Sometimes at breweries, something goes wrong. Everyone who has drunk craft beer has experienced this, even unwittingly. That special one-off on tap that was never repeated? Could be a botched batch that was still reasonably sellable. Sometimes those mistakes become amazing beers you hope get made again and again. Gueuzerie Tilquin‘s Oude (Gueuze Tilquin)² A l’ancienne, Tilquin Gueuze “Squared” for short, is one of those mistakes.
Tilquin Oude Gueuze² started out as a regular batch of Oude Gueuze and should have been released as the 2011/2012 Oude Gueuze. Unfortunately, after its period of bottle conditioning, this batch was way over-carbonated. Instead of releasing a flawed product, Pierre Tilquin went back to the drawing board. He called in some favors from his friends and by hand, they uncorked every single bottle of the bad batch and returned the beer to the barrels. When I visited Pierre at his blending operation, one of the aforementioned friends was there and was still complaining about the arm and hand cramps he got twisting out hundreds of corks, although he seemed eager to do it again if the beer would be as good as the Gueuze Squared.
This beer, like the rest of Tilquin’s beers, are made with a blend of various worts brewed and inoculated (via spontaneous fermentation) at a Lambic Brewery. Pierre then puts the wort into his barrels and then blends the final product. His blends are pretty much all the same break down: 40% Lindeman’s, 30% Boon, 20% Girardin, & 10% Cantillon. Pierre is the only blender using beer from Cantillon in his mix. The last two may have actually been partly the cause of his over-carbonation problem.
The brews from Lindeman’s and Boon are made at two very technical breweries that are well brewed with a good surrounding flora & fauna. The Girardin and Cantillion are more rustic breweries. Additionally, the Cantillion is the middle of the city where the air isn’t quite as “wild yeast” rich. While the Boon and Lindeman’s ferment out quickly and effectively allowing for good management of the process, the Girardin and Cantillion are more temperamental and sometimes leave a bit too much residual sugars that can cause some over-carbonation in the bottle conditioning phase.
Once the beer went back into the barrel, it allowed the yeast more time to work through the excess sugar. This also brought the alcohol up an extra 1.5% ABV.
Appearance: Hazy gold/copper, beige head, solid retention.
Aroma: Honey, tangerine, citrus peel, delicate funk, melon, cantaloupe, apples, spice.
Taste: melon, blood orange, hints of lemon.
Overall Impression: The regular Gueuze Tilquin is a fabulous example of the style and the blenders art. This beer takes that beer to the next level. The extra time created a beer that’s softer and more subtle with a broad and friendly complexity. While the Gueuze Tilquin is bright and often brash, the Gueuze Squared is suave and sophisticated. If you thought the Gueuze Tilquin was the cool kid, Gueuze Squared is his way cooler older brother. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this beer. It’s a must have for anyone who’s a fan of Gueuzes.
Availability: Highly Limited. Get it while you can. Check with retailers that have carried the other Tilquin beers, imported by 12% Imports.
7.5% ABV
You can read more about Tilquin and my reviews of his beers on page dedicated his Gueuzerie.
