Mikkeller Oude Geuze (White Vermouth)
Brouwerij Boon

750 mL bottle. Pours clear deep golden. Smells musty and fruity. Slightly sweet smelling, too. Behind the sweet fruitiness, which I assume is from the vermouth, it has more definite lambic notes. A little dried grass and oak. Tastes of sour citrus up front, oak, dried grass. A little sweet, but less than those nose implied. When it's cold, vermouth isn't strong. As it warms, vermouth comes through earlier in the taste. Finishes with dry vermouth and oak. Medium body. Very nice gueuze with nice barrel accenting.

 

Copenhagen 21/10 2022. 75 cl corked bottle from Mikkeller& Friends Bottle Shop. Keith Shore drawing of a man and a lady hanging out with a huge green barrel.

Pours unclear golden amber with a mid-sized white head. Stable. Settles as thin, patchy layer of foam struggling to cover the surface of the beer. Moderate lacing.

Aroma is fairly intense with a light sweet fruity scent soon overpowered by tart, dry sportiness. Unripe gooseberries, green apples, citrus and sour white vermouth. Prominent whiff of vinegar.

Strong carbonation. Thin, oily, lively and tingling texture. On the verge of being fizzy.

Flavor is intense with a light sweetness followed by a strong tart sourness. Aftertaste is sharply tart yet a bit watery. Lingers for a bit. Finish is dry.

Tart and dry - and with a nice touch of dry white Vermouth.

750 ml bottle into a tulip glass. Had 5/28/24.

Pours a cloudy golden yellow, with a one and a half inch foamy head and some foamy lacing. Aromas of white wine, white grapes, clove, lemon, other spices, oak, some wheat, a light funk, a hint of mint. Smells botanical as it warms. Mostly similar flavors: white wine, white grapes, clove, lemon, some orange peel, some funk, light oak, slight mint. Lightly tart at first, more as it warms. A little acidic and botanical. Smooth, semi dry, a very good lighter medium body, well carbonated.

This is a style that while I enjoy it, I don’t have many, so reviews are more of a struggle. Finally bought this after staring at it for about 2 years on BOMC, and totally glad I did. Botanical, big wine notes, subtle changes as it warmed, just terrific all around. It’s still out there as I post this, so don’t procrastinate like me, hop on it.

you just never see mikkeller anymore, i know this is boon juice, but since all the closings its disappeared, a sad fall from grace from a legendary operation, but this is epic, as good and special as any of these collaborative blends have been, this one super funky more than tart, wildly woody and mature, aged in white vermouth barrels and taking on a cool vinous tang and intense herbal bitter element from them, thoughtful and cool, and brilliantly executed, obviously some pretty wonderful lambic at the heart of this thing. a generous gift from a friend, shared across the country, lucky me! a little inconspicuous in the glass, only casually carbonated like some lambic can be, and brassy toned, clearish. the aroma is insane though, i cant stop smelling it, deeply botanical and both fresh and ancient at the same time, wood forward for sure, lots and lots of oak on this, musty rotting wood in the forest, new oak like vanilla, some aromatic cedar character, just crazy, and of course the mature boon funk on top of old wheat malt, awesome, so funky and interesting, brett and iodine and minerals. the flavor is vermouth forward too and still extremely oaky. the ferment is even more epic than the vermouth contribution, i love it, and its all so dry for how complex it is, i cant set my glass down! medical funk and old brett, bitter orange and subtle white sage, peppercorn and clove, sherry and white wine, some warmer alcohol for its lighter strength, and i taste the best from each brewery in this. this is as good as anything ive had from either place, which is crazy because ive had a ton and they are icons, but this is doing it for me, among the best beers ive had in 2023, and not something i will ever forget. much less sour than some of these other blends have been. absolutely elite, a top top lambic for me...

Bought earlier this year as part of the Rare Beer Club's Box of Belgian Bliss. RBC does a good job of selecting and reviewing ales and I feel like I got my money's worth here... even though I can't get used to the Geuze style, no matter how well-made a brew is... as is this one.

While I try to rate based on a brew relative to what I've drank in its style, I don't seem to do that for Geuze. Of the 14 I've had, only one I rated above the average. So I'm probably not giving brews in this style an objective rating.

But this art form of blending old and young and, then, aging it in barrels (in this case, vermouth) has its devoted followers. I'm just not one of them. Mikkeller and White Vermouth barrels ends up interesting, dry and that's what followers most like.

Since this is Retired, I'll give Boon a micro-review. It certainly deserves more. I find it fascinating that this small village on Flander's border had 40 brewers two centuries ago. Lots of competition created room for this unique style. Boon actually started producing small volumes only in this 21st Century, yet has grown fast enough to make believable its claim to be aging more lambics in barrels than anywhere. Boon grew fast as a 50-50 joint venture with Palm. Lesson: it always helps to have access to capital.

 

Cellared bottle almost 4 years. Cloudy yellow body with a full white head. Aromas of barnyard and horse blanket funk, green apple, lemon peel, hay, oak, flowers, white grape, with rounding out almost white vinous elements. Taste is an amazing modern twist on a classic but carries the traditional funk, wheat and oak so well, getting some olive and again what seem to be light white wine while drawing out huge lemon, apple, hay, flowers, minerals, and pear. Amazing. Feel is funky and decently sour with a kiss of acidity, finishes dry as the greats do, some lingering barrel character brightens a bit. This blew me away, really well done, a perfect execution of the vision

 

75 cl bottle

Pours slightly hazy golden, sugar white ring for a head.

Aroma of citrus, white grape, green apple, grassy notes, wild funk, and oak. Some botanical undertones.

Flavor is of grassy malts with light citrus, green apple, wine grape, oak, and botanicals.

Medium body, fizzy carbonation.

Excellent. The taste is mildly tart but overall very subdued in terms of sourness. The oak and botanicals give it a nice vermouth character, and the body is eminently drinkable. Just a really pleasant experience all the way through.

 

 

Look: Translucent, pale gold with a bone white head that settles to a thick ring around the edge of glass and a thin layer of foam across the top. A heavy handed pours generates a billow of foam with great retention and much lacing. A bit hazy upon first pour from the chill. It brightens up as it warms. Lots of visible carbonation.

Smell: The aroma reminds of Boon for sure. Earthy, peanutty and some bitter herbal notes. Always reminds me of bay leaf. Acidic lemon juice. There’s a candy sweet and sour thing that reminds me of lemonhead and sour patch kids. After sitting out at room temperate for about an hour there is an ever so slight floral and musty funky note. But this beer is not defined by funk.

Taste: A very mild and delicate blend of lambic. Soft, vinous white wine notes. Dry. Very subtle oak. Slightly bitter and lemon pithy on the finish. A medium level of acidity. Granny Smith apple skin. A lengthy finish that dries out quickly.

Feel: Very light bodied. Effervescent and champagne-like. Bone dry.

Overall: Pleasant, simple and approachable. The blend is mostly young lambic. If you like Boon Oude Geuze you’ll like this. It’s not as complex or peanutty as Mariage Parfait but it scratches that itch.

Clear, light honey toned color to the body; lively, fine carbonation; moderate sized head, soft and foamy in character. Mild lemon and soft dry white wine aroma; mild spiciness. Outstanding taste; underlying sense of lime and lemon with some bright spiciness; lightly sweet Riesling; delightful citrus tanginess; soft woodiness. Light body; soft and velvety; dry, tingling mouthfeel.

This is an extraordinary oude geuze lambic. The funk level is really subliminal while the fruity, citrus qualities stand out. Well-balanced and very approachable.

Foggy grapefruit amber with a thick white head settling to a dense foamy blanket.

Mildly more herbal than a clean oak or white wine barrel aged gueuze, this is actually quite clean and classic. Lemony-orange interacts well with white oak as light funk caps off the firm medium body before finishing semi-dry.

This really stands up to the bottle of Drie Fonteinen OG we had earlier this weekend. It's just super drinkable, and melds well with all characteristics. While uniquely herbal, the barrel is mostly nondescript, but as it warms I get hints of minty PEZ.

 

 

Medium: Cork + Tulip. (Aged 6 months)
Opacity: Bright with good activity.
Color: Dark straw.
Head: Slightly foamy 2 fingers.
Legs: Poor overall.
Smell: Pears/Tart/Wild yeast.
Taste: Stone fruits/Cherries/Lemon/Wood.
Feel: Funky/Barnyard/Barrel Aged/Floral.
Body: Medium to full slick and smooth, nicely rounded.
Carbonation: Crispy and moderately sharp.
Overall: Excellent quality Gueuze, the strength and balance is just right for me.

Visual 5.5/10 - Flavors 8.5/10 - Sensations 8.5/10 - Balance 9/10 -
Freshness 5/10 - Intensity 7/10 - Complexity 8.5/10 - Appreciation 8.5/10

Bottle. Very carbonated. White head that eventufades. Clear golden straw color.

Some sweetness. Tart, but not acidic. Has a honeydew flavor, lemon, oak, unique barrels. Green apples, light dust. Not as dry as regular boon. Way more flavor. The vermouth barrels did Boon a big favor. Very enjoyable.

Bottle: Poured a clear golden color lambic with a nice large white foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of tart and funky notes with light oak and discreet vinous notes. Taste is a nice mix of tart and funky notes with well-balanced oak and Brett notes with some subtle vinous notes of vermouth. Body is about average for style with good carbonation. Well-balanced lambic with no acidic notes but not sure the Vermouth really brings much more to the mix.