Gueuze 100% Lambic
Brasserie Cantillon

 

 

 

Bottled 10/5/21

This is Cantillon’s most popular beer, and I’m somehow only getting to it now. I was originally intending to just buy another bottle of Fou Foune from MBC, but when I saw the seller had this one available for a good price I figured I had to get it. Let’s pop it open and see what it has to offer

Pours a cloudy orange gold with 2 fingers of soapy off white head that quickly fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing

There's a lot of funk in the nose here, but it's very well integrated. i'm picking up on aromas of wet hay, sharp oak, lemon zest, wildflower honey, crabapple, white wine vinegar, white pepper, light cracker, and pear

The funk is certainly more aggressive in taste, though it's more than welcome here. On the front end of the sip I'm tasting lemon juice, earthy wheat, sharp oak, white wine vinegar, crabapple, pear skin, wet hay, jammy apricot, and white pepper. The swallow brings notes of lemon juice, wildflower honey, crabapple, sharp oak, white wine vinegar, pear skin, jammy apricot, earthy wheat, tobacco, light cracker, and a touch of smoke

A medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a sharp yet slick beer. Finishes oddly sticky but eventually dries out

This is wonderful, but I'm honestly a bit surprised that it's not super dry. The sticky finish takes away from the experience a bit, but overall it's still a great expereince

750 ml bottle split with my wife, poured into red wine glasses. 2019 vintage. This is a wonderfully complex gueuze. Green apple, plentiful but not overwhelming acidity, leather funk, oak tannins, and a hint of vinegar are the primary flavor notes. Mouthfeel has average carbonation and a dry finish. Stellar.

750ml bottle poured into tulip. Date on bottle says December of '21.

Pours a deep golden orange with half a finger of dirty white head that leaves clouds of lace as it recedes.

Smells of white wine vinegar, sour green apples, zesty oranges, juicy stone fruit, barrel wood and some lacto funk.

Tastes more fruit-forward. Apricot, pineapple, sour apple, navel orange, more sharp vinegar, barnyard funk and barrel staves.

Feels smooth and delicate. Light bodied with soft carbonation. Finishes sour and fruity.

Verdict: Vigorously recommended. World class for sure.

 

Got one from Taiwan and one from La village de la biere in Strasbourg. Great example of the style.

 

2,500th review! It's only been 9.5 years. Super excited to try this legendary Cantillon as I've been sitting on it for a few months hoping for a milestone brew. 2021 bottling and purchased from Durand for a small but worthwhile fortune. My first Loon. Served cold into a goblet.

Appearance - Picturesque bright golden color with a small amount of haze. A finger of small soapy cap that continues to fizzle on as more head forms from the bubbles rising in the glass.

Smell - Tartness with subtle bits of cherry, apple skins, woody and slightly musty barrel, some earthy funk. There's sort of a deep underlying sweetness there too that ties all the aromas together.

Taste - A little sourness and green apple tartness. Elements of wood and musty barrel. Light grapey qualities too. Funky without being too far out in left field. Cohesive in the flavors. A slightly spicy element in the aftermath maybe. As it warms the woody barrel note seems to be elevated with a trace of honey. Depth of flavor is awesome and lingers on really well in the aftertaste,

Mouthfeel - Medium-light body, good expressive carbonation and very dry finish.

Overall - Awesome sour beer, the depth is unreal and it's difficult to decipher everything you're tasting. Super stoked to have finally tried this and boy does it ever live up to expectations. One of my best new beers of 2022 and a very worthy milestone brew. Absolutely worth trying if you can a) find it and b) afford it.

 

September 2021 bottle.

Looks: Slightly cloudy orange/gold, no head or legs.

Smells: Sour and funky, lots of fruit for an unfruited lambic (bacteria are amazing, hey?). I get apricot, orange zest, citron, green apple, pineapple, wood, a bit of bread, and apple cider vinegar levels of fermentation.

Tastes: Similar to the nose but less fruity, mostly apricot, citrus, and green apple plus the woodiness and bready malt, with the sourness and funk being more prominent. Gave me a big initial pucker but was smooth after.

Feels: Nice medium body, a slight fuzzy carbonation that doesn't linger very long.

Overall: Heck yeah. Awesome gueuze, lives up to the Cantillon hype even if it's not mind-blowing.

A 750ml corked and capped bottle, 20/21 season, bottled on 1st October 2020. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen gueuze glass.

Appearance: A mostly clear golden orange colour with a big two finger white head that had pretty good retention and eventually settled to a thin cap while leaving some nice lacing.

Aroma: Sour, tart, funky, musty, wet wood, green apple, grapefruit zest, with a touch of white grapes.

Taste: Sour, tart, slightly sweet, funky, oak, apricot, with some light lemon zesty notes.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

Overall: A nice enjoyable easy to drink gueuze. Perfect for a hot summer day.

Smell of tart cherries and some yeasty bread. Orange-ish pour with visible active carbonation. Flavor is tart but nothing like the kettle sours of today. More balanced, and smooth enough to allow for the fruit notes to come through. This is surprisingly mellow in the finish, with the bready notes of the yeast taking hold.

My first Cantillon offering, and shared with a couple friends at Monk's Cafe in Philly. Absolutely a must try for any beer enthusiast.

Bottle pour- opaque dark golden color with quickly dissipating white head. Nose is a bit funky with hints of tart fruit and yeast.. Taste follows with a a tart and tangy crispness. An interesting brew that I liked more than expected.

 

 

Rich gold body is almost copper, clear and shining, forming a fine fizzy head, off white and holding retention for a little over a minute before dwindling to a thin layer.
Aroma is lightly tart and fruity like white grapes, wheat, honey.
Fresh, bright, and light - feels like summer in an orchard; reminiscent of spanish sidre, with flavours of crisp sweet/tart apples and hay, with a whisper of funk, a light lactic tang, the freshest mountain water, oak; it's the perfect level of sourness, enough to make you smack your lips, but not pucker; the finish is dry and flavour lingers; the feel is prickly and finely effervescent, medium bodied, crisp yet silky.

Beautiful in it's simplicity and refinement. Not particularly complex, it is pure and deftly crafted, and approachable.

Cantillon Brewery, Brussels

Looked, tasted, felt like vomit resulted from alcohol poisoning.

Horrendous.

Gex.