3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze Vintage

Description

Ouce Geuze Vintage is 3 Fonteinen's reserve series geuze. Unlike regularly released 3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze, which is widely distributed in Europe and North America, Oude Geuze Vintage is limited to local distribution, primarily within Belgium. It is stored within the cellars at 3 Fonteinen and released several years later instead of being released after the typical maturation period of six months for the regularly released Oude Geuze. It is released in both 375ml and 750ml bottles and is labeled as 6% ABV.

Clarification on Oude Geuze and Oude Geuze Vintage

A common question among lambic enthusiasts is, “are Oude Geuze and Oude Geuze Vintage different beers?”

Both beers are brewed and blended to initially be released as Oude Geuze. The decision to identify if the beer will be released as Oude Geuze Vintage occurs as it develops and is at the brewery’s discretion.

According to the brewery, the process of brewing and blending what becomes their standard geuze remains the same throughout the season. However, each time a standard blend is bottled there is a chance that the brewery will decide to hold a portion of, or the entire blend, back for release at a later date beyond the customary 6-month bottle refermentation period. The process for selecting what will become Oude Geuze Vintage is based on observations by the brewery as to how the beer is progressing from the time of bottling. This could be based on taste, perceived aging potential, or a need for more time in the bottle.

Thus, no blend and subsequent bottling of standard geuze from 3 Fonteinen specifically starts out as Oude Geuze Vintage, and each bottling has the potential to be released as such in the future.

History / Other Notes

3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze Vintage was first bottled in the spring of 2002. This year is also the most prolific year in terms of batches released. Subsequent years have varied in terms of individual bottling dates and bottling sizes. All labels have featured either the common yellow 3 Fonteinen label with the word "vintage" or the red Felix De Boeck "Nightlights" label (explained below). The only exception to this is the February 14, 2007 label that reads St. Valentijn Cuvée.

St. Valentijn Cuvée

On February 14, 2007, Armand bottled a blend of Oude Geuze Vintage as well as the original batch of Hommage. Because of the fruit aromas (and bugs) in the brewery and the fact that it was Valentines day, Armand nicknamed this Oude Geuze Vintage batch "St. Valentijn Cuvée." The February 14, 2007 bottling was labeled with both the regular vintage yellow label and the "Nightlights" label, as well as with a unique label that reads St. Valentijn Cuvée. Both synthetic corks and natural corks were used for this bottling.

Synthetic Corks

The earliest known use of a synthetic cork by Drie Fonteinen is a regular Oude Geuze 750ml bottling from February 3, 2006. The November 30, 2006 750ml bottling of Oude Geuze Vintage has a synthetic cork as well as most of the February 14, 2007 St. Valentijn Cuvée bottling. Consumers have noted that the Oude Geuze Vintage bottles with the synthetic corks have been inconsistent, with some bottles being flat and oxidized. The synthetic cork was retired from use after the St. Valentijn Cuvée bottling.

Bottle Log

Bottle Date (mm/dd/yyyy) Bottle Size Label / Notes Image Link
03/07/2002 375ml Yellow Label 3F OGV 03-07-2002 375.JPG
03/08/2002 750ml "Nightlights" Label 3F OGV 03-08-2002 750.JPG
04/13/2002 750ml "Nightlights" Label 3F OGV 04-13-2002 750.JPG
04/13/2002 750ml Yellow Label 3F OGV 04-13-2002 750-Yellow.JPG
05/07/2002 750ml "Nightlights" Label -
05/07/2002 750ml Yellow Label 3F OGV 05-07-2002 750.JPG
03/07/2003 375ml Yellow Label 3F OGV 03-07-2003 375.JPG
04/15/2003 375ml "Nightlights" Label 3F OGV 04-15-2003 375.JPG
05/03/2003 750ml "Nightlights" Label 3F OGV 05-03-2003 750.JPG
05/06/2003 750ml "Nightlights" Label 3F OGV 05-06-2003 750.JPG
02/21/2004 750ml "Nightlights" Label 2004 Feb 21 OGV 750.jpg
04/08/2004 375ml "Nightlights" Label 3F OGV 04-08-2004 375.JPG
04/09/2004 375ml "Nightlights" Label 3F OGV 04-09-2004 375.JPG
04/09/2004 375ml Yellow Label 3 Fonteinen OGV 09 Apr 2004.jpg
02/10/2005 375ml "Nightlights" Label -
02/18/2005 750ml "Nightlights" Label 3F OGV 02-18-2005 750.JPG
04/09/2005 375ml Yellow Label 3F OGV 04-09-2005 375.JPG
04/12/2005 375ml Yellow Label 3F OGV 04-12-2005 375.JPG
12/04/2005 375ml Yellow Label 3F OGV 12-04-2005 375.JPG
12/24/2005 375ml 3F OGV 24 Dec 2005.jpg
11/30/2006 750ml Yellow Label – Synthetic Cork 3F OGV 11-30-2006 750.JPG
11/30/2006 750ml "Nightlights" Label – Synthetic Cork 3F-OGV-11-30-2006.jpg
02/14/2007 750ml Yellow Label - Synthetic Cork (St Valentijn Cuvee) 3F OGV 02-14-2007 750.JPG
02/14/2007 750ml Yellow Label - (St Valentijn Cuvee) 3F OGV 02-14-2007 750.JPG
02/14/2007 750ml "Nightlights" Label – Synthetic Cork (St Valentijn Cuvee) -
12/17/2007 750ml Yellow Label 3F OGV 12-17-2007 750.JPG
12/27/2007 750ml Yellow Label 3F OGV 12-27-2007 750.JPG
02/05/2008 750ml "Nightlights" Label 3F OGV 02-05-2008 750.JPG
03/03/2008 375ml "Nightlights" Label -
03/10/2008 375ml "Nightlights" Label -
03/10/2008 375ml Yellow Label -
03/08/2010 375ml Yellow Label -
01/26/2012 750ml Yellow Label 3FOGVJan262012.jpg
02/23/2012 375ml Yellow Label 3FOGVFeb232012.jpg
01/09/2014 750ml Available on Lambik-O-droom tasting menu and sold for Open Beer Days 2017, 70% 3F brewed lambic, some handwritten dates on labels -
12/07/2014 375ml New "Nightlights" label, released in the winter 2019 pack. Sometime in the 14/15 season... More specifically in the spring of 2015 after six months in the warm room, this Oude Geuze showed an exceptional cellaring potential. That is why we have allowed it to mature further to make it stand out. Give this Oude Geuze Vintage time to develop in the glass. Label 3F OGV 14.jpg
02/09/2016 375ml New "Nightlights" label, released in summer 2019 pack. Label text: "Sometime in the 15/16 season... In particular, in the autumn of 2016, after six-months in the warm room, this Oude Geuze had an exceptional storage potential. That is why we have allowed it to mature further to make it stand out. Give this Oude Geuze Vintage time to develop in the glass. Label Oude Geuze Vintage 2016 Nightlights.png
10/10/2019 375ml New "Nightlights" label, released in 2022.

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Label Log

Felix de Boeck "Nighlights" Label

Felix de Boeck (1898-1995), born in Drogenbos (Flemish Brabant), is regarded as one of the founders of abstract painting in Belgium in the 1920s. De Boeck continued to work on his family farm painting only on Sundays throughout this life. Following a visit to Antwerp in 1950, de Boeck began a series of paintings entitled Nachtlicthen (Nightlights) which depict a "decentralization and fragmentation of the light source inside a clear geometric structure." This series would be interspersed with other paintings throughout the rest of his career.[1] As a nod to a hometown artist, 3 Fonteinen uses this label for some of its Oude Geuze Vintage releases as well as for the 50th Anniversary Oude Geuze from 1998.

The gallery below is a representation of Nachtlichten spanning de Boeck's career. In 1995, shortly before his death, Felix de Boeck laid the foundation stone for the FeliXart Museum in Drogenbos which opened in 1996. The museum is housed in a modern building that was constructed next to the farmhouse where he lived. The museum houses many of de Boeck's works today as well as other contemporary exhibitions and is located approximately two miles from 3 Fonteinen.

References

Photos