Alengrin (11609) reviewed Gueuze-Lambic from Brasserie Taymans Brouwerij 2 months ago
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7.5
In the wake of the craft beer movement, traditional lambic beers have experienced their own spectacular revival in this century - interest in this tradition has not just increased, it has exploded, and among the plethora of ramifications this has had (such as that intense trade in rare vintage bottles), the appearance of new producers is of particular interest. This one is not so much 'new' in the literal sense of the word: in fact there was a (francophone) Taymans brewery in Jette from 1906 to 1970 actually producing geuze and kriek, like so many breweries in and around Brussels in that time frame; the grandchildren of the last proprietor, Pierre Taymans, resurrected the company in 2023, making use of the warehouse which still stands (other parts of the brewery were sadly demolished). After launching a saison and a few other products to initiate sales, they now present their first geuze, the real goal of their whole project and the link with the past. Note the French 'gueuze' spelling and the fact that the word 'vieille' is handily skipped: surely this first bottling contains only one and two year old lambics, though I failed to find more details about the exact composition so far. The sampled bottle is the 593th of the second blend - which only makes me wonder what happened to the first blend, because it was only officially released in early December last year - frankly I doubt if that first blend was ever even marketed and I suspect it was just a test. Medium thick, moussey, egg-white head diminishing into eventually a waferthin ring over a hazy peach blonde robe with 'dirty'-orangey tinge. Aroma of unripe oranges, pickled apricots, damp earth (even manure at first - but that aspect fortunately fades quickly), stale lemon juice, old wet wood, unripe yellow plum, overripe cucumber, very old and oxidized rosé wine, unsugared fruit yoghurt, chlorine in the background - but very persistently so, even a varnish-like solventy touch, goat stable, sweat. Soft onset, very 'mals', even a tad sweetish (peachy), amidst impressions of autumn apples, unripe apricots and gooseberries; softly carbonated especially for a g(u)euze, with a smooth, soft bready core under ongoing fruity tartness and yoghurty lactic sourness - both aspects remaining remarkably soft and mellow. Both ripe and unripe stonefruit (plum, nectarine) in the finish, alongside light 'stable' funkiness, that somewhat obnoxious chlorine returning and an earthy yeastiness. Wood remains in the background (though certainly present) while whiffs of funkiness linger a bit. Very soft, both in acids and in carbonation - too soft for the intended style if you ask me, reminiscent of the first batch of De Bascule geuze in fact; even for a first attempt at something notoriously difficult, this should have had more spritziness, more tanginess, more depth, more dryness, more complexity, more 'wildness' - more guts, in short. Not there yet, even too sweet for what it intends to be - but it will be interesting to see how this project develops over time and with more old lambic at their disposal, surely the new Taymans crew will one day come up with a great geuze.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Saison from a historical brewery in Jette, in the northwestern part of Brussels, which had been active from 1911 to 1970 but has recently been revived by its heirs. What makes this project interesting, is the fact that Taymans was a lambic and geuze producer, and that the new generation of Taymans brewers intends to revive that tradition as well - so the lambic hype will be continued with another one to come soon. Meanwhile we can enjoy some top-fermented Taymans beers like this saison, primarily created to fund the lambic department of this company, I presume. Frothy, pillowy, irregular but very densely moussy, shred-lacing, off-white head, settling on a hazy peach blonde beer with pale beige-ish tinge, turning murky and 'dirty' ochre-hued in the end. Aroma of unripe peach, bread crust, apricot, green pear, raw turnip, bitter honey, damp earth, clove, old dried orange peel, damp straw, moist white pepper, sweetclover, freshly cut lawn, vague hints of yellow bell pepper, young mugwort leaves, wet clay, birch leaves in spring and potato peel. Crisp, dryish onset, unripe apricot, green pear and a dash of apple peel, some light sweetishness within but restrainedly so, lively carbonated in a minerally, but nowhere harsh way; supple bready maltiness, cereally and dry, with strong minerality (rainwater-ish) continuing, even a little bit metallic in the end but in a seemingly quite natural way. Some light wheat slickness and sourishness underneath, growing towards a yeasty-spicy and grassy-hoppy finish combining impressions of bitter plant roots, white pepper, clove and straw, with some fruitiness and breadiness lingering - the latter even becoming quite powdery-yeasty in the end. All the while, this clear minerally 'zing' remains. Drinkable, yet overly yeasty and feeling a tad amateurish, to be honest; pleasant spicy and minerally elements though, dry and earthy, so all things considered, I guess this indeed qualifies as a classically styled saison. Could do with a somewhat cleaner yeast profile and perhaps more breadiness and hoppiness, but in any case decent enough to remain curious about what this family is going to achieve in the much more challenging - and discriminate - lambic field... In any case, in my love for traditional (and less traditional) lambic beers, I am glad I could help a tiny bit by buying a bottle of this - but when Taymans geuze indeed rises from the dead some day, I will be in the front row to witness it.