How to pour
a gueuze in
Rinse the glass with cold water and shake it out without drying it. Grease from a tea towel or leftover rinse aid breaks down foam, and with a gueuze that head is precisely proof that the second fermentation in the bottle has succeeded.
First pry the crown cap off the neck, then pull out the cork. Keep the bottle tilted away from you: it is under pressure, and a cork that has been lying for years can shoot out all at once.
Hold the glass at an angle of about forty-five degrees and let the gueuze run down the side until the glass is two-thirds full. This angle keeps the carbonation in the beer instead of in the head.
Set the glass upright and pour until just below the rim, leaving a head a few centimetres high. Leave the last little bit with the yeast sediment in the bottle, unless you specifically want to include the cloudiness.
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The story
Gueuze is the blender's work. They taste the lambic barrels in their cellar and look for a blend that develops in the right direction in the bottle: young lambic of around one year provides the sugars that fuel the second fermentation, while old lambic of two to three years provides the acidity, wood, and depth. Some gueuze breweries do not brew themselves but buy in lambic and only blend it. Since every barrel is different, there is no fixed recipe, and no two batches are alike.
The right glass
For gueuze, you see two glasses in Belgium: a small stemless tumbler and a stemmed chalice that gives the foam room. A real gueuze glass with the typical Brussels shape is not in our range; the stemmed chalice below comes closest and preserves the aroma of wood and acidity in the glass. The tumbler alongside it is the no-nonsense option, like those used in cafés in the region. More models can be found among the Belgian beer glasses.
Onis Munique Stemmed Beer Glass 40 cl (6 pieces)
Schott Zwiesel Convention Beer Tumbler 34.5 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 68,95.
The right tools
For a gueuze, you need little besides the glass: a bottle opener for the crown cap and a corkscrew for the cork. If you want a splash of spirits alongside it, measure it with a jigger and stir it in with a bar spoon. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 55,85.
What do you serve alongside?
Gueuze itself takes center stage; these are the bottles that can sit alongside it on the table. Because it is so often compared with champagne, we have included it here. Well-known bottles include Moët & Chandon and Crémant. On every drinks page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails pair well with it and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Not every bottle labeled gueuze is the same. An oude gueuze is the dry, sour version without added sweetener; there are also sweetened and filtered gueuzes that go down considerably rounder. The same blender also makes a different blend from year to year, because every lambic barrel is different. Put your lambic on sour cherries and you get kriek, while with candi sugar it is called faro. Want to read more? View all drinks and brands.
Servingtip
Serve between five and ten degrees. Stand the bottle upright for half an hour before opening it, so the yeast sediment settles to the bottom and the beer stays clear. Many enthusiasts also store their bottles upright, and a gueuze can rest for years before you open it.
Good to know
Why does gueuze ferment again in the bottle?
Because the blend contains young lambic. It has not yet fully fermented and brings sugars that the yeast can continue to ferment in the bottle. This produces carbon dioxide, which has nowhere to go because the bottle is sealed. That is how a flat base beer ends up with fizz and a head in your glass.
What exactly does a gueuze blender do?
Blending. He tastes the lambic barrels in his cellar, paying attention to acidity, wood and residual sugar, then creates a blend of young and old lambic that develops in the right direction in the bottle. Some blenders do not brew themselves and buy in the lambic; the craft lies in the blend, not in the brewing.
Why is there both a cork and a crown cap?
The cork withstands the pressure from the second fermentation, while the crown cap keeps the cork in place. For a bottle that can lie down for years, that is no unnecessary luxury. So you first pry off the cap and then twist out the cork.
Is gueuze the same as champagne?
No, but the comparison is often made. Both get their bubbles from a second fermentation in the bottle, and both are dry and sour, but that is where the similarity ends: gueuze is a grain beer, while champagne is a wine made from grapes. It is a comparison people make, not a family connection.
How much alcohol does gueuze contain?
Usually between five and eight percent, depending on the blend. Because of the second fermentation in the bottle, it is slightly higher than in the lambic it is made from.
Frequently asked questions
Which glass do you use for gueuze?
A stemmed goblet or a small tumbler. The traditional Brussels gueuze glass is not in our range; a stemmed goblet of about forty centiliters comes closest and leaves room for the head. If you want to keep it simple, as in the cafés in the region, choose a straight tumbler.
How do you open a bottle of gueuze?
First pry the crown cap off the neck, then twist out the cork. Hold the bottle tilted away from yourself and others, because it is under pressure and an old cork can shoot out all at once.
How cold should you serve gueuze?
Between five and ten degrees. Below five degrees, little remains of the wood and acidity; above ten degrees, the alcohol starts to dominate.
Can you age a bottle of gueuze for years?
Yes, gueuze is made for aging: the yeast is still in the bottle and continues working slowly, making the beer drier and more complex over the following years. Many enthusiasts store the bottles upright in a cool, dark place so the sediment stays at the bottom.
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