Gueuze
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gueuze (also spelled Geuze) is a lambic style beer. It is made by blending young (1 year old) and old (2-3 year old) lambics into a new beer which is then bottled for a second fermentation. Because the young lambic is not fully fermented it contains fermentable sugars, which allow the second fermentation to occur. Lambic that undergoes a second fermentation in the presence of sour cherries before bottling results in kriek, a beer closely related to Geuze.
Since gueuze is made by blending lambics, it tastes different from traditional ale and pilsner style beers. Because aged hops are used to produce these lambics, the beer has little to none of the traditional hop bitterness which can be found in most other styles of beer. Furthermore, the wild yeasts which are specific to lambic style beers gives gueuze a dry, cidery, musty, sour, acetic acid, and lactic acid taste. Many describe the taste as sour and "barnyard-like". In modern times, some brewers have added sugar to their gueuzes to sweeten them and make the beer more appealing to a wider audience. Because of its carbonation, gueuze is sometimes called Brussels Champagne.
Traditionally, gueuze is served in champagne bottles, which hold either 375 or 750 ml.
[edit] References
- Tim Webb, Chris Pollard, Joris Pattyn, Lambicland, ISBN 0-9547789-0-1
- Michael Jackson's Great Beers of Belgium, Michael Jackson, ISBN 0-7624040-3-5
