(Picture from boon.be)
Brouwerij Boon produces my favorite geuzes. The Marriage Parfait is my favorite of their geuzes. It’s consistently one of my “desert island” beers. Boon’s Marriage Parfait is a beer made from 95% 3 year-old “mild” lambic blended with 5% young lambic. The young lambic provides fermentable sugar and wild yeast to aid in secondary fermentation and conditioning. The Marriage Parfait undergoes secondary fermentation in the bottles and is then cellared in a climate controlled space for an additional 6 months. The bottling date can be found by subtracting the “best before” date on the back.
This means that the 2007 vintage was bottled in 2010 from beer that started it’s journey in 2007.
Appearance: Gold with a bit of haze. White head with low retention.
Aroma: Tangy acidity, earthy, sharp tangy notes. A slight sweet/sour nose. Possible a touch of mushrooms.
Taste: Lighter acidity, tropical fruit, pineapple and a nice bit of wild yeast “funk.”
Overall Impression: Like the rest of Boon’s beers, this beer is well-balanced and complex. While it’s not the most sour geuze out there, it’s one of the most interesting and elegant ones available. Even better, it’s much more price friendly and available than some other more hyped lambics.
Availability: Look for it where you find other Boon beers, at better beer shops throughout the United States. The 2007 is nearly gone from store shelves, so if you see a bottle, snap it up while you can. The 2008 is out now in many areas.
8% ABV
Notes: I didn’t take the bottling date down on this one. I’ll be more careful in the future.
I absolutely love this beer and always try to keep some tucked away. I took a bottle all the way to Morocco last summer and drank it chilled in the 42 degree late afternoon sunshine, bliss!
Have you tried the slightly rarer Kriek version?
I have I drank it at the brewery with Frank Boon and his son, Karel, last September. I brought a bottle home, as well as a bottle of their Oude Kriek.
Ha sorry I realised how silly a question that was as soon as I’d clicked post.
All good, like to visit myself one day
You should. They’ll be open for tours again soon. Their expansion is nearly done. Rather, you should visit Boon, not feel silly for asking the question.
That was a really great day. Visiting the Boon brewery with you … I try to order Boon Geuze whenever I can right now, though it tastes better in summer, in my opinion at least.
That was a great weekend between Chimay, Mons, Boon, Brugge, and the Club Bruges game. It certainly is a great summer beer. You may like their Oude Kriek and Kriek Marriage Parfait more during the winter. Their website, boon.be, has a map listing places around Belgium that sell their beer. Also, you two should go to the Geuze weekend April 21st and visit Boon and some of the other great Lambic houses.
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