Mead The Gueuze
Hanssens Artisanaal bvba

Mead The GueuzeMead The Gueuze
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Hanssens Artisanaal bvba
 
Belgium
Style:
Gueuze
ABV:
7.9%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.88 | pDev: 11.34%
Reviews:
72
Ratings:
90
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 11, 2016
Added:
Apr 20, 2002
Wants:
  42
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
View: More Beers
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by klipper:
Photo of klipper
Rated by klipper from Michigan

4/5  rDev +3.1%

Jan 07, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.15 by bobv from Vermont

Apr 11, 2016
 
Rated: 3.57 by PretzelCity from California

Jan 24, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by GRG1313 from California

Aug 27, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by zestar from California

Aug 22, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by ShanePB from Pennsylvania

Jul 08, 2014
Photo of Rifugium
Reviewed by Rifugium from North Dakota

3.97/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2002 vintage, consumed July, 2014.
Labeled as 70% gueuze, 30% mead.

So I decided to break this one out for a tasting. I didn't at all know what to expect, especially since the cork was in pretty bad shape, nasty and lined with sugary (meady?) residue, with the liquid level indicating perhaps a bit of leakage over the years. Unfortunately this one was stored on its side. I am a firm believer in NOT storing corked beer on its side, and this bottle was a premium example of why. Wine, yes; beer no! Anyway.

I definitely wasn't expecting a gusher, but I opened the cork carefully just in case, also on the other end making sure it wasn't going to break off from wear. It did neither, rather, it popped out with hardly a sound. Could've been a bad sign, but I went ahead and poured. Careful pouring yielded a liquid that was surprisingly only slightly hazy, coppery color, and seemingly flat...just a few random bubbles on top.

Once again expecting the worst, aka an oxidized mess, the nose instead revealed that the beer/mead hybrid had actually held up pretty well. Notes of funk and honey, must, and some indistinct fruity esters. The flavor profile had really mellowed out, very mildly sour, very mildly funky, rock candy sweetness, cork, white wine. I'd imagine that with some carbonation, this would have been much tastier, but it still had some shine left to it on the palate. Any oxidation flavors were pretty low key and not even worth mentioning. Body was medium, slightly filmy mouthfeel, carbonation was low to nil. Higher ABV was pretty much undetectable. Overall, I liked this one a lot, all things considered. It was a pleasant surprise.
Jul 08, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by BucketBoy from Pennsylvania

Jul 08, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by MichiganderHB from Michigan

Jun 09, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by davidwhatshisnam from New York

May 07, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by t0rin0 from California

Oct 10, 2012
Photo of woosterbill
Reviewed by woosterbill from Kentucky

4.3/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 2 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
375ml bottle into a Duvel tulip. Huge thanks to whoever brought this to Knifestyle's birthday tasting - always thrilled to try a new bit of Hanssens craziness.

A: Cloudy dark amber body, no head. Ugly.

S: Sharp, sour, oaky, tannic, spicy, lemony acidity. Really intense, really sour, really great.

T: Terrific, sweet + sour Lambic. Apple, apricot, grapefruit, spicy, hay, minerality. Dry, grapefruity tartness. Nice.

M: A little light, lively, frothy, enjoyable. I wasn't expecting this given the flat appearance.

O: Excellent beer. No, it wasn't as well-balanced and integrated as something like 3F, but it was delightfully brash - just like I expect from this blender.

Cheers!
Jul 25, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by chrispoint from Connecticut

Jul 01, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by jerz from California

May 21, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by djrn2 from New Jersey

May 03, 2012
Photo of xnicknj
Reviewed by xnicknj from Pennsylvania

3.62/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
330mL bottle poured into tulip - thanks to aviencko for opening this

Pours a fairly tepid clear golden color. The (partially rusted?) cork barely popped - very little carbonation here.

Funky and musty in the nose with some softly biting sourness. Hints of sweetness with honey as well, from the mead.

A pleasant sour character up front with straw and funk. Somewhat musty and oaky followed by some apple and citrus. The fruit leads into the slightly sweet honey character from the mead, which is a pretty interesting combo. Soft warmth towards the finish with lingering dryness and sour flavor.

Lighter medium body, almost completely flat, sticky and lingering on the tongue. This is an interesting combo of two styles, although I wasnt into the flat texture.
Mar 10, 2012
Photo of tobelerone
Reviewed by tobelerone from New Jersey

4.03/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
An odd beer and an oddball find, sitting on a low shelf at Cable Beverages in Bardonia NY. Cork pops loud and hard, good sign!

No gushing thankfully. Beer pours clear and golden, almost honey-colored. Fluffy white head with excellent retention, nice lacing up and down the sides of the glass.

Funky and sweet aroma, a bit musty, some honey, obviously, green apple, white grapes, lemon, barnyard, hay.

A lot of the aroma is in the flavor too, perhaps a bit more muted than I anticipated. Has a bit of tart puckering but more funky barn taste, definite honey but not over-the-top or overly sweet, well balancing but sourness from lemon and green apple notes.

Crisp carbonation, light body, clean finish. This was a fun one to try if not an upper echelon gueuze in the end. Nice twist on the style with the addition of mead.
Mar 09, 2012
 
Rated: 4.5 by Wiid from New Jersey

Mar 04, 2012
Photo of largadeer
Reviewed by largadeer from California

4/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A strange old lambic shared by Masterski. Thanks, Alex.

Pale blond with nice clarity. As usual with Hanssens lambic, it had no carbonation at all.

A ton of funk on the nose, grassy and hay-like barnyard must, faint sweetness, rotten lemon. Moderately acidic, plastic, little acetone. Strange but enjoyable.

Well, this tastes exactly like Hanssens lambic with mead in it. It's not terribly sweet, but there's a distinct honey character beneath the intense hay/rotten lemon funk. It has a moderate sourness, but it's not too sharp. Heavy tannins in the finish, floral, honey. Light acetone. Strange but good.
Jan 23, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by surlytheduff from Tajikistan

Dec 31, 2011
Mead The Gueuze from Hanssens Artisanaal bvba
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 90 ratings