Tried
on 14 Oct 2002
at 20:02
8/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
2024-03-08, corked bottle, vintage 2021, 2 years old, bottled 21/10/2021, 8-5-8-3-16=40
Hazy, dark blond colour. The aroma is a bit funky, also slightly cheesy, more evident when opening; citrus fruits appear later, grapefruit. It's bone dry, and the acidity is balanced; it has some funky character, strong Brett, it doesn't have the strong barnyard character of other Lambics, it's clearly more fruity than the average; if anything, I strangely find the finish to cut short, quite quickly.
Moderate complexity, but balanced, very enjoyable.
2002-08-15, bottle, 8-5-7-4-15=39
Tried
from Bottle
on 15 Aug 2002
at 11:05
8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Clear red. Nice fruity aroma. Acidic, tart. Complex and fresh. Good, but not as good as their gueuze.
Tried
on 30 Apr 2002
at 01:52
9.5/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 10
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 9
Pale yellow, hazy. Vinuous aroma. Very dry with well balanced acidity. Complex, subtle flavours, including a hint of blue cheese. An outstandingly well balanced example of the style. Sheer world class!
Tried
on 30 Apr 2002
at 00:58