Last weekend the Lambikstoempers organized the Days of the Oude Geuze in Halle. This event, part of the Month of the Lambic, was another great opportunity to taste some new and exclusive lambic beers. So on Saturday, it was time to surprise my tastebuds again and based on the Lambikstoempers’ beer weekend in August, I knew it was going to be a day filled with the best traditional lambic beers out there.
After a short train ride to Halle and a shorter walk to ‘Streekproducten Centrum’, we sat down at one of the tables outside and started with a tasting of five lambics: 6-month-old lambic from Angerik, 7-month-old lambic from De Troch, 24-month-old lambic from Den Herberg, 18-month-old lambic from Oud Beersel, and 12-month-old lambic from a Pinot Noir barrel from Timmermans. The Angerik lambic was noticeably still very young with a malty taste, but it already had some character from the wood, and with a subtle citrussy flavor it was smooth and very drinkable. The De Troch lambic had a more pronounced vinous character and was more sour, but also notably still very young. The Den Herberg lambic had the funky smell you expect from an old lambic. It was smooth with spicy notes of vanilla and wood with a slightly bitter aftertaste. The Oud Beersel lambic was quite astringent, bitter, bland and for me personally missed a bit of complexity. The Timmermans lambic had a lot of character from the red wine barrel which gave it a bitter and dry finish.
After the entrée, it was time for the second course. In this case, some new releases and other lambics I’d never tried before. Starting with old lambic from SAKO. After tasting their Oude Geuze El Ambiguo at the Lambikstoempers Beer Weekend, my expectations for this one were high. I wasn’t disappointed, what an amazing lambic this is. The funky barnyard smell combined with a nutty and buttery flavor that lingers for a long time makes this one of the best lambics I’ve had. Their Krieken lambiek (Cherry lambic) wasn’t bad either and reminded me of a tart cherry pie and marzipan. Another new kid on the lambic block is Succubus. An Oude Gueuze that’s brewed, blended, and bottled by Hanssens for the restaurant Boelekwis. It’s a sour, but round-bodied, and fizzy gueuze with a grassy smell that I couldn’t bring home. Next on the menu was the newly released Bloedappelsien lambiek (blood orange lambic) from Kestemont. It has a very pronounced orange smell that reminds me of wine gums and orange curd. The taste started with apple cider, moved onto orange juice, and finished with an intense lingering nutty aftertaste, delicious.
The main course consisted of some gueuze beers I’d not tried before. Cuvée Lambikstoempers 2014, made with lambic from Boon, smelled like a good gueuze with some barnyard funkiness. However, the taste was a bit stale and it was missing some tart- and freshness. Boerenerf’s Cuvée Héritage was fresh, funky, complex, and well-balanced. Art Nouveau by Bobbi was quite sharp, with a bitter plant- or bark-like flavor that I didn’t enjoy. Paul, from Tilquin’s family tree project, was intensely sour but complex with a subtle nutty aftertaste. Oude Geuze Vermouth by Boon and Mikkeler was another great gueuze with added dryness and aromas from the white vermouth foeders that were used to age the lambic.
The dessert of the day was Geuzérable by Tilquin. This blend of 1, 2, and 3-year-old lambics with Canadian maple syrup clocks in at 10% ABV! However, this isn’t noticeable at all in the taste. The taste is exceptional. Round and complex, as you may expect from a gueuze, with a warm and spicy caramel-flavored aftertaste that finishes with some sharp acidity.
Once again a well-organized event from the Lambikstoempers that provided the opportunity to taste a lot of new, exclusive, and tasty lambic beers! My personal favorites were SAKO’s old lambic, Kestemont’s blood orange lambic, and Tilquin’s Geuzérable.