Meerts Tilquin aux Baies de Sureau
Gueuzerie Tilquin

 

 

375ml cork & cage bottle poured into a tulip
2020/2021 Vintage

A- pours a clear amber color with a one-finger foamy white head that reduces to a ring around the glass

S- plenty of dark berries on the nose, complimented with some floral notes, hay, barnyard funk, ripe pear, green apple & wood

T- taste gives juicy elderberry notes up front, followed by green apple, ripe pear and even some vinous white grape. Mid-palate gives some light funk elements, as well as light wood. The finish gives more berry flavor with some yeasty funk sticking around on the linger

M- light body with medium carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel that continues into a crisp, semi-dry effervescent finish, high drinkability

 

2020/2021 vintage
Pours a light fizzy head with almost no retention, typical for a sour, clear golden pale slight amber color

Nose quite fruity, juicy berries, elderberry, then back to the general Tilquin funk and sour

Taste brings more juicy berry, elderberry, mulberry, then a nicely balanced and well rounded Tilquin funky sour, not super funky but fair sourness, good acidity

Mouth is med bod, med to a bit lower small bubble natural carb, fair acidity

Overall quite nice, good juicy berry with nicely balanced Tilquin blended lambic

 

elderberries, this is lit! quite a bit more sour than the pinot noir edition, but really killer, and a true expression of this fruit, even if its already been used in another beer already, it stays bright and tangy and dark berry-esque with notes of black currant and blackberry, even huckleberry, lightly medicinal, and i think its cool some older lambic is blended in, this has wonderful maturity thats a little more appreciable in this one than in the pinot noir for some reason, maybe it seems a little less woody and a little more funky, but also bacterial, super interesting on the ferment, a bit more grainy than i thought second runnings beer would be, both of them, no complaints at all, this has lovely balance and drinkability for what it is. a little bit of color from the fruit comes through, but its subtle, otherwise fizzy but without head, and softly cloudy, big patchy bubbles on top for just a second. there is a floral side to the elderberry, springy and blooming, a hint of hibiscus, awesome wild yeast character and it loves the fruit. jovial and light in body, vastly more complex than i think i anticipated, the elderberries still had a lot to give to this, and the older beer in the blend is brilliant. i had no idea they made so many of these, i need to track down some of the others. all with second use fruit, way cool!

edit: every bit as good the second time, tarter maybe, lovely fruit complexion, well developed lambic funk, green glass weirdness, a little raw and rugged but intentional, just fantastic!

Cellared 2 years. Burnt orange body, white head with spotted lacing. Elderberry, mild blueberry and barnyard funk nose. Taste is the same with lactic acid, lemon juice, and old oak added. Feel is light sour and surprisingly very funky. This is really good, one of the best in this fun series

 

Look: It pours salmon and quite clear with a white head. Head retention is low.

Smell: It has sour notes in the aroma with elderberries. There are also some barnyard and hay elements with leather.

Taste: It is quite sour with elderberry and leather. There are barnyard notes with hay and a white wine like quality.

Feel: It has a light body with a medium high sour aftertaste.

Overall, it is a nice beer with plenty of flavor and sour qualities.

Poured from 375mL corked & caged bottle into my BeerAdvocate teku. This is the 2020|2021, best by 6/9/31.

Appearance: body is a slightly pinkish-orange hue with a finger of fizzy ivory foam atop. There's a little bit of haze and a vibrant effervescence.

Smell: a little bit sweet and a little bit tart with a hint of vinous quality. There's a little bit more fruitiness to this aroma of this beer than the other varieties I've had in the series; it's not quite as dry, and so there's a little bit of a juicy character. I like it quite a bit.

Taste: rather tart up front, which fades into a semi-sweet, semi-dry finish. There's a little vinous quality here, but the fruit-juiciness of the aroma is a bit more subdued in the flavor. I like it, but I'm not quite as bewitched as by the aroma.

Mouthfeel: medium-light body with a good carbonation and nice creaminess.

Overall: this whole series is quite good, and this beer is no exception. It's a nice sipping sour, not too over the top but with plenty of tartness. I do wish the flavor delivered a little bit more of what the aroma promised, however.

Edited: it turns out this is the elderberry entry in the series; something I didn't initially realize and definitely didn't explicitly pick up in my tasting, other than the added fruitiness. Interesting!

Reddish orange, two fingers of foam, minimal spotty lacing. Aroma has notes of oak and cranberry, yeasty bread dough funk. Taste is moderately acidic and berry forward, slightly tannic. Cranberry, blackcurrant, sour raspberry. Medium bodied with a light feel, supple carbonation, finishes dry. Overall it’s nice, though I liked the draft Sureau “Fruit Extravaganza” version a bit better.

 

 

Bottle: Poured a dark golden color lambic with a small foamy head with limited retention and no lacing. Aroma of fruity notes with some tart funky ester. Taste is a mix of dry sour flowery notes with some tart funky ester with light oak presence. Body is about average for style with good carbonation. Nice drinkable fruited lambic with sour flowery notes.