Now, I had thought that, unlike other bottle-fermented Belgian beers, a gueuze like this wouldn't stand much aging: OK for a year or two, but five would be pushing it. We've even had a few bad experiences with some other old bottles of gueuze and lambic before -- opening them up only to find something closer to vinegar than beer. The enormous thunder-crack of the cork on this 750ml bottle to me was only a threatening confirmation that something had gone very wrong over time.
So, I was happily surprised to find this Lindemans Cuvée René Grand Cru very much worth drinking at the ripe old age of five. The sharp sourness of gueze is dominant, of course, but it also has an underlying nuttiness. Well, the back label does say, "improves in bottle with age"...
Interesting thzat it only says that in English - the other 2 languages just mention in passing that it's matured in the bottle, nothing about improving.
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