Gooik (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Beer lovers in Gooik can sample Adriatico Gueuze on Sunday, September 21, 2025, with 250 bottles aged for one year underwater in Pore, Croatia. The project involves Sako Brewery De Bascule and Ulika.
As VRT News reported, beer lovers in Gooik, in the province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium, can taste Adriatico Gueuze for the first time on Sunday, Sep 21, 2025. A total of 250 bottles of Oude Geuze from the Pajottenland region were lowered into the Adriatic Sea near Pore, Croatia.
What makes Adriatico Gueuze by Sako Brewery and Ulika a unique tasting experience?
The project was a collaboration between Sako Brewery in Gooik, De Bascule pub in Bellingen, and Ulika, a company experienced in ageing bottled wine underwater. Officials mentioned that microbreweries are playing an important role in creating new techniques.
“During their underwater stay, the bottles literally became part of the marine life. Shellfish and seaweed attached themselves, giving each bottle a unique appearance,”
Explains Koen Christians of the Sako brewery.
The bottles of Adriatico Gueuze have been retrieved from the Adriatic Sea, and brewer Koen has already tasted them.
“The taste is naturally somewhat different, because the bottles were submerged 20 meters underwater for a year. Don’t expect a salty or briny taste, because the glass bottles are perfectly sealed. But because the bottles could move back and forth in the water, the maturation process is different from when the bottles are stored somewhere in a cellar. The constant temperature and storage away from sunlight also play a role.”
After a year underwater, the original labels had become illegible due to the sea’s effects. Each bottle now carries a new tag with the name “Adriatico Gueuze,” referencing the Adriatic Sea where the beer was aged. Only 250 bottles were produced. Collectors and international enthusiasts of Gueuze are among those eager to obtain a bottle. Each is sold for 80 euros.
In honour of the release, the brewery will have a tasting event on Sunday, September 21, 2025. Attendees will have an opportunity to sample the Gueuze aged underwater as well as Malvasia wines from Istria. Croatian snacks will also be available at the tasting event.
Belgian lambic beers, including Gueuze and Kriek, have been brewed in the Pajottenland and Zenne Valley since the 19th century and are known for their natural bottle fermentation and complex flavours. In recent years, brewers have experimented with new ageing techniques to attract attention from international beer enthusiasts.
The underwater ageing method was inspired by similar projects with bottled wine, carried out by companies such as Ulika. In 2022, Sako Brewery in Gooik and De Bascule pub in Bellingen launched the Adriatico Gueuze project, submerging 250 bottles off the coast of Pore, Croatia, where they remained for a year to develop a unique maritime character. The bottles remained at a depth of 20 meters for 1 year. Some were even suspended with seaweed.
