3 Fonteinen Armand'4 Oude Geuze Herfst
Armand’4 Herfst Oude Geuze is a blend of 1, 2 and 3 year old Lambic, brewed, aged, blended and bottled by Armand Debelder. This one-time and possibly the last bottling comes in a fancy Asti Spumante Champagne bottle. Armand only used Challenger hops in this brew. He’s in fact the only lambic-brewer to use Challenger hops to make his Geuze. 60 % malted barley, 40 % wheat, aged hops and water. Each season’s geuze has an unique and different blend.
4.2
301 reviews
Beersel, Belgium
Community reviews
Bottle at Akkurat with Nelson, 11/29/16.
Very mild gusher, with a wonderful brassy-golden body, sparklingly-clear and with even a strong head for a while. Looks perfect.
The nose smells of Autumn leaves, dusty cabins, wooded vales and foxholes. No, it doesn’t smell like any of that, but it is less bright and citrusy than the Summer and Spring. Definitely smells musty, with lots of wool blanket, light brett and chestnuts roasting (kidding again). No alcohol and moderate brett tones with a delightfully sniffable, strong, well-aged nose.
In the mouth, it’s perfectly attenuated, very dry, very crisp and with lip-smacking brett and light lactic acids on the finish. Lots of musty, dusty, cellar quality and even notes of bready malts and hints of slightly caramelized sugar. Very elegant, though all of them are and different in its own right. I could certainly see this one being the Autumn in a blind tasting (would love to do that).
Bottle thanks to Craig. Pours murky orangish brown color. Fresh squeezed lemons. Slightly acetic sourness. Light mouthfeel strong carbonation.
Many thanks to J for sharing! Pours a hazy, apricot color with a light tan head. The smell is tart fruit, barnyard, some green apples, pepper. The taste is toasted malt, pepper, mild barnyard ending crisp & mildly sour. Elegant and slightly over average carbonation level. Very nice!
@ Eddan 16-12-3: lite svavel i början men sen kommer det en fin kryddighet som är ganska len men elegant.
Bottle from Etre Gourmet, bought in 2011. Hazy dark golden with a white head. This was a pleasant one, not extremely sour and tart but balanced and really drinkable. Apples, some citrus, hay, wood and grapes. The finish was quite dry.
Backlog, ocena przepisana z untappd, w ramach uzupełniania profilu na ratebeer.
2016-11-01, corked and caged, 9-4-9-5-18=45
Cloudy light amber color, dull hue, darker than others of the series, with compact creamy head. The Brett aroma is very strong, cellar smell. Very mineral beer, salty, very strong Brett flavor, cellar; smooth mouthfeel; some lemony touch in the final, and strong final astringency.
Compared to the others, side to side, it has higher acidity, and more straight forward Gueuze character.
2012-12-12, 10-5-8-4-18=45
Hazy amber color, sub carbonated, small head. Pervasive cellar aroma, Bretts, sour, bitter oranges, hazelnuts, sweat, some animal character. The mouthfeel is quite smooth and round for a Gueuze, yet clearly dry, with lemon juice, bitter oranges, astringent, wood. Rather long final.
Shouting beer
Bottle at WTWBA. Golden pour. Awesome funky lemon aroma. Taste follows, nice tart funky lemon, great balance. Complex and amazing.
750ml bottle @ Alex’s. Pours a clear dark copper with a dense white lively head. Nose has tons of lemon peel, tart, slight sourness, a hint of minerals. Flavour is sour, hints of citrus, and sweet fruits. Lente is winning in my opinion, but enjoying this slighly more than Zomer.
Pours a clear copper colour with a thick white head. Aroma of light caramel and funk. Taste is more sweet and rich than Lente and Zomer, bit of caramel, with a medium length finish. Still very good, but not my favourite season so far.
Bottle, six years after bottling. Pours cloudy golden, with an enormous creamy head. Aroma is tart fruity notes of red currants and sour cherries, red wine grapes, tannins and wooden barrels, as well as fruity brett and funky farmhouse. Medium body, with fizzy carbonation. Flavour is acidic, with hay, citrus peel, sherbet and currants, fruity bretty notes and wooden barrels, as well as grapes and funky farmhouse notes. Lingering fruity bretty notes in the finish.
Drunk from 75cl bottle bought direct from brewery. Tart, sharp excellent geuze.
Mouldy ol cork pops violently but no spill. Pours darker than expected, an almost clear reddish brown with a dense one finger foam. The nose is powerfull with brett at first but settles after a big and becomes farmy with cooked apples and fat oily leather getting even berry-like after a while. The taste is perfect. This is great at 6 years and not a trace of getting too old. Big stone fruits in the flavour. Great balance of flavours and a very pleasant aftertaste. Totally elegant. Mouthfeel is lively and velvety. Aftertaste has light peppery spice.. I’m blown away by this. What an awsome gueuze. Thanks so much Owen.
Once again thanks a bunch to the dynamic duo S&S.
Pour dark copper with a dense white lively head. Good lookin head on this bitch.
Aroma has tons of lemon peel, stone fruit, tart, slight ascorbic acid, green apple, Apple vinegar, slight that minerals, slight leather and wet cardboard. Pretty darn delizz, with layers of complexity - classy as fu*k.
Taste is pretty darn sour, with faint hints of sweet fruits.
Mouthfeel is super fizzy that almost melts, with a somewhat medium body. Pretty darn well made.
Bottle. Amber pour with a fleeting white head. Mild barnyard bouquet. Mild sour funk gives way to big caramel and malt notes. Almost no carbonation with mild wet hay and horse blanket. Muted barrel backbeats. Good body and mouthfeel.
Sexy 750ml bottle thanks to old sam. Pours out hazy orange topped with a small sand head. Nose is crazy complex oak funk barnyard cheese and that classic horse blanket musk. Taste is more of the classic gueze funk barnyard plenty oak earthy notes and even some fruit.
Bottle drank along side Lente and Zomer. Fell #2. Cork blew off without needing any help. Pours a cloudy golden brown yellow. Pretty quick overcarbonated white head. Aromas of slight vinegar, lemon, slight floral. Taste is sour with all flavors quickly lifted off due to higher carbonation. A minerality lingers a tad. The carbonation does not hinder the beer.
Shared with wim and bart at bart’s place. Hazy amber colored beer with small white head and no carbonation visible. Fruited yeasty aroma. Full sparkling palate. Finish is sour fruited dry. Nice balance. Thanks to bart for sharing this beer.
Along with Yves at Bart place 0,75 l bottle amber colored body with a white head and a spicy sour aroma a spicy fruity dry sour taste with a slightly sour bitter finish
Bottle Himmeriget. Pours golden with a white head. Aroma of fruits, herbal, citrus, loads of barn and funk, light woody, sesam notes. Taste is rather funky, with loads of barn and fruits, citrus. Dry and light sour finish. Very well balanced.
750 ml bottle at Himmeriget, Copenhagen. Hazy golden orange color with white to off white head. Yeasty aroma, funky, barnyard, wood, fruity, citrus fruits and stone fruits. Sweet and acidic taste like aroma. Medium oily body with soft to flat carbonation
Bottle @ Koelschip, Copenhagen shared by Tyler. Thanks buddy. Been wanting to try this one for a good while. Pours golden copper with a big white head. Aroma is herbal, light tart, sweet orange, floral, grapefruit, mouldy woody, sweet stone fruits. Taste is tart, lemony, herbal, stone fruits, oaky, earthy, mouldy, citrussy, lots of tannins. Damn, this is good! So complex and delicious.
Aroma is nice with some light citrus notes including some light lime notes. Medium light herbal notes with a light mint note. Some light stone fruit character and a bit of oak notes.
Pours a hazy, golden copper color with a very large, white head that shows good retention as it recedes to the edges. Medium light lacing and small legs. Each season has been darker than the previous.
Flavor is nice with a good herbal character. Light citrus notes with a touch of stone fruit. Good oak notes. Some light oak with a hint of spiciness. Nice funk with good earthiness and herbal notes.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium high to high carbonation. Low astringency and low alcohol warmth.
Overall, a nice beer with great herbal and citrus notes. Probably my favorite season as it is bright and lively with balanced herbal, acidity and earthiness.
One of those whales that is so fun to slay. Shared with friends. Pours vyer hazy orange, large beige head that dissipates slowly with great lacing. Aroma is oaky, very oaky, basement funk, horse blanket and sweatsocks, some cheese as well creates a very very funky aroma profile. Notes of dust, lemon, field grass and more oak round things out. Flavor MUST be fully attenuated, but it feels like it has light residual sweetness. Only lightly tart, with a medium plus funk, some cheesiness to be sure, but really a delicate beer overall. Light bodied and lively, with a creamy mouthfeel. This one qualifies as GRATE.
750 ml bottle
Rating #3,400. Sometimes when you go out of your way to acquire rare beers they take on expectations and a mystique that are impossible to live up to. This one stubbornly manages to not only meet them but exceed them in many ways. At the current going rate I doubt I will ever get a chance to try the rest of the Armand’4 series but if this is the worst of the bunch I hope I do some day.
Aroma / Appearance - A deep caramel base remains mostly free of sediment as the bottle’s contents are carefully poured into the glass. Carbonation, while present, remains elusive to the eye due to the color of the beer. Sweaty socks, blue cheese, and citrus vinegar keynote a remarkable profile that might put off people who are not into sour beers - don’t share this one with your friend who just getting into the hobby until you’ve broken them in with a few other more accessible lambics. LIkewise if slightly cheesy sours that reek of stale hops don’t float your boat look for the latest vinegar in a bottle. Otherwise savor something truly remarkable.
Flavor / Palate - The musky of old cheddar cheese being pulled from a cave after years of aging hammers the palate. Dusty sweat socks left in a locked gym for a few weeks heightens the funk. George Clinton couldn’t do much to make this more funky. Old stale malts complete the trifecta that makes it a benchmark few lambics can aspire to reach. Unlike the brightness of Hommage or the sparkling nature of Framboos this lambic resonates with the funk of Belgian farmland more than any other 3F I can recall. If you are looking to dump a bottle of any other seasons please let me know.
Bottle, shared with phantomhennes, TvM, and heavylaevy. Hazy light amber gold, lively white head. Youngish gueuze character, lots of unripened plum and tart green grape up front, with pleasant light petroleum, funk, rind-of-cheese character in support. Tart and refreshing, with contemplative complexity. Outstanding, made more so by being so drinkable/gulpable.
Bottle. Hazy reddish copper with a large off white fluffy head. Lots of funk in the nose, leather, barnyard. Svovl, grapes, apples. Same goes for flavour. Lots of funk, barnyard, leather, light rubber. Plenty of grapes and juicy sour apples too. Medium body, lively filling carbonation, mild sweet, pleasantly sour.
December 12, 2015. Bottle at Akkurat.
Light hazy golden with a large white head. Aroma is green apple, funky, lemon juice, barnyard, leather, grape skins and oak. Taste is sour, fruitty, funky and earthy. Finish is sour green apples, lemon juice, grape skins, earthy leather and barnyard notes, some dry oak and mineral notes. Medium bosied, fine carbonation.
Another great blend from 3 Fonteinen.
750, beautiful tear-drop capsule, capped. Thanks, M! One of the beer highlights of this year. Would be a highlight of any beer drinking year (since we had all four together, in proper Stonehenge order from spring to winter). 2010 bottle opened late 2015. Pours a murky medium amber-orange with a surging, fizzy, foamy off-white head that leaves huge pillows in the glass. Minimal lace. Bright tangy sharp nose, showing sherry vinegar, champagne vinegar, brown apples, a tiny bit of balsamic, wet hay, and a bit of dusty summer dirt road. Creamy medium body with lively carb. Brown apples, wet hay, sherry vinegar, and summer dust on the mid palate, with a long crisp tart finish.
750 mL bottle. Bottle dated 4/2/2010. Unknown original review date.
Not quite a gusher. Bigger head than the others. Darker hazy orange. Great retention.
Citrus aroma. Bright lemongrass with equal amounts of horseblanket funk. Awesome. Perfect blend of flavors.
Tastes like an extra citrusy Oude Geuze. Brighter than the nose. Hay and horseblanket. Lemon. Lower sourness. Just a little bit of grassiness with some herbal notes in the end. Awesome.
Good sourness, without being puckering. Medium for a gueuze. Good carbonation. Well balanced.
One of the most complex gueuzes I’ve ever had. Maybe needs more sour. That’s my only complaint.