Armand'4 Oude Geuze Lente (Spring)
Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen

Armand'4 Oude Geuze Lente (Spring)Armand'4 Oude Geuze Lente (Spring)
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From:
Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
 
Belgium
Style:
Gueuze
ABV:
6%
Score:
100
Avg:
4.73 | pDev: 5.5%
Reviews:
134
Ratings:
429
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 05, 2023
Added:
May 01, 2011
Wants:
  661
Gots:
  135
"The first of four limited edition geuze blends using lambics brewed by 3 Fonteinen before the thermostat incident ceased brewing operations."
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Ratings by Gueuzedude:
Photo of Gueuzedude
Reviewed by Gueuzedude from Arizona

4.37/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
A soft, steady pour into my Lost Abbey Teku glass produces a glass filling, three-finger thick, pale, just tanned, off-white colored head. The head leaves some nice lacing patterns on the sides of my glass as I work my way through this beer. The beer is an amber color that shows a clear, light amber with gold tinges to it hue when held up to the light. The aroma is nice and funky, it smells of woody, mushrooms still damp and with forest loam still stuck to them as I pour this beer. Sharp and tart smelling, this seems to have just a touch of acetic acid, but more of a urea like tart-spiciness, as well as a full, grapefruit like lactic acidity. Musty, slightly moldy, wild yeast notes mix with a woodiness from the oak. If you spend some focused time smelling this beer an ample, but otherwise unnoticed, grain character becomes noticeable; aromas of whole wheat crackers and crushed pale malt. The phenolics here provide a sharpness, that isn’t medicinal at all, but mixes in with the sharper acidic notes. Musty, woody pepper that has lost most of its spice, as well as a general funkiness that I wouldn’t say is really B.O. like, but does have an animal muskiness to it (of course this is all in the absolutely best sense of the description).

Spritzy, with an ample carbonation, the beer feels lively as it rolls across the tongue. Notes of urea, backed by a solid lactic acidity combine with the carbonic acid to make this beer even more lively. My first sip of this seems quite light and refreshing, and my palate is left with a lingering sourness as well as some phenolic mustiness and muskiness. Slightly medicinal tasting, this provides a firmness to the beer; it sort of has a chalky, or maybe hint of aspirin like flavor / texture to it as well. Funky mushroom flavors, mix with a musky, barnyard character and some limestone cave like earthiness form a backdrop to the lively tartness that is the focus of this beer. Soft grain notes, aren’t quite as prominent as in the nose, but form a nice base for the other notes; softly cracker like, more hay-like or dried grass like, but also with a lingering sourdough bread crumb like flavor that is just noticeable as a lingering suggestion on the palate after each sip.

As the beer warms up it becomes softer and rounder, the grain character seems to become fuller and help with this, though it is still not a major component of the flavor. While this beer is quite light and quaffable, it still has that fullness that a good Gueuze usually has. At times the hint of acetic acid seems to provide a sensation of sweetness to this beer; actually I like how light and subtle the acetic character is here, a good Gueuze really shouldn’t have any noticeable acetic character, and this one really doesn’t, what is here just adds to the complexity of this beer rather than intruding on the other flavors.

Mind blowingly good perhaps not, but damn I would certainly drink this every day if I could. It is really hard for this Lambic lover to not be really excited by this beer; it has likely lived up to the anticipation that I tried not to overdo as this bottle sat resting in my refrigerator. I really like how hearty the grain character is in the aroma; it is quite distinct & really just adds that extra something to the nose. While I don’t mind the subtle acetic character in this beer, this would likely be a lot closer to perfection without it.
Aug 01, 2011
More User Ratings:
Photo of Sabtos
Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio

4.89/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
As we got ready to leave Lot after a leisurely, already incredible visit, we decided to pass along our leftover bottles to the two lads sitting behind us. Little did we know that they had ordered the seasons set, and even more serendipitously, had befriended the very same acquaintance only a few hours later than we had only just yesterday.

As was the case with many of the older bottles we were able to enjoy this day, Lente was surprisingly frothy, with a very well balanced oak presence and an amazing depth of flavor. Beyond citruses, olives and seeds, I'm really failing to identify this blend of complexity, though I do also get threads of orchard sweetness, and perhaps a touch of golden raisin in the finish.

I don't know what I possibly could have done to deserve this, but what a fortunate experience. Thanks Antonis and Demetrius!
Jul 05, 2023
 
Rated: 5 by Ben1313 from New Hampshire

Aug 05, 2022
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.85/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Shared bottle, RBNAG 2011. Hazy golden colour. Intense aroma of farmhouse, new and old woodwork, sour fruit / lemons. Flavour of a classical gueuze, funky and farmhouse notes, also lemon.
Jun 06, 2022
 
Rated: 4.85 by SadMachine from New Jersey

Apr 22, 2022
 
Rated: 5 by moltch from Massachusetts

Jun 18, 2021
 
Rated: 4.51 by StoutSnob40 from California

May 16, 2021
 
Rated: 4.75 by Adamostella from Washington

Aug 17, 2020
Photo of bennyman12
Reviewed by bennyman12 from Missouri

4.8/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Split with a buddy. Drank out of a solo cups beside the blazed light of a fire pit from 6 feet away because corona. Too cold at first—definitely better at 58 degrees or so.

I haven’t had much old lambic, but there was more complexity here than the closest cousins I’ve had, lpg. Lots of lemon and pepper notes. Some sharp cheese funk.

Will be scouting the local grocery stores for new batch.
May 22, 2020
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Bottled 2010; drank 11/23/19 @ Golgi Apparatus.

Reddish orange hue. The nose, mouthfeel and flavor on this one stretch my vocabulary a bit; all I can really say is I've never had a beer that tasted like this, and that its elegance was pronounced. I hope one day I can have another....
Nov 25, 2019
 
Rated: 4.41 by vfgccp from New York

Nov 02, 2019
 
Rated: 4.69 by mltobin from Connecticut

Oct 07, 2018
Photo of emerge077
Reviewed by emerge077 from Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Deep saturated amber color, ample foam and spotty lacing. Tremendously complex aroma, deep oak and cedar notes, dill, an array of citrus fruits including the usual lemon and grapefruit. Tart citrusy lemon and grapefruit against a complex but more subdued oaky backdrop. Leathery Brett funk. Full bodied and well carbed, very unique and expressive. One of the most complex and masterfully blended gueuzes i’ve ever had. Armand Debelder's masterpiece series. Thanks to Eric and Mark for sharing the bottles!
Sep 04, 2018
 
Rated: 4.5 by fthegiants from California

Jul 16, 2018
 
Rated: 5 by TillTheMedicineTakes from Colorado

Mar 03, 2018
 
Rated: 4.81 by M_chav from New Mexico

Feb 04, 2018
 
Rated: 4.99 by dleiner from New York

Jan 19, 2018
Photo of ArkyVaughan
Reviewed by ArkyVaughan from New Jersey

5/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Bottle at Akkurat in Stockholm. So excited to see this on the vintage bottle list at Akkurat. Having now had all four of the Seasons, Lente was the best, although Zomer was surprisingly close. This is a perfect gueuze - slightly tart, with a mildly funky aroma, and absolutely perfectly balanced.
Jan 18, 2018
 
Rated: 4.56 by kylehay2004 from Illinois

May 31, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by newbeeraday from Pennsylvania

Apr 09, 2017
Armand'4 Oude Geuze Lente (Spring) from Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Beer rating: 100 out of 100 with 429 ratings