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Mead The Gueuze
Hanssens Artisanaal bvba
- From:
- Hanssens Artisanaal bvba
- Belgium
- Style:
- Gueuze
- ABV:
- 7.9%
- Score:
- 87
- Avg:
- 3.88 | pDev: 11.34%
- Reviews:
- 72
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Apr 11, 2016
- Added:
- Apr 20, 2002
- Wants:
- 42
- Gots:
- 1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by wl0307:
Reviewed by wl0307 from England
4.2/5 rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
4.2/5 rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Got this bottle at the late Pitfield's Beer Shop (in London) close to its closure two years ago. At 9%abv., no freshness info. is stated anywhere on the label or bottle. Served cool in a large bulb wine glass.
A: pours a bright tawny colour, surprisingly clear, without much sign of a beer head apart from a rim of bubbles; faint traces of carbonation is spotted in the nectar. More elegant than a normal geuze~~
S: the Mead's (or thick honey's) nectar-ish sourness mixes pretty well with the Geuze's vinegary tarty edge, while adding a sweet thickness to the body; the barn-yard dampness and sharp woodiness of a gueze is somehow compromised here, and the overall impression of this Mead-Geuze even smacks slightly of a sweet strong cider!!
T: on the palate, mead flows underneath the geuze, as the cider-ish sour+musty and (marinated) starfruits' savoury-sweet flavour dances freely, albeit not even close to the genuine tartness of a real geuze... an unusually-intense, chewy, tannic-bitter, and complex undertone of dried grapefruit-peels, old vinegar, white rum, and dried hawthorn fruits gradually creeps up and steal the stage, then slowly yielding to a dryish and slightly vomit-stinky(!!) finish of Hanssens geuze as well as of a vintage cider... The alc. touch reveals itself in the most subtle way, ju...st enough to remind people of its hidden strength in the lo...ng end; but for some drinkers I suppose it's already too late!!
M&D: the mouthfeel is fantastic - it's soft, with microscopic fizziness to sparkle the palate skilfully; at 9%, it tastes just like a 5%-something. Although it is not quite complex as compared to a standard Hanssens geuze, but as a flavoured geuze it's absolutely drinkable and utterly enjoyable; what a shame that it's discontinued...
Jul 03, 2007A: pours a bright tawny colour, surprisingly clear, without much sign of a beer head apart from a rim of bubbles; faint traces of carbonation is spotted in the nectar. More elegant than a normal geuze~~
S: the Mead's (or thick honey's) nectar-ish sourness mixes pretty well with the Geuze's vinegary tarty edge, while adding a sweet thickness to the body; the barn-yard dampness and sharp woodiness of a gueze is somehow compromised here, and the overall impression of this Mead-Geuze even smacks slightly of a sweet strong cider!!
T: on the palate, mead flows underneath the geuze, as the cider-ish sour+musty and (marinated) starfruits' savoury-sweet flavour dances freely, albeit not even close to the genuine tartness of a real geuze... an unusually-intense, chewy, tannic-bitter, and complex undertone of dried grapefruit-peels, old vinegar, white rum, and dried hawthorn fruits gradually creeps up and steal the stage, then slowly yielding to a dryish and slightly vomit-stinky(!!) finish of Hanssens geuze as well as of a vintage cider... The alc. touch reveals itself in the most subtle way, ju...st enough to remind people of its hidden strength in the lo...ng end; but for some drinkers I suppose it's already too late!!
M&D: the mouthfeel is fantastic - it's soft, with microscopic fizziness to sparkle the palate skilfully; at 9%, it tastes just like a 5%-something. Although it is not quite complex as compared to a standard Hanssens geuze, but as a flavoured geuze it's absolutely drinkable and utterly enjoyable; what a shame that it's discontinued...
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by Rifugium from North Dakota
3.97/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
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, 2014Labeled 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.
Reviewed by woosterbill from Kentucky
4.3/5 rDev +10.8%
look: 2 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
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, 2012A: 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!
Reviewed by xnicknj from Pennsylvania
3.62/5 rDev -6.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
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, 2012Pours 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.
Reviewed by tobelerone from New Jersey
4.03/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
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, 2012No 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.
Reviewed by largadeer from California
4/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
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, 2012Pale 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.
Mead The Gueuze from Hanssens Artisanaal bvba
Beer rating:
87 out of
100 with
90 ratings
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