Gueuze Appears in the Written Record

In 1829, Leuven physician Jean-Baptiste Vrancken used the term “geuze-bier” in a detailed treatise on Belgian brewing. He described it as Lambic brewed by private individuals and matured in barrels for five years, calling it the genuine yellow beer of Brussels. This is the earliest currently identified written reference to the beer name that developed into Gueuze. Vrancken also reported that the mature beer foamed when transferred into bottles and underwent renewed fermentation even though it no longer tasted sweet. His account connects Gueuze directly with aged Lambic and bottle refermentation, but it does not describe the now-standard practice of blending young and old Lambics. The meaning and production of Gueuze continued to evolve during the nineteenth century before the sparkling blended form became dominant.