effervescent refractions

Served in its tumbler and straw basket at De Heeren, I was excited to try yet another vintage gueuze, this time De Neve’s 1999. I regrettably find the tumbler to be a rather unpropitious glass for most aspects of beer drinking, so what may have truly stood out in appearance was unfortunately diminished. Slightly hazy and deep apricot in color, what head formed was creamy and white, rather beautiful I must say, but stunted by the glass’ poor shape. The aroma is quite enticing, though at first overwhelmingly sour. A simple blend of red apples, peach, apricot and lemon form the fruity team, while caramel and brown sugar assist in supporting sweetness. Very little funkiness to speak of, and this becomes obvious on the palate. Apricot and banana nectar build a thick pulp-like consistency, added to the same red apples and brown sugar. The sourness here is quite intense, but isn’t redeemed by balancing complexity and so goes to waste, washing up on the back palate to leave a long apple aftertaste. I may seem critical of this gueuze, but it really is a fun brew, I was simply hoping for more and would rather return to tried and true examples.