Top Tastings 2010
ABV: 8%
Origin: Lembeek, Vlaams-Brabant, Belgium
Website: www.boon.be
Boon Oude Geuze Mariage Parfait
In 1977, after a period perfecting the skill of lambic blending at the old De Vit blender and former brewery in Lembeek, Frank Boon became the first person in decades to start a new brewery specialising in spontaneously fermented lambic beers on the same site, in the village that’s the spiritual home of the style in the Pajottenland near Brussels. At the time lambic seemed in terminal decline, but Frank was one of the people that helped establish its profile on the developing international beer appreciation scene, and he’s since become one of the most successful ambassadors for real lambics. A longstanding partnership with Belgian new national Palm has helped provide wide distribution.
The ‘Perfect Marriage’ series of beers, blended from the best barrels of lambic selected by the brewer and at a considerably higher strength than is normal for the style, are the pinnacle of Boon’s craft. 90% of the blend for this geuze comprises mature lambic of around 18 months old, about 5% is three year old beer and the rest young beer with adequate unfermented sugar and live yeast to develop a fresh sparkle. The various beers are mixed in a 25,000l capacity blending vessel, cooled, bottled and returned to fermentation temperature in a temperature controlled room. They then enjoy a long, cool maturation before being released.
A well-matured 2001 example made an appearance at the Zythos Beer Festival in 2010. With the reddish-amber ‘foxy’ colour of a good mature lambic, it had a fine white head and a sweet-sour aroma reminiscent of wet plastic, with a vinegar note. The palate was beautifully lambic-sour, but very approachable for the style, with tasty, complex apple pippy fruit, and a slightly creamy texture with some sweet notes. A chewy, fruity applecore finish developed tart notes way back in the mouth, with an emerging and lasting nuttiness and edges softered and rounded by maturity. Sublime.
Read more about this beer at ratebeer.com: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/boon-oude-geuze-mariage-parfait/12027/
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