This baby was raring to go. I was warned where I purchased this beer to open it when it was very well chilled. In fact, I was told that it might still be pretty active even if I did that. Boy was Kari right. Have you ever had a cork that you really had to pry to get it off? Me too, but you will never worry about that if you buy this Mead the Gueuze. I gave it a hair trigger touch and it launched into space (must have been the sugar from the honey-wine). Crazy! Needless to say, this thing had plenty of carbonation. We can’t dwell on this forever, so let’s just see how this thing was as a beer.
As you may have guessed, this beer was a mix between a Gueuze and a Mead (honey-wine). More correctly, it is a mix between a young and old lambic mixed with a honey-wine.
The Pour: This calls for a little bit of the bubbly. No doubt about it, it takes a slower and more gentle beer to get less than the normal amount of half head/half beer that I prefer with my Belgians. Mission accomplished…slowly. It seemed like a champagne pour with a Belgian head. An active body, tall white head, and a golden, light honey color made this beer shimmer brightly.
The Nose: This beer had the predictable (and very appropriate) sour aroma that one would expect in a Gueuze. Of course, there were touches of honey, as well as wood and alcohol on the aromas.
The Taste: Sourness and a nice woodiness were the most notable tastes on the front of this hybrid alien of a beer. Some of the honey notes were noticeable on the beginning, but it really came through clearly at the start of the long finish. It also had a bitter citrusy quality, which I assume isn’t hops, as this style is usually very low on staled hops. The 7.9% ABV was certainly also present. An interesting beer for sure.
Overall, I really enjoyed this unique take on Gueuze. Any time you are drinking a true lambic or Gueuze, it’s something that you have to prepare yourself for. It’s like nothing else. Luckily, I love it and I hope you do or grow to love it. Mead the Gueuze is a great and unique beer. Finding this one will be extremely tricky since it is no longer made… but worth the find.
Mike’s Review:
Overall Satisfaction: 
Among other Belgian Ales:
Wow, Mike, I didn’t even know what the headline said, this beer is so foreign to me. It sounds like something that’s really special – the kind of beer you hold onto until you’re in the perfect mood.
I’ll keep my eyes out for one. A couple of the beer stores I frequent are owned by guys who love craft beers but don’t sell a high volume. Sometimes you can find older gems on the shelf. I tend to shy away from mead, but I’ll grab the first one of these I come across.
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I think it’s only 20-25% mead, so you’ll be fine. Now that you mention it, this does look like some sort of Sith language on the title. Very good, though.
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