R&D Gueuze
Shared at a tasting by tlay10. Brewed 3-24-09 bottled 8-6-10, this beer was spontaneously fermented in oak barrels outside the brewery before it made its way into my snifter. The color is like subtly chill-hazed apple juice. A one-finger head of white fizzes away to a simple lingering and sticky ring, leaving behind smooth arcs of sticky lace. In the nose: peppermint, black licorice, tropical oranges, mangoes, papayas and a very very subtle tartness. Weird smell. I enjoy how foreign the aroma is. The flavor is similar, with a black cherry sweetness, mint and some light lingering black licorice. Moderate tartness blasts in the middle. There's also a tartness that kind of overpowers the other flavors. High prickly carbonation peppers the tongue, causing a little pain. It fizzes up quite a bit as it moves about. Medium light body, nice smoothness. Tartness dries out the mouth a bit, but doesn't get too crazy. An interesting gueze, with flavors I've never experienced before. Would've liked a little more complexity.