20. LAMBIC AND BELGIAN SOUR ALE
20B. Gueuze/Geuze-Style Ale
Aroma: The aroma of these beers is a complex blend of aromas from a wide variety of microbiota. These aromas include: horsey, horse blanket, sweaty, oaky, hay, and sour. Other aromas that may be found in small quantities are: enteric, vinegary, and barnyard. There can be a very fruity aroma, and some mustiness may be detected. Typically, no hop aroma or diacetyl are perceived.
Appearance: Gold to medium amber color. May be slightly cloudy. Head retention is not expected to be very good.
Flavor: Young examples are intensely sour from lactic acid and at times some acetic acid; when aged, the sourness is more in balance with the malt and wheat character. Fruit flavors from esters are simpler in young Gueuze and more complex in the older examples. A slight oak, cork or wood flavor is sometimes noticeable. Typically, no hop flavor or diacetyl are perceived.
Mouthfeel: Younger bottles (less than five years old) tend to be sparkling, but older vintages are at times less carbonated. Light to medium-light body. Avery faint astringency is often present, like wine, but no more than a well-aged red wine.
Overall Impression: Intensely refreshing, fruity, complex, sour, pale wheat-based ales fermented with a variety of microflora.
History: Uniquely sour ales from the Senne (Zenne) Valley of Belgium which stem from a farmhouse brewing tradition several centuries old. Gueuze is the French spelling, while geuze is the Flemish spelling.
Comments: Gueuze/geuze is traditionally made by blending lambic that ranges in age from three years to less than one year and then bottled. Typically, gueuze/geuze has a smoother palate than straight lambic.
Ingredients: Unmalted wheat (30-40%) and aged hops are used. Traditionally, these beers are spontaneously fermented and aged with naturally occurring yeast and bacteria in oak or chestnut barrels. Home-brewed and craft-brewed versions are more typically made with pure cultures of yeast, including Saccharomyces and Brettanomyces , along with Pediococcus and Lactobacillus bacteria, in an attempt to recreate the effects of dominant microflora of the Senne/Zenne valley.
| Vital Statistics: | OG: 1.044-1.056 |
| IBUs: 10-15 | FG: 1.006-1.012 |
| SRM: 4-15 | ABV: 4.7-5.8% |
Commercial Examples: Boon, Cantillon, Hanssens, Lindeman's, Boon Mariage Parfait, Girardin, Vandervelden Oud Beersel, DeKeersmaeker.
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