Lou Pepe - Gueuze
Brasserie Cantillon

4.08/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

January 1st, 2016 - Also kicking off 2016 is a beer from almost a decade ago: the 2007 Cantillon Lou Pepe. Our assumption is that this is perhaps a little long in the tooth, even for a mythically legendary beer like this, but I have high hopes and great trust in the Belgian craftsmen who have honed this recipe through generations. And it seems that my trust was well allocated, because the smell is absolutely beautiful. Chocolate, cream and with a slight fruity sweetness, even the few ounces at the bottom of my glass unfurl up and out and indulge my olfactory with incredible grace and strength. But the taste is spicier, and while it borrows some of the chocolate from the nose, it expresses more like a mole with that kick. Absolutely fascinating, and delicious, this has aged quite wonderfully.

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4.5/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pungently funky with very light fruit notes. Vintage 2013. Pours quite surprisingly clear, pale pink-orange. Taste notes are quite light, carbonation is much like champagne.

Not exactly the revelation that I'd expected, but it's still quite good. Still trying to land myself a framboise - very excited about that beer.

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4.74/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

2009 Sticker
Cork seemed to have dried out, when I opened the bottle some of the beer was on the inside of the cap, the cork was all wet.

Orange color with a white head that diminishes quite fast (I guess because of the open air cork?)
This is exactly what you want to smell from a Gueuze, huge array of complexity right up your nose, funk, slight acetic acid, lactic acid.
One of the deepest layered flavors I've ever had in a Gueuze, so much going in there but at the same time so mellow!
This bottle was a real treat!

We can see how Cantillon moves up their game with their Lou Pepe series!

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4.5/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Clear orange pour. Nose full of citrus including lemons and oranges. Mouthfeel is not overpowering, with a decent citrus aftertaste. Overall very strong lambic beer.

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4.73/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

2010 vintage at Akkurat.

Pours a clear golden orange with thick, soapy foam.

Smell is very tart with notes of lemon, Seville oranges and grapefruit, covering a slight funkiness.

Taste is amazing. Perfect. Superbly balanced acidity and sourness with huge notes of citrus and some funk and hay in the back. So deep and complex it's almost a shame to finish it.

Mouthfeel is thin and effervescent.

Overall, this is like the regular Gueuze on steroids. So deep and complex, but still not overwhelming. A masterpiece.

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4.5/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle at Akkurat in Stockholm. I think this was a 2011 Akkurat blend. So perfectly balanced - not too sour and not too funky. The Lou Pepe are really a step above the standard Cantillon releases and that is really saying something.

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4.71/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Bottle of the 2013 split 3 ways at Hill Farmstead. Poured a lightly hazy reddish copper with maybe a finger of white head. This was incredibly delicious. Pleasantly funky, with some green apple, and a bit of acidity. Far too drinkable.

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4.43/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2013 bottle from The Sovereign in DC.

Pours a reddish golden hue, minimal head. Nice funk on the nose. It's a delicately composed blend of funk, apple, and grape skins. It's well rounded, not too acidic. A beautiful beer worth of its name.

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4.44/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the 750 into teku glasses. 2010 vintage.
Pours a clear and sparking medium honey color with one finger of head.
Aromas are lots of yeast, bread, tart sourness in the nose.
Flavors are perfectly balanced tart sourness, salt and bread.
Mouthfeel was excellent. Finishes clean and dry.
Overall, a perfectly crafted gueuze.

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4.25/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

2009 sticker opened 1/29/2017. Loads of lime on the nose. Some hints of apple and oak. Green grapes in the flavor with some oakiness. Very wine like. The body is a tad thin bordering on watery.

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5/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Had this at Hill Farmstead last week. Amazing funk notes on this. Super perfect gueuze, The funk is awesome and sour. Looks great. Pours perfect. The taste is even better than the smell. This was the 2013 LPG.

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3.6/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Sparkling gold, off-white collar.

Holy funk! It's a challenging, confusing nose--I'm getting a patch of weeds, acetic olive brine, sherry vinegar, and cedar.

Taste is oak and tannin funk, white grape skin, grapefruit rind, brine, and black peppercorn. Pungent hoppiness seems to develop as it warms, and maybe a little kerosene.

Medium body, semi-dry finish.

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4.16/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Not a gueuze guy, I rate this below Lou Pepe's average.
But if ever dryness could coexist with full flavor, it was in this 2013 vintage.
Never will I pay $40 again for a 1/2 bottle of beer... albeit a bomber I shared. But Lou Pepe is on the "1001" list and this bottle pushed me over the top of my 502 goal... so I guess the value has been rationalized.

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4.57/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Definitely don't get to drink Cantillon as often as I would like and when I do, its usually a treat. This was no exception; a solid gueuze that was enjoyable from start to finish.

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4.5/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A 750ml bottle at Nüetnigenough. 2013 sticker, bottled on 27th April 2015. Poured into a Cantillon tasting glass.

Appearance: It poured a clear golden colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly and left some sparse lacing.

Aroma: Apple, floral, lemon, hay, grass, barnyard with a touch of light funk.

Taste: Quite similar to the aromas with apple, lemon, grass, hay, floral, sour, light vinegar and funk.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with high to moderate carbonation.

Overall: A great gueuze. Loving the Lou Pepe varieties from Cantillon. A refreshing spritzy gueuze that is very easy to drink.

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4.37/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.25

Having had all Armand'4 last week, plus various other 3F goodies, I was curious how i would feel about a 2010 LPG this week.

Looked beautiful clear and gold, poured with moderate carb and a bit of head. Smelled like tart Cantillon, rather sweet and a bit fruity. Taste followed suit. Delicious tartness, a bit more tart than apple cider. Perhaps some wine barrel. I didn't find it as bitter as the classic bio gueuze. Fairly sweet and the mouthfeel was incredible - had nice body and quite sufficient balancing tannins. But...very little depth or funk. Found the drinkability high, but the complexity lacking. Perhaps, as others have stated, it needed more time. I plan to never open a LPG this young again (I believe it was the 2013 bottling of the 2010 vintage, opened July 2016).

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4.43/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy golden color. Aroma is tart and funky. Flavor is smooth gueuze tartness with a smooth acidic finish. Tastes like it as a little fruit in it. Feel is excellent, very velvety. Overall delicious.

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4.17/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Honestly was a little bit letdown with this one. To be fair, I had it at a share that included four other Cantillons. It's still a very solid Gueuze, but the lesson learned is that Cantillon simply makes much better beers than this one.

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4.59/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

2010 Sticker, poured into a taster. Medium bodied, perfect carbonation, funky, some oak and a bit of fruit. Sour but not puckering. Overall, a world class gueuze!

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4.66/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2011 sticker. Poured from a 750mL bottle into a Cantillon stemmed tulip glass. Acquired in a trade.

Pours a dark orange, pumpkin colored body with a big white head that reduces fairly quickly but leaves a nice layer or retention and some lacing.

Decanted and allowed to warm.. aromas of oak, funk, barnyard, hay, cedar, citrus, lactic.. aromas are potent and waft through the room, much more inviting than regular gueuze, definitely more wood character!

Taste is fantastic, upfront a light tartness with heavy oak, quite woody, citrus and tons of funk all mingled together, mustyness on the follow through, finishes dry and funky. So delicious. Medium-low carbonation, easy drinker, medium light body.

The increased wood and oak character of this really puts it ahead of regular gueuze and honestly all other gueuzes i've had in the past. Truly world-class.

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4.58/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

So I'm going to blend the scores here. Aged LPG and fresh LPG are two different animals. This is comparison of a 2010 sticker vs. a 2007 sticker. Had the 2010 on 12/21/15 and then 2007 on 1/1/16.

2010 L: Looks like carbonated apple juice. Copper/amber hue with plenty of carb. 4.5.
2007 L: Looks like carbonated apple cider. Incredibly murky. 5.

2010 S: A bit more mild than I expected. Close to regular gueuze but a bit more unique. Some apple, mild vinegar. That cleaner Cantillon funk, but a little dirtyness. 4.5
2007 S: Wow, that is mouthwatering. Granny Smith apples, plenty of dirty funk, but more lemony and lactic forward. 5.

2010 T: Same as the nose. Mild apple, vinegar, slightly soapy fresh Cantillon funk with a bit of dirt. 4.25.
2007 T: Same as the nose! Very apple cider like, tons of lactic mouth watering pucker, lemon, nice funk but a bit behind the lemon apple qualities. 4.75.

2010: F: Fine, a bit thin like fresh Cantillon gueuze usually is. 4.25.
2007 F: Awesome. Creamy and thick, little bit lower carb but so mouthwatering. More like a 4.9.

2010 O: Great gueuze, but not a big enough step up from the regular to justify the price. 4.25.
2007 O: One of my favorite bottles of gueuze ever. The extra few years of aging really made a huge difference. Or maybe it was just better back then, who knows. Worth the hype here. 5.

So yeah, if you go for a bottle of LPG, plan on aging it for at least 5 years, or grab a bottle that's already at least 5 years old. This one was about 6 years when we opened it. It makes a huge difference.

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4.43/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2013 vintage drank out of a chalice on 3/19/2016

Funky and tart, but not overly tart at all. Very refreshing and tons of crisp apple and grape flavors. Well balanced with some grassiness and nice oak as well.

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4.35/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

75cl bottle. Golden orange with a short-lasting white head. Smells like vinegar, macerated grapes, barnyard funk. Sour taste all the way, with interesting notes of mould, barnyard funk, apple vinegar and grape juice. Good stuff - probably the best gueuze I ever tried.

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4.43/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours an almost brown color, with a slight head. Smells a bit funky and citric. There is an intense early tart flavor to this, but it mellows out very nicely. Not overly tart at all. Lots of wood barrel in there also. Some slight carbonation rounds this beer out beautifully. So glad to have tried it.

2011 750ml bottle

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4.91/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

2011 Vintage
L: Apple juice color
S: SOUR
T: Seriously Sour!. Jaw locking type, absolutely loved it! Citrusy, pear, oak, TART
F: Medium bodied. Decent legs on the glass and nice carbination
O: This was fantastic...nuff said

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