Boon Oude Geuze A L’ancienne Vat 108bis Mono Blend
Brouwerij Boon

This was an incredible gueuze, easily the best from the monoblend series and tasty enough that when it was gone I wished it had been a 750ml bottle instead of a little 375ml. Well done.

 

 

Bottle: Poured a clear golden color Lambic with large white foamy head with OK retention and some lacing. Aroma of funky ester with some tart notes with some oak notes also perceptible. Taste is also a good mix of funky ester with some tart notes and some oak is also noticeable. Body is about average with good carbonation. Great mix of complex funky notes while retaining some very good drinkability.

Deep orange. Quite good white foam.
Not too sour, but present. Wood, barrel. Dusty, cellar.
Good.
Full taste, sourness.
Intersting. Intense. Mono blend (?).

375 ml green frosted corked & caged bottle, batch #01301, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 8%. Hazy golden to orange colour, moderate white head. Aroma of brettanomyces / farmhouse and oak. Medium sour flavour, notes of brettanomyces, oak, oxidised cider and wine, lemons and white wine vinegar. Well balanced.

Dark amber orange tone, bright clarity with champagne streamers of carbonation. A finger of loose foam rises and quickly subsides, leaving only a thin ring and broken surface skim.

Fruity aromas of gooseberries and lemon, faint traces of honey, Brett, dry dusty oak, somewhat briny.

Tart and puckering, lemon juice and pith, green strawberry, honeyed malt, some tannic bitterness in the background. Dry almost chalky finish. Medium bodied with ample carbonation, fairly effervescent though lacking head retention. Boon is nearly always balanced and less extreme. Overall it's a good one, though i'm not convinced what it's distinctive qualities may be.

Lambic - Gueuze #97

Having this side by side with the regular Vat 108.

Wow, how much better the 108 is. Both have a nice pop. 108 has more head retention. Both are clear darker golden color.

108 has a ton of nutty and sherry notes. Very complex. Wine notes for days. Some mineral notes. Wet oak and some dried fruits. Red apple skins. Touch of citrus. 108 is incredibly complex and very enjoyable. I keep grabbing for the 108 as it is that much better.

108bis is brighter and a bit more citrusy. Some mineral, a touch of oak. Seems to be a bit drier. Red apple skins/dried fruits. Just lacking the nutty sherry notes. Could be because of age, but the 108 comes out on top of the 108bis.