Drie Fonteinen Zwet.Be

Drie Fonteinen (usually abbreviated 3F) is a company normally associated with lambics, and in particular gueuze lambic.  They have a stellar reputation.  Unfortunately, when I can find their stuff in stores, it is usually prohibitively expensive (this particular beer is a whopping $2 per ounce). 

 

On the other hand, Zwet.Be is not a lambic and (unsurprisingly) is much cheaper.  It is a porter/stout brewed with a culture of wild airborne yeast from the grounds around the 3F brewery.  That makes it funky without being sour.  The bottle doesn't contain any legible date, but being wild this shouldn't be an issue.

Unsurprisingly for a porter, it is pitch black.  The head formation and retention is spectacular---that two fingers of foam you see below stayed for 10 minutes without dissipating.  It also left excellent lacing afterwards.  Needless to say, this is well-carbonated.

If you have ever wondered what I use to write my notes on, that's it....I keep it old school and tablet-free.

Yup---stayed like that for ten minutes.  Nothing receded.

That tight, persistent cap of foam makes smelling this a bit of a challenge; most of the aroma is kept underneath it.  Having accidentally let my nose stray too close on a few too many occasions, I firmly believe beer is best ingested through the mouth, not the lungs.  The aromas are easier to discern straight out of the bottle.  Deep, earthy chocolate notes rule the day, a combination of the malt (chocolate) and yeast (earth).  I've never experienced a 3F lambic, so I can't say for sure whether this smells like their usual yeast, but the sweaty-gym-sock smell many lambics have is not here.

Zwet.Be tastes more elaborate than it smells.  A definite layer of chocolate and coco powder from the barley malt gives way to the somewhat subtle but unmistakable funktang of wild yeast.  I don't remember where I heard that word, but I like it.  I also think the phrase "sweaty apples" (my own invention) is a decent way to describe it, mixed with lemon peel and topped off with more tangy flavors. A rustic, mildly smoky flavor is there from something (probably the malt), which is odd for a second before you get used to it.  Vague hints of dark fruit round out the profile and remind the drinker that yes, this is a porter.  Sort of.

As I expected, Zwet.Be is funky but not sour.  It is creamy and utterly smooth, yet finishes semi-dry.  I have no way of knowing how fresh this is, but I would expect it to get drier with age.

This didn't last long once I finished writing my notes.  Unusual and not for everybody, but well-done.