One of this new, very small lambic blender’s first geuze attempts, literally dubbed a “summer geuze”, shared with Goedele and Jo. Thinnish, open, snow white ring of tiny bubbles over an initially clear, warm pale orange-golden robe, turning misty with sediment. Aroma of halfripe apricot, grass silage, dried lemon peel, oxidized green apple slices, field flowers, a vanilla-ish oak wood note, ripe gooseberry, something nutty (dry sherry), cucumber flesh, lime juice, wood sorrel, cava. Crisp onset, green-fruity, sour with a slight astringent edge, with flavours of green apple, cucumber, green walnut and unripe plum; lively carb, but less ‘champenoise’ than is custom for a geuze. Soft, supple, slender body, a bit ‘fluffy’ and sourdoughy with a continuing green apple- and lime-like acidic edge, even developing a subtle citrus pith-like bitter note. Meanwhile a vague whiff of peachy sweetishness lingers about, along with floral effects; tannic woodiness and funky Brett remain very restrained, so that this geuze finishes very light-bodied, summer-fruity and flowery – in fact delivering a flavour ‘parcours’ much more reminiscent of a modern blonde sour ale than a true lambic or geuze… Especially the wild yeast aspects are oddly lacking here, and the whole seems, in a sense, insufficiently matured – or even made in a different way than the traditional lambic way. Quite ‘off the beaten track’ for a geuze – not unlike some of those Sako geuzes – so if you are looking for a full-bodied, deeply complex, funky, classic geuze, then this one will probably disappoint, even though judged by itself, it is an elegantly light, indeed summery, ‘natural’ and pleasant quencher. A bit weird – but it will be interesting to see how this Donder range will evolve in the coming years.

750mL bottle at the International Lambic & Kriek festival. Pours murky yellow with a white head. Very buttery oak on the nose. Flavour has a ton of buttery oak, sour wood. Very little good to say here.

750mL bottle at International Geuze & Kriek Festival 2025, pours a hazy yellowish blonde with a small white head. Aroma has some musty armpits, not really any funk. Flavour is more geuze-like, with moderate tartness, almost a lacto-like character, and a hint of citrus. Almost tastes more like a kettle sour than anything lambic-like, let alone gueuze-like. This isn’t good at all.

A hazy golden beer with a white lacing. Aroma of tart peaches, grapes and brett. Taste of sour apples, aprcicot, brett and apple skin.

A hazy golden beer with a white head. Aroma of sour apples, white grapes, peaches. Taste of sour peach, apricot, white grapes, funk.

A hazy golden beer with a white head. Aroma of belgian yeast, herbs, some brett. Taste of tart yellow fruits, yeast, grapes, belgian yeast, moderate carbonation.

Small rim over amber to cola-coloured beer. Lactic acid, brown candi sugar, sour malts, dried brown fruit with a dash of lemon. Very sour, acidic, lactic acid², even whiff of acetic, but mellowed by the candi sugar. Lipsmacking acidity, puckeringly sour, dry out-effect, acidburn and -thinning. If it were possible, I would think back to the times of saccharine. Very sour - a wee bit too much, IMHO.

Hapu, happeline, puuviljane, marjane. Ok, veits liiga hape.

Hapukas, marjane, viinamarjane, veits happeline, puuviljane. Ok.