Oude Geuze Boon Black Label
Brouwerij Boon

Boon Oude Geuze was my very first gueuze (aka blended lambic) beer, which I first consumed around 5-6 years ago at this point and which definitely turned me on to the world of Belgian lambic in general. The tart, funky rustic yeast, green apple skin flavor and prominently-dry finish all helped get me acclimated to oak-aged sour ale in a very immediate way. Though I had some other sours before I had it, Boon's gueuze gave me the proper framework with which to conceptualize and otherwise criticize blended sour ale, and it deserves all of the accolades it's been given throughout the years. It is truly an important beer in my (and many others') drinking history!

Fast forward to last week when I finally bought a bottle of Black Label Boon OG for a bottle share as kind of a last-minute addition to what I was already bringing. It clearly didn't get consumed, as I have it with me right now, but I'm perversely satisfied with the fact that I didn't have to share this gem with anyone else. No... this entire bottle will likely be consumed by yours truly over the course of a few hours (maybe with a little help from my roommate and buddy Chris, I suppose...). Let the games begin!

During the removal of the cage on this bottle, I was definitely worried about the possibility of the cork flying off, so I opened this one over the sink. With almost no effort, the cork rocketed off and entered whatever dimension forcefully-popped corkwood stoppers enter when they're shunted off with such intense force as this one was. It's probably in my living room somewhere. Or embedded in the ceiling, whatever.

Anyway, I was surprised it didn't gush even a little bit. Contents are definitely under pressure, but the pour was really, surprisingly demure when all was said and done. Sure, a normal soft-pour yielded about 4-5 fingers of nearly-unwavering head, but it did eventually sink down to about two fingers. And there it still sits, atop a golden orange/yellow beer with a distinct, characteristic haze to it. Consistent effervescence driving to the top even after 10-15 minutes post-decanting. Great pour... love the surprising amount of restraint here. It goes to show that the brewers and blenders involved have incredible control regarding their product. Magnificent!

Nose has a soft and inviting complexion... white/Muscat grape, farmhouse-y wild Brett funk, green apple, bloomy cheese rind, white grapefruit, honeydew melon and some warm toasty oak/vanillin notes. Some crackery malt seems to be present underneath everything else. It's pretty similar, from the initial scent, to the original Boon OG blend I recall, but it has a little more citrus character.

On the palate, this presents with a strong citrus presence, combined with some stunning tropical-like fruit (pineapple/guava) and melon-like, complex flavors that remind me of fleshier fruit varieties. Intense hit of Brett funk bringing up strong horse blanket, hay and rustic overtones that wash over the tongue until the finish brings out warm vanilla, more melon, lemon and green apple tartness.

Absolutely bone-dry finish on this one, as is entirely expected. Bubbly, champagne-like carbonation. There is, however, a slight respite towards the mid-point of each sip, before this dries out my palate entirely... I almost feel like the oak and vanilla notes take over here, until I get more lemon meringue and tart apple skin.

I did a bit of research on the feel of this one, since the back of the label mentions the fact that OG BL is "the driest geuze we make" and that "combining a full-bodied taste with a very high fermentation degree is a big challenge." Though that is quite the claim, I would certainly be inclined to agree, and would say that the blend here is absolutely masterful if this is taken into account. Since process is incredibly important to lambic blending, I would say if you don't take this aspect into account when judging the beer, you're inevitably going to misrepresent it. Anyway, this idea was apparently inspired by a collaboration with Mikkeller a few years back. I guess they wanted to make an insanely dry gueuze, and the Mikkeller collab ended up being called "Bone Dry," and it used the same lambics from the same foeders as this blend ended up using, interestingly enough. This version contains less of the older lambic than the Mikkeller collaboration, but is still considered insanely dry, and I'd agree. Each sip nearly forces me to the next, in an unending search for that which will finally slake my thirst. I know this is an improbable — nay, impossible! — task, but I will try anyway... for lambic is good. That's all I have to say about that.

 

 

Copenhagen 16/2 2018. 75 cl bottle from Ølhandleren in Give (web-shop). Simple Black label telling the name of the beer and that the beer won gold at the World Beer Cup in 2016.

Pours hazy yellow with a humongous bubbly white head. Settles as a 2 cm thick blanket of foam. Moderate lacing.

Aroma is pure citrus, sour white wine and acidicy. Sour Green Apples - unripe as Hell. No forgiving sweetness around.

Strong carbonation and slightly thick palate.

Flavor is sour and austere. Weak sweetness followed and overcome by strong sourness. Aftertaste is sour and acidic. Finish is very dry.

Fresh, white vinous experience leaving you dry as a Desert. But deliciously so.

 

 

 

Drinking the Black label 6 now, have a bottle 5 on stock and 7 to go.
Black label mixes three years to smooth season effects out.
And to me, with 6 it works.
Poured at around 10-12 degrees celcius.
Highly carbonated.
Not much head though, but very alive, yeat flakes dwarling around.
Citrus in the smell and dirt yeast.
Surface if the beer keep moving, processes with the yeast activated by air.
Carbonation retriggered.
The dryness of the oak, sour dry but a bit fruity.
Hardly any bitterness, little bit hoppiness in the aftertaste.
It smoothens out a bit of the edges of a fresh "odrinary" old Geuze of Boon.
Wonderful. Worth an extra buck.

 

SECOND EDITION

Bright, shining gold with a good head of white foam that settles to a creamy covering. Dusty flower petals, damp wood, lemon, and dried apricot in the nose. Crisp lemony citrus, woody spice, straw, sour apple, and peppercorn. Dry with a tart acidity. Pretty good overall - not overly astringent and has enough complexity to keep it interesting.

 

Edition 6, Batch 13309

L: opaque orange or gold, yeast floating everywhere with the carbonation, excellent white head
S: raspberries, cherries, passion fruit, and port wine
T: deliciously sour, dry finish, like an acidic white wine
F: fine carbonation and good mouthfeel

If you blindfolded someone and asked them to taste this, they probably wouldn't identify this as beer, but rather as a wine or a mild cocktail. This simply surpasses my expectation for what a beer can do and should be. One of the best, if not the best, beers I've had.

Poured from 750mL corked & caged bottle into my BeerAdvocate teku. This is Black Label edition #5, best before 11/15/2039.

Appearance: rich medium-golden hue with a lite dose of shimmery haze and a ton of effervescence. Head pours a couple fingers of frothy ivory foam and sticks around a good long time. Great!

Smell: sweet malt with a light dose of sour and a dash of funk. There's kind of like a "malt candy" thing going on here.

Taste: a little tiny bit sour and a bit funky up front, with a deeply earthy character overall. Malt is toasty and the funk and light sourness give kind of a loamy autumnal feeling. I'm into it.

Mouthfeel: medium-light body with a huge carbonation that is very creamy, though a bit ephemeral. Still, I love it.

Overall: just an absolutely solid beer. Could drink it all day.

A: Pours a hazy orange color. A noisy, spritzy, bubbly white head forms to about a finger. That recedes to a ring in a minute.
S: The nose is powerful and pungent. Ripe grapefruit and dried citrus peal. A musty and "funky" aroma that I love.
T: Oh, that pungent grapefruit is almost juicy up front with other citrus like components. That become wonderfully acidic and sour. Musty basement like funky again. A tiny amount of oak and vanilla. Finishes with just enough acidic bite. This is wonderful.
M/O: A medium body that is beautifully effervescent at first. Which becomes a bit softer as this breaths. The puckering acidity is perfect, and leaves a lingering dryness that just begs me to keep coming back for more. This is very drinkable.

Just an excellent example of an Oude Gueuze. This has all the flavors and characteristics you would want for the style. Though its also balanced, as the acidic sourness and funk never become the main show. Thats all I have to say, highly recommended.

750ml bottle into a tulip. Best by 3/26/35.

Quite a lively pour, massive loose bubbly white head, easily replenished by the next pour. Dark golden amber body, slightly hazy, not much lacing.

Tart aroma, good oak, even a light smoke.

On tasting, very pleasing indeed. Tart, sour, some mixed fruit. Mellow oak flavor, very dry.

Mouth medium, finish a slightly tart dryness.

Overall, best gueuze so far. Could drink this anytime.

2nd Edition. Batch # 80901

 

Brouwerij Boon "Oude Geuze Boon Black Label Edition N°2"
750 ml dark green glass bottle, corked and caged. "Best before 30 03 2036" and sampled on 02 04 2022.
$17.99 @ The Beer Yard, Wayne, PA

Notes via stream of consciousness: Labeled at 6.4% ABV. It's poured a clear deep golden/amber colored body beneath a finger's width of bright white foam. The aroma is fruity with apple, apricot, and dried orange & lemon peel but there's also some grainy malt, grass, dried hay, dusty earth, dried flowers, and a distant bit of cedar and dried pine needles. The flavor is grassy and straw-like, and fruity with apple, soft pear, and underlying lemon and nectarine. On the funkier side there's some wet leather, more cedar and oakiness, dusty dried earth, dull tobacco, metal, and a soft note of floral character that I'd describe as something like the smell of dried lilies. It's tart but not too tart, and it finishes dry and gently acidic as expected. As you work your way through the glass and it warms a bit different notes will linger. The mouthfeel is just a little bit fuller than most Geuze, clocking in at medium-light versus the usual light-medium. It's got a fine-bubbled, natural, and delicately zesty carbonation that softens as it warms in the mouth. I'm actually a little bit surprised by this because it is a little bit different than your standard geuze, or gueuze, however you want to spell it. I personally don't like it as much as the standard Geuze Boon but I appreciate that it is a finer, more balanced beer. I think that the Mariage Parfait is already a very well rounded and superbly balanced beer but this version is even more so.
Review #7,860

Delicious!

Good beer. Real good beer. I’m not sure if I would toss rocks at her window at midnight, but I’d shoot her an AM text just to say hey. All kinds of light, bright, and tart - get some, baby. Get some while the gettin’ is good.