Oude Geuze - Armand & Tommy
Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen

Singing with incredible amounts of mushroom funk, light vanilla, a ton of oak, a rich forest floor lambic character. A touch of sharpness, a blend of lactic and light acetic acid is present. A great aged gueuze.

 

Rating from notes. Consumed May 2013. "An outstanding, layered, and complex gueuze."

 

Bottle: Poured a clear golden color lambic with a fairly large white head. Aroma of funky barn yard notes with light green apple notes and oak is really enjoyable. Taste is also a mix of funky barnyard notes, light oak and some green apple notes, dust and dry Brett notes. Body is about average for style with good carbonation considering the bottle has been aged a few years. Solid gueuze with great level of complexity.

750mL bottled 17 February 2011. Cellared since.

 

 

 

 

Pours golden / amber with large white head.
Aroma has sour lemons, tart, green apple, grapefruit, stone fruits, moderate funk, hay.
Taste is very sour, green apples, tart, dry grapefruit finish, highly carbonated.

 

 

 

 

750ml bottle
6.0% ABV
Queen's Quay LCBO Outlet (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
June 7, 2013
The beer pours a hazed golden brown with a rocky white head that lingers. The aroma is funky earth, garage floor, and vinegar. The mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with above average carbonation. The flavour is sour and woody with plenty of funky flavours. There is both a sweetness and a sourness to the finish with the sour winning out.

 

 

750 ml bottle at Himmeriget in Copenhagen. I had several fantastic lambics and gueuze over the course of a few nights at Himmeriget while visiting Copenhagen. This one, along with Hefst, was my favorite. The flavor profile is so complex, yet so smooth. No sharpness, not excessively sour, just absolutely perfect. Best gueuze I have ever had.

Drie Fonteinen Armand and Tommy

A: This legendary collaborative gueuze from the era of the even more legendary Seasons pours a radiant, cloudy golden orange. A massive milk white head of four fingers cascades up from the bottom of the glass; the bubbles seem very large. Retention is good, as is lacing. It appears just a little darker than many gueuzes and lambics, which is fine, but the retention and lacing could be just a little better. 4.5/5

A: The aroma is noticeable from across the room. Oak is very prominent with big tannins, particularly musty wet oak. Wet hay and barnyard funk are also big. Mushy, overripe peaches and apricots, grapefruit, an odd fruity creaminess like kumquat, and lemon all contribute acidity and a just a hint of juicy sweetness. A little apple cider vinegar comes in the back end along with just a little cheesy funk. There is some greenery here as well, herbaceous even, but not hoppy in any way. A nice minerality is present throughout. This is very complex and especially oaky, but it does not come across as much different than the basic 3F Oude Gueuze here. 4.5/5

T: While the aroma was excellent in its own right but lacking in much uniqueness, the flavor instantly rectifies this. The oak is even more prominent here (while still remaining palatable and acceptable within the style), with heavy tannins and even a Chardonnay-esque buttery quality; also oak-derived is supporting vanilla. All that great fruitiness above remains: grapefruit, lemon, and lime especially, but there is also plenty of stonefruit, though it appears underripe and tart rather than the juiciness alluded to in the aroma, and that creaminess was likely the buttery quality, but it still gives the impression of kumquat and even fatty mango. Apple skin bitterness, oaky tannins, and wet hay funk come in toward the end, and the minerality is highlighted here. There is also a very unique raisin aspect here. A bit of bready, toasty malt flavor (but no sweetness) appears at the end, with a little white grape skin to finish alongside that oak. This turned out to be quite unique indeed, and it is much more focused on acidity, minerality, and fruitiness than the heavy funk that many 3F lambics have. 4.75/5

M: The carbonation is just prickly enough, somewhere between sparkling water and champagne, and yet it is simultaneously soft and creamy. Despite the high acidity, the pucker level is relatively low due to balancing bitterness and minerality, plus that toasty malt hint. It is on the lighter side, but it does not appear thin or watery. 4.5/5

O: This is an extremely unique offering, even if the aroma does not belie that. That malty finish contributes a really interesting dimension, and the focus on minerality and acidity over intense funk is different both for gueuzes in general and especially 3F. For me, I prefer the funk, and will rate this a little lower in this category as such. I also would not say that this is head-and-shoulders above the standard 3F Oude Gueuze, I just think that it is different. The uniqueness makes it worthwhile to seek out, and since regular OG is really great, this is hardly a knock. Pair with Kayo Dot's "Coffins on Io," or any Kayo Dot album after "Choirs of the Eye", since each is very different, but great in its own way. 4.5/5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was a perfect gueuze, as far as I can tell.

Had alongside the seasons and A&G (not long after enjoying Zenne and a 2008 Oude Gueuze and 2009 LPG). This was immediately distinguishable as different than the others. The most intense Gueuze of the night. More tannins and grapefruit pith. Also more buttery caramel sweetness. A deeply funky nose. Tastes like everything a Gueuze should be and more. I'll go ahead and say this is my favorite straight Gueuze I've ever had the privilege to try, and top 3 beers I've ever had.

Another member present noted that this was an exceptionally good bottle, compared to the other bottles of A&T he's had.

Has that dry, wooden and horseblanket smell. Smooth sour taste, barrel, dry. A very smooth gueuze with nice complex flavours that have developed well over time.