Geuze

Geuze is a traditional Belgian beer created by blending young and old spontaneously fermented lambic ales. The mixture is then bottled, where it undergoes a secondary fermentation process. This unique blending and re-fermentation results in a distinctly sour and highly carbonated beverage.

Geuze is famous for its distinctly sour, dry, and tart flavor profile, often described as funky or earthy. These complex tastes come from the wild yeast and bacteria present during spontaneous fermentation. The secondary fermentation in the bottle also gives the beer a highly carbonated, champagne-like effervescence.

While the base lambic ales are aged in wooden barrels and remain flat, Geuze gets its high carbonation from a secondary fermentation in the bottle. Brewers achieve this by blending young, still-fermenting lambic with older, mature lambic. The sugars in the young beer reactivate the wild yeast inside the sealed bottle.

Geuze is a traditional beer style that originated in the Senne Valley near Brussels, Belgium. It relies on spontaneous fermentation, meaning the wort is cooled in open vessels to allow wild, native microorganisms to inoculate it. The traditional blending of these lambics is unique to this specific region.