The follow-up to Ambreus' first geuze, blended with lambics from the same sources, only this time incorporating more old lambics, including a four year old portion, unconventionally (but often with great results - see De Cam's Gooikoorts geuze, for instance). Distinghuished from the regular by the dark label. Thick and firm, regularly shaped, egg-white, even-bubbled, dense, crackling head gradually thinning, long retaining but eventually dissolving on a misty, warm apricot-orangey glowing peach blonde robe, the mist perturbed by countless tiny bubbles everywhere. Quite powerful bouquet of lime juice, sawdust, dried orange pith, green apple, barnyard, old cheese rind, unripe plum, horseblanket (Brett), background hints of withering garden weeds, wakame, raw mussels, manure, wet concrete and something very vaguely sweetish (peach). Spritzy onset, evidently sour with lime, green gooseberry and green apple notes, lemony and sharpish at the edges but mellowing down a bit further on, even though very prickly carbonation does accentuate it; mellowness comes more from a bready malt underbuilt, still strongly dried by lactic, malic and lemony acidity - as befits a good geuze. Woody tannins create even more dryness at the back while subtler minerally and earthy to 'funky' (Brettanomyces) elements fill the finish, which otherwise remains crisp and citric, with this lime juice effect lingering; old hop bitterness is present, but very subordinate to citric and malic sourness, dry breadiness, woodiness and earthiness. In all, this limited edition does feel a tad more sophisticated than the already - to my taste - successfull regular Ambreus geuze, a bit more distinguished and a bit more refined, but it still remains a very classically shaped geuze in all respects, ticking all the boxes and remaining firmly within the expectation pattern of the style without adding anything to it. Predictable, in that sense, but utterly solidly made so cheers to that. Really looking forward to the kriek that is to follow...

0,75l bottle at tasting at home. Orange cloudy color, small white head. Smells oak, vanilla, funky, grassy, spices. Very nice smell. full body, soft carbonation. Tastes funky, spices, oak, peppery, tobacco, walnuts. Finishes lightly dry and lightly sour with notes of walnuts, oak and funky notes. Very nice one, great balance, reminds me of some 3f blends, very very promising

8, 8, 8, 8, 8.5

375mL bottle at the International Geuze & Kriek festival. Pours tons of buttery oak, musty old barrels on the nose. Flavour has great funky, hay, leather, upholstery. Fantastic.