Oude Groseille a Maquerau Verte Tilquin a L'Ancienne 375ML

Oude Groseille à Maquereau Verte Tilquin à L'Ancienne 375ML is a spontaneously fermented Belgian fruit lambic brewed with green gooseberries at 5.5% ABV in a 375ml bottle. Produced by Gueuzerie Tilquin in Rebecq, Wallonia, this expression packs an exceptional 260 grams of frozen green gooseberries per liter — a fruit concentration that places it among the most intensely fruited traditional lambics available.

Quick Facts: ABV: 5.5%  |  Origin: Rebecq, Wallonia, Belgium  |  Style: Oude Fruit Lambic  |  Brewery: Gueuzerie Tilquin

Production & Heritage

Gueuzerie Tilquin is Belgium's only active lambic blender located in Wallonia, founded by Pierre Tilquin. Rather than brewing wort on-site, Tilquin sources young lambic from traditional Pajottenland producers and blends it with meticulous precision. For this expression, frozen green gooseberries are macerated in young lambic, then blended with a carefully selected mix of one-, two-, and three-year-old lambics to achieve its signature tartness and depth. The beer is unfiltered, unpasteurized, and refermented in the bottle, preserving the wild yeast character and ensuring continued evolution over time. At 260 grams of fruit per liter, the gooseberry presence here is not a subtle accent — it is the defining structural element of the beer.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with rustic funk — leather and musty earth — before layers of green apple, gooseberry skin, and leafy green pepper emerge. A faint grain backbone lingers beneath the fruit, with subtle lemon zest tying everything together.

Taste: The entry is deceptively soft, with a brief doughy malt sweetness that dissolves almost immediately into bright, assertive tartness. Mid-palate, green gooseberry and white grapefruit dominate, joined by crabapple, white grape, and a pronounced musty, cheesy funk characteristic of well-made lambic. Earthy oak accents and light estery spice add complexity as the acidity builds to a zesty, lemony peak.

Finish: Dry and persistent, with lingering green fruit acidity and a subtle tannic grip from the oak-aged lambic base. The funk recedes slowly, leaving behind clean, tart gooseberry and a minerally bite that invites the next sip.

How to Drink Oude Groseille Verte

Serve chilled at 6–8°C (43–46°F) in a tulip glass or lambic tumbler to concentrate the complex aromatics. This is best enjoyed on its own, without garnish, to appreciate the interplay between fruit and funk. For those inclined toward blending, it works beautifully in a Lambic Spritz — topped with a splash of dry sparkling wine to amplify the effervescence. A Gooseberry Shandy using equal parts lambic and sparkling lemonade makes a refreshing warm-weather serve. It also shines in a Fruit Lambic Kir, where a small measure of elderflower liqueur rounds the tartness without masking the gooseberry character.

Best For

• Gifting a sour beer enthusiast who appreciates rare fruit lambics
• Pairing with a curated cheese board at an intimate dinner
• Adding a standout bottle to a lambic vertical tasting
• Celebrating a special occasion with something genuinely uncommon

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Oude Groseille Verte taste like? It delivers intense green gooseberry tartness layered over a funky, earthy lambic base, with notes of green apple, white grapefruit, and lemon acidity balanced by subtle doughy malt and oak.

How does Oude Groseille Verte compare to De Cam Lambiek Special? De Cam's Lambiek Special blends sour cherries, gooseberries, and blackberries for a darker, more layered berry profile, while Tilquin's expression focuses exclusively on green gooseberries, resulting in a sharper, more singular tartness and brighter acidity.

Is Oude Groseille Verte good for sipping on its own? Absolutely — this is a contemplative sipper meant to be savored slowly from a tulip glass, where the evolving interplay of fruit, funk, and acidity can fully express itself.

Where is Oude Groseille Verte made? It is produced at Gueuzerie Tilquin in Rebecq, a town in the Wallonia region of Belgium, making Tilquin the only active lambic blender located outside the traditional Pajottenland and Senne Valley production zone.

What foods pair well with Oude Groseille Verte? Aged Comté or Gruyère complement the tartness with nutty richness. Fresh chèvre mirrors the acidity and adds creaminess. Smoked salmon works well, as the sour fruit cuts through the fat. Tarte Tatin or apple-based desserts echo the green fruit notes. Moules-frites provides a classic Belgian pairing where the acidity balances the briny sweetness of mussels.

What sizes does Oude Groseille Verte come in? This expression is commonly available in a 375ml bottle, which is standard for many specialty lambics from Gueuzerie Tilquin. A 750ml format may also be produced in certain batches.

Is Oude Groseille Verte worth the price? Tilquin's fruit lambics position in the premium tier of Belgian sour ales, justified by the traditional spontaneous fermentation process, the exceptional fruit concentration of 260 grams per liter, and the limited-production nature of authentic blended lambic.

Why Oude Groseille Verte?

Green gooseberry lambic is an extraordinarily rare style — very few blenders or brewers work with this fruit at all, and Tilquin's version stands as the most recognized example. The 260 grams per liter fruit loading is substantial even by fruit lambic standards, delivering a gooseberry intensity that goes far beyond a flavoring addition. Combined with the traditional blending of one-, two-, and three-year-old lambics and natural bottle refermentation without filtration or pasteurization, this is an uncompromised expression of old-world Belgian brewing. For anyone serious about sour beer, it represents a benchmark for what green gooseberry can achieve in a lambic context.