Zure Van Tildonk 2015
Brouwerij Hof Ten Dormaal

330 ml bottle, 6% abv, best before: 31/02/2019; purchased single on sale off shelf at Bella Vista yesterday... decanted into a fat tulip)

L: clear amber liquid; lots of foam on the pour, settling into messy cap... gob of dark sediment remains in the bottle... one lace ring, oppo sip zone

S: wood and sherry, overtones of acetone and tart cider (acetaldehyde); rather potent overall... perhaps reminiscent of a Flanders Red?... outdoorsy (wet cool day), dank beads of sweat; clipped off intensity and clarity

T: yes, more than a hint of Flanders Red, but with a noticeable yeasty/nutty, earthy, aged, later oxidized thread up the middle, which fades a bit in the finish, lingering along with a honey lozenge or white wine-like note in the aftertaste... its sourness and (excuse me) tomato-sauce like acidity of course builds and intensifies over each subsequent sip... I'm hesitating to say, but this reminds me of Petrus Aged Pale... it's tart and fruity up front, but devolves into the nutty, aged, sherry thing by the finish and has a pleasing dryness to its aftertaste

F: fairly typical luscious, long leggy body, with some 'spicy' warmth in the aft... reminds me a bit of some of the Russian River sours as far as texture... the level of acidity against its dulcet roundness and long finish does conflict on my palate, but its apparent dryness saves me from spitting it out

O: I'm surprised... at this age and unknown degree of cellaring maintenance, this is still fairly vital, lively, and bright in its flavors... it's not nuanced or complex, just a smack to the mouth... but, oh boy, would I love to have that kind of wild yeast just hanging around my property; only in Belgium... $4.99 for a bottle isn't bad; now I know it's safe to buy another (2297)

Straw colour, powerfully hazy with a cap of white, finely bubbled foam that lasts and lasts.
The aroma immediately tells you it's going to be sour. Foreboding overripe lemon, sour white grapes, sourdough bread, topped with sauerkraut of course and a stable.
Taste sour but without exaggeration, again lemon clearly overripe, sauerkraut, 'wild' apples, bread with caraway. The taste is strongly associated with water from pickled cucumbers. The bitterness is only minimal, short as if lemony.
Saturation is low and alcohol is not perceptible.
08.08.2015

 

 

330 ml bottle into tulip glass, best before 2/31/2019. Pours slightly hazy golden amber color with a 2 finger fairly dense and fluffy white head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big tart/sour lemon, lime, orange, peach, pear, green apple, melon, white grape/wine, hay, straw, grass, pepper, toasted oak, leathery/musty funk, wheat, cracker, and white bread; with light notes of oaken vanilla, white wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, oak, and pale malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big tart/sour lemon, lime, orange, peach, pear, green apple, melon, white grape/wine, hay, straw, grass, pepper, toasted oak, leathery/musty funk, wheat, cracker, and white bread; with light notes of oaken vanilla, white wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Light-moderate lactic tartness and light yeast/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/sour lemon, lime, orange, peach, pear, green apple, melon, white grape/wine, hay, straw, grass, pepper, toasted oak, leathery/musty funk, wheat, cracker, white bread, light vanilla/vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, oak, and pale malt flavors; with an awesome malt/tart/sourness balance, and zero puckering/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from tart/sourness and yeast/oak spiciness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately bready/grainy/acidic, fairly crisp, and lightly tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol for 6%. Overall this is a fantastic lambic! All around outstanding complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, oak, and pale malt flavors; very smooth, crisp, and easy to drink with the modestly acidic/tannic/drying finish, never overly lactic. Glad I let it age for a bit, this is by far the best version I've had. Amazingly well developed funky barnyard Brett/Lacto complexity; balanced bready malts and nice oak barrel presence. A highly enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.

Poured from 11.2 fluid ounce bottle into glass. Label has Best By Date of '31-02-2018'.
Gold colored body, a little cloudy in appearance. Fizzy head settles to bubble fed ring and a couple of islands. A few spots of lacing.
Has a totally appealing aroma of funk.
Taste is funk and sour, quite dry. Has horse blanket, leather, and barnyard aspects. A very little bit of sweetness at the end of taste profile, which is clamped down by the re-appearance of the funk.
Has a medium mouth feel, but is puckered by the sour funk.
The sour yeast is strong with this one, but very enjoyable.

 

This tastes a lot like a classic belgian gueuze, but it is slightly different. Body is very light (too light for my taste), sourness is mild but well balanced with the rest of the beer. There is a lingering sweetness at the end, like butter cookies with cinnamon, that turns out very interesting.

Zure is an interesting product worth the money, much better than most of the American "sour" beers that these days infest our shelves, but don't expect 3F or Girardin.

 

 

This is oddly classic and modern. It has all the great qualities of a classic belgian spontaneous sour but with a modern clean flavor that lacks funk. It lies somewhere between a classic belgian gueze and a good lemon-foward american sour. It is worth trying and a fun drink, but it is nothing worth collecting or fawning over.

 

A: The beer is clear yellow in color and has a slight amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a short head that left a narrow collar of white bubbles around the edge of the glass and some patches of bubbles on the surface.
S: Moderate aromas of barnyard funk are present in the nose.
T: The taste follows the smell and is quite funky and sour—it's so pungent that it's like smelling salts.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and rather tart on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This is not a beer for the faint of heart—the funk and sourness is very strong. It is definitely an acquired taste.

Serving type: bottle