HORAL's Oude Geuze Mega Blend (2024)
Brouwerij Boon

Pours a large foamy bubbly 2+ finger head with fair retention, a bit rocky, some lacing, semi clear orange color with lots of sediment

Nose is great, lots of funk, barnyard, bacteria souring acidity funk, a bit of cheesy funk, some citrus fruits like grapefruit, apricot stone fruit, white wine, mild buttery oak,

Taste starts fairly sour, grapefruit really kicks off flavor as well as bitterness and acidity, lots of souring bacteria funk, some barnyard and wet hay, cheesy funk, citrus rind, various misc fruits, a touch of buttery oak, semi dry finish with a bit long grapefruit zest bitterness and more tart funk

Mouth is med bod with very high effervescent carb

Overall nice, great funk esp the aroma, grapefruit bitterness dominates a bit too much on the palate but otherwise a nice funky beer

Copenhagen 21/11 2025. 75 cl bottle with a cork stopper kept in place by a little metal net from Spar, Støberigade, Kbh. SV. Transparent label simply stating the name of the beer and eight beer producers involved in the Megablend.

Pours clear golden amber with a big white head. A bit bubbly. Settles as a thin but unbroken layer of foam stretching to cover the surface of the beer. Clinging to the sides of the glass. Moderate lacing.

Aroma is intense with a light sweet for of stone fruits mingling with a stronger tart scent of unripe sour gooseberries and currants. Funky touch. Sharp vinegar and green apples. Sour cheese and musty cellar. Whiff of wood.

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

Flavor is intense with a medium strong sweetness followed by a strong tart sourness. Aftertaste is sour but with a redeeming and mellowing sweet undertone. Lingers for a while. Finish is tart and dry.

Sour and dry - but with it's own strange balance.

 

Bringing the entire Senne Valley together, Boon spearheads a collaboration effort that does sour and a little sassy.

Horal’s Oud Gueuze Megablend rolls the sour ales together in a pour that brings pale straw hues and a light foggy gaze. As its popping bubbles highlight the nose with brisk citrus, berry and orchard fruit, the overwhelming dusty, musty and funk shines through it’s scent. Scant sweetness bounces from the tongue with the lightness of wafer, cracker and light bread.

It’s charge of carbonation breaks up the malt and highlights a fruity middle palate that shines with dried grapefruit, lemon and apple. Green berries and grape gives a tangy winey taste before the sheer sourness slaps the palate with a wallop of acidity. All wrapped in a cocoon of damp hay, cork, attic woods, saddle leather and general cellar-like funk, the session is as curious as it is sour.

Light, crisp and clean, the lambic-like ale carries a youthful exuberance and shows that additional cellaring could give the ale a little more time to ripen and mature, but this brisk and brazen sour ale is another great example of world class beer from a world class region.