Lindemans is a Belgian brewery that specializes in the various lambic styles: fruit, faro (sugar added), gueuze, and unblended (though I haven't seen a Lindemans unblended lambic). The most common Lindemans lambics are the fruit ones: raspberry, cherry, apple, peach, and black currant (I don't feel like dealing with the Belgian words tonight). Something interesting about the Lindemans line is this: 1) all their bottles, the 12 oz and the 750 mL, are green glass and they put a small cork in them, underneath their slightly larger than normal cap.
Cuvée René pours clear, very bubbly, orange with a large white head. Often times people at first think this beer is skunked once it is opened (the term "skunked" refers to a beer being "light struck" due to being in clear or green bottles, where the UV rays from sunlight react negatively to chemical compounds in the hops, becoming almost the exact same chemical a skunk sprays), but it is not skunked. There is a bit of funk on the nose, but it is predominantly sour with hints of sour citrus notes.
The first taste is rather tart, verging on mouth puckering, but if your mouth can get used to it, fruity and yeasty flavors are also present. My father, who loves Duchesse (which isn't that sour), thought this was way too sour, and I thought it was almost too sour. If you like a really sharp sourness, then you should pour the yeast into your glass (otherwise, leave it out).
Cuvée René is light-to-medium as far as the body is concerned, and has some decent carbonation, while being astringent. This beer remains sour throughout, but that isn't a bad thing. This beer can age, so try cellaring a bottle, let me know what you think.
Brouwerij Lindemans
Gueuze Cuvée René
TCSH - 8/10
Aka - A tiny bit better than the Timmermans Oude Gueuze, but not much.
Dallas
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