Cantillon Gueuze 100% Lambic | Brasserie Cantillon
Brewed by:
Brasserie Cantillon
Belgium | website
Style: Gueuze
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 5.00%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
This listing is for all vintages (Gueuze, Oude Gueuze, etc.).
Added by BeerAdvocate on 10-14-2001
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Reviews: 624 | Ratings: 3,051
5/5 rDev +14.2%
I had this for the first time on draft at the Publick House in Boston earlier this year. This beer is amazing and has turned me into a gueuze/sour beer lover for life!
A: Cloudy; yellow, golden color; weak head
S: The nose had a bit of banana bread with cloves along with farmy/musty qualities
M: Medium body, low carbonation
T: Don't let the sweet aroma fool you, this is a sour beer! Once you adjust to the sour, there are notes of unripened green apples and pepper/spices.
Would love to trade for this beer!!
★ 518 characters
I had this for the first time on draft at the Publick House in Boston earlier this year. This beer is amazing and has turned me into a gueuze/sour beer lover for life!
A: Cloudy; yellow, golden color; weak head
S: The nose had a bit of banana bread with cloves along with farmy/musty qualities
M: Medium body, low carbonation
T: Don't let the sweet aroma fool you, this is a sour beer! Once you adjust to the sour, there are notes of unripened green apples and pepper/spices.
Would love to trade for this beer!!
★ 518 characters
5/5 rDev +14.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Cantillon's classic Gueuze is everything it's modest name implies and more. With a honey-like appearance and a cap of pure white bubbles, it's simply beautiful. It's only minimal haze shows that it is lightly carbonated. It shines radiantly! The sweet aroma reminds one of plums, sour apple, cider vinegar, and a slight 'barnyard' funk. The flavor envelops the drinker in stages... right off the bat, tart fruit esters, like sour cherry and the aforementioned plum wash over the palate, quickly giving way to a funky/yeasty middle and a strong grapefruit/citrus aspect. The mouth feel is slightly wine-like, and seriously has something in common with fresh spring water... it's so very refreshing. The finish mostly acidic and, crisply bitter. Overall, this fine beverage is expertly balanced, probably the biggest remarkable aspect here. Additionally, it's not so harsh going down either, it's rather delicate and drinkable. Cantillon's Gueuze is truly an archetype for the style.
★ 981 characters
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Cantillon's classic Gueuze is everything it's modest name implies and more. With a honey-like appearance and a cap of pure white bubbles, it's simply beautiful. It's only minimal haze shows that it is lightly carbonated. It shines radiantly! The sweet aroma reminds one of plums, sour apple, cider vinegar, and a slight 'barnyard' funk. The flavor envelops the drinker in stages... right off the bat, tart fruit esters, like sour cherry and the aforementioned plum wash over the palate, quickly giving way to a funky/yeasty middle and a strong grapefruit/citrus aspect. The mouth feel is slightly wine-like, and seriously has something in common with fresh spring water... it's so very refreshing. The finish mostly acidic and, crisply bitter. Overall, this fine beverage is expertly balanced, probably the biggest remarkable aspect here. Additionally, it's not so harsh going down either, it's rather delicate and drinkable. Cantillon's Gueuze is truly an archetype for the style.
★ 981 characters
5/5 rDev +14.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Bought a 1 PT 9.4 FL OZ bottle from Hair of the Dog in St. Louis, MO for $25 & shared w/ GeoffTheAleMan. Poured from the Bright Yellow labeled bottle w/ a silhouette of a man in a chair leaning back & downing a cold one into a 0,47l New Belgium Oversized Snifter Glass. Has "Classic Gueuze, Ale Aged in Oak Barrels" on the front and on the back, Bottled: ?/?/2010 (Month & Day rubbed off)...
Aroma- Strongest sour, goaty, barnyard, and horsey notes you can ever imagine! Hits the nose with so much power, you go back for more but could give you a nosebleed if you tried hard enough. Watch out! Some fruit in here also but couldn't make out any specifics.
Appearance- Pours a 1.5 finger head that lasts the entire time! Has a golden color body and leaves good lacing behind. Not quite 100% clear but good clarity.
Flavor- Wow, wow, wow! Lemon puckering from the start to finish. Very well balanced though. Has nice malt and barnyard flavors while being able to see the oaky flavor mentioned on the bottle! No hops but not worried. Awesome from start to finish!
Mouthfeel- Light Bodied, Crazy High Carbonation, Lemon strength like never before, and then has a tart puckering on the finish.
Overall Impression- It took me over 600 beers to find but I found it! The perfect 5 out of 5 beer! It could be a 10 out of 10 too if you put it on an even tougher scale. If you get a chance, get your hands on this and let it age. I'm going to be searching far and wide for this and wouldn't mind buying 2 or 3 to enjoy once again and then age the other two! Not one category in this had any flaws... How could this be? Really appreciated the lemon flavors and how real this one was! Highly, HIGHLY recommended! Don't worry about the price on this one, it will be worth your buck.
★ 1,776 characters
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Bought a 1 PT 9.4 FL OZ bottle from Hair of the Dog in St. Louis, MO for $25 & shared w/ GeoffTheAleMan. Poured from the Bright Yellow labeled bottle w/ a silhouette of a man in a chair leaning back & downing a cold one into a 0,47l New Belgium Oversized Snifter Glass. Has "Classic Gueuze, Ale Aged in Oak Barrels" on the front and on the back, Bottled: ?/?/2010 (Month & Day rubbed off)...
Aroma- Strongest sour, goaty, barnyard, and horsey notes you can ever imagine! Hits the nose with so much power, you go back for more but could give you a nosebleed if you tried hard enough. Watch out! Some fruit in here also but couldn't make out any specifics.
Appearance- Pours a 1.5 finger head that lasts the entire time! Has a golden color body and leaves good lacing behind. Not quite 100% clear but good clarity.
Flavor- Wow, wow, wow! Lemon puckering from the start to finish. Very well balanced though. Has nice malt and barnyard flavors while being able to see the oaky flavor mentioned on the bottle! No hops but not worried. Awesome from start to finish!
Mouthfeel- Light Bodied, Crazy High Carbonation, Lemon strength like never before, and then has a tart puckering on the finish.
Overall Impression- It took me over 600 beers to find but I found it! The perfect 5 out of 5 beer! It could be a 10 out of 10 too if you put it on an even tougher scale. If you get a chance, get your hands on this and let it age. I'm going to be searching far and wide for this and wouldn't mind buying 2 or 3 to enjoy once again and then age the other two! Not one category in this had any flaws... How could this be? Really appreciated the lemon flavors and how real this one was! Highly, HIGHLY recommended! Don't worry about the price on this one, it will be worth your buck.
★ 1,776 characters
5/5 rDev +14.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Cork Dated 2001:
Extremely astringent, superbly sour, very sharp with hints of bitterness. A truly Classic Gueuze, often regarded by many as a benchmark example of its style. A beer style that does polarize drinkers. You will Love it & want more - or Hate it, & spit it out. Apart from the Gueuze-Vigneronne (also Cantillon), it would be my chosen desert island beer. Jean-Pierre Van Roy of Cantillon tries very hard to create authentic lambic beers, & he has excelled himself in my opinion with the Gueuze. Beer can be lively (hence the reference to Gueuze as the Champagne of the Beer world) - do not stand over the cork when pulling, have your glass ready - you have been warned! Improves with age. Try and find older examples with the blue and white Mannekin Piss pictured on the labels, as opposed to the colored brew-kettle on recent years bottles. Can I give this 6 out of 5?!
>>Updated 6/2/03
750ml Old Style Black Label Cork Dated 1996.
A brilliant murky fluid, which has an orange cloudy hue. Served in a dry flute glass with minimal carbonation, white, but very tight thin bubble head. It resembles a flat Hefeweizen after a short time.
Has all the nasal beauty of a herd of damp unsheared Sheep, you know the ones that have shit stuck to their matted back ends. Liquid farmyard effluent traces, wet straw, hay-lofts, rotten soaking oak casks, old wooden barns & crap stained muck-spreaders.
Incredibly dry, impressive yeast dominant astringency, with a massive acidity that fights every drop of saliva in the aural cavity. It decimates the mouth & creates an arid wasteland. The sourness has lessened over the years. Dehydrated cheeks are powerless to defeat the you-know-what-is-coming-next aspect. The Cantillon mouth-pucker. I am sure I swallowed my own mouth at least twice.
Drinkability More Please .
Geeeeee-zuss DONT drink this if your lips are chapped!
A WORLD CLASSIC that just gets better (worse?!?) as it gets older.
Kudos to EyeChartBrew for supplying this dirty whore of a lambic.
★ 2,058 characters
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Cork Dated 2001:
Extremely astringent, superbly sour, very sharp with hints of bitterness. A truly Classic Gueuze, often regarded by many as a benchmark example of its style. A beer style that does polarize drinkers. You will Love it & want more - or Hate it, & spit it out. Apart from the Gueuze-Vigneronne (also Cantillon), it would be my chosen desert island beer. Jean-Pierre Van Roy of Cantillon tries very hard to create authentic lambic beers, & he has excelled himself in my opinion with the Gueuze. Beer can be lively (hence the reference to Gueuze as the Champagne of the Beer world) - do not stand over the cork when pulling, have your glass ready - you have been warned! Improves with age. Try and find older examples with the blue and white Mannekin Piss pictured on the labels, as opposed to the colored brew-kettle on recent years bottles. Can I give this 6 out of 5?!
>>Updated 6/2/03
750ml Old Style Black Label Cork Dated 1996.
A brilliant murky fluid, which has an orange cloudy hue. Served in a dry flute glass with minimal carbonation, white, but very tight thin bubble head. It resembles a flat Hefeweizen after a short time.
Has all the nasal beauty of a herd of damp unsheared Sheep, you know the ones that have shit stuck to their matted back ends. Liquid farmyard effluent traces, wet straw, hay-lofts, rotten soaking oak casks, old wooden barns & crap stained muck-spreaders.
Incredibly dry, impressive yeast dominant astringency, with a massive acidity that fights every drop of saliva in the aural cavity. It decimates the mouth & creates an arid wasteland. The sourness has lessened over the years. Dehydrated cheeks are powerless to defeat the you-know-what-is-coming-next aspect. The Cantillon mouth-pucker. I am sure I swallowed my own mouth at least twice.
Drinkability More Please .
Geeeeee-zuss DONT drink this if your lips are chapped!
A WORLD CLASSIC that just gets better (worse?!?) as it gets older.
Kudos to EyeChartBrew for supplying this dirty whore of a lambic.
★ 2,058 characters
5/5 rDev +14.2%
Incomparably outstanding...supremely tart...don't plan on drinking anything else the rest of the day. Felt like I had 8oz of liquid gold in front of me....I was forced to order another immediately....I feel lucky to have been able to dry this on draft.
★ 253 characters
Incomparably outstanding...supremely tart...don't plan on drinking anything else the rest of the day. Felt like I had 8oz of liquid gold in front of me....I was forced to order another immediately....I feel lucky to have been able to dry this on draft.
★ 253 characters
4.97/5 rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
750ml bottle dated November 2008, poured into a snifter.
A: The only reason I didn't give this category a 5, like the others, was because just looking at this beer doesn't do justice to what you are about to consume. It is a pretty beer, for sure (it looks somewhat like a summer wheat beer with a smaller head), but it is almost deceiving in what you are about to experience.
S: Green apple and dark, damp cellar with slight lemon peel. Spectacular.
T: The taste follows the nose perfectly. The green apple and damp cellar smell come through and they are joined by a tart, dry funk that makes your lips pucker in the best way possible. As the beer warmed (I had the entire 750ml to myself) the damp cellar smell and taste crept out even more. It was great both at the cooler temperature and at the warmer temperature (just a little different).
M: Dry, crisp, puckering, tart, perfect.
O: 5% ABV? Seriously? I could drink this all day and night. I polished off the 750ml with no problem whatsoever. That it was aged from November 2008 probably only added to the beauty and complexity of this beer. Stunning.
★ 1,112 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
750ml bottle dated November 2008, poured into a snifter.
A: The only reason I didn't give this category a 5, like the others, was because just looking at this beer doesn't do justice to what you are about to consume. It is a pretty beer, for sure (it looks somewhat like a summer wheat beer with a smaller head), but it is almost deceiving in what you are about to experience.
S: Green apple and dark, damp cellar with slight lemon peel. Spectacular.
T: The taste follows the nose perfectly. The green apple and damp cellar smell come through and they are joined by a tart, dry funk that makes your lips pucker in the best way possible. As the beer warmed (I had the entire 750ml to myself) the damp cellar smell and taste crept out even more. It was great both at the cooler temperature and at the warmer temperature (just a little different).
M: Dry, crisp, puckering, tart, perfect.
O: 5% ABV? Seriously? I could drink this all day and night. I polished off the 750ml with no problem whatsoever. That it was aged from November 2008 probably only added to the beauty and complexity of this beer. Stunning.
★ 1,112 characters
4.97/5 rDev +13.5%
A: Bloom fades quickly. Slight lacing. Hazy, grapefruit-like orange/ruby hue. No perceived yeast sediment.
S: Spicy, fruity, yeasty, dry bouquet. Definite notes of lemon, grape, and grapefruit.
T: Delightfully complex flavor profile, with notes of lemon and grapefruit. Tart, very dry citrus flavors combine with a pleasant slight sweetness and a very nice bitterness at the end.
9/20/14....Zwanze Day at Bier Station in KC. Had two big glasses of this and several others. Absolutely fantastic on tap!
M: Slight carbonation. Very smooth. Medium bodied.
O: Probably the best example of this style I have ever had. Worth the splurge.
★ 637 characters
A: Bloom fades quickly. Slight lacing. Hazy, grapefruit-like orange/ruby hue. No perceived yeast sediment.
S: Spicy, fruity, yeasty, dry bouquet. Definite notes of lemon, grape, and grapefruit.
T: Delightfully complex flavor profile, with notes of lemon and grapefruit. Tart, very dry citrus flavors combine with a pleasant slight sweetness and a very nice bitterness at the end.
9/20/14....Zwanze Day at Bier Station in KC. Had two big glasses of this and several others. Absolutely fantastic on tap!
M: Slight carbonation. Very smooth. Medium bodied.
O: Probably the best example of this style I have ever had. Worth the splurge.
★ 637 characters
4.97/5 rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Pours a dusty, musty yellow into my glass, with a small head that quickly settles down.
Aromas are all over the place -- rusted steel, cat urine, straw/hay, decaying citrus rind, etc. I could smell this all day. It's one of those aromas that you never quite forget, and instantly recognize, much like an old locker room. That smell is in here too, come to think of it.
Taste is pungently sour, but not overwhelming. The tastes are similar to the aromas, but even more present and vital here. It's very hard to describe...just one of those things that has to be enjoyed.
Mouthfeel is perfect for the style, light and dancing on the tongue -- this would be a perfect substitute for champagne.
Drinkability depends on who you are. Myself, I consider this eminently drinkable, especially during the hotter days of the summer. Another friend of mine drinks half a glass and has an acidic stomach all evening. To each their own. Seeing how this is my review, it gets a 5.
This is the quintessential Gueuze Lambic. Additionally, I prefer it to the flavored lambics that Cantillon makes, as it lets the brewer's craft truly shine. There are those in the Cantillon catalogue that are inventive than this, there are those that have wonderful ingredients added, but in a style as random and varied as the winds that blow through the brewery, this beer remains the benchmark.
A beautiul thing.
★ 1,400 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Pours a dusty, musty yellow into my glass, with a small head that quickly settles down.
Aromas are all over the place -- rusted steel, cat urine, straw/hay, decaying citrus rind, etc. I could smell this all day. It's one of those aromas that you never quite forget, and instantly recognize, much like an old locker room. That smell is in here too, come to think of it.
Taste is pungently sour, but not overwhelming. The tastes are similar to the aromas, but even more present and vital here. It's very hard to describe...just one of those things that has to be enjoyed.
Mouthfeel is perfect for the style, light and dancing on the tongue -- this would be a perfect substitute for champagne.
Drinkability depends on who you are. Myself, I consider this eminently drinkable, especially during the hotter days of the summer. Another friend of mine drinks half a glass and has an acidic stomach all evening. To each their own. Seeing how this is my review, it gets a 5.
This is the quintessential Gueuze Lambic. Additionally, I prefer it to the flavored lambics that Cantillon makes, as it lets the brewer's craft truly shine. There are those in the Cantillon catalogue that are inventive than this, there are those that have wonderful ingredients added, but in a style as random and varied as the winds that blow through the brewery, this beer remains the benchmark.
A beautiul thing.
★ 1,400 characters
4.95/5 rDev +13%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
A: The beer pours a hazy golden orange body with a thin white head that quickly disappears.
S: Sourness and fruit tart! Damn this beer smells so damn good..
T: Like the smell, I am getting tons of sourness. It sort of reminds me of sour candy with a bit of wheat..
M: Beer goes down so smooth with a tiny bit of carbonation on th back of the tongue..
O: This is just one of the best beers I've ever had... Every aspect of this beer is amazing.
★ 447 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
A: The beer pours a hazy golden orange body with a thin white head that quickly disappears.
S: Sourness and fruit tart! Damn this beer smells so damn good..
T: Like the smell, I am getting tons of sourness. It sort of reminds me of sour candy with a bit of wheat..
M: Beer goes down so smooth with a tiny bit of carbonation on th back of the tongue..
O: This is just one of the best beers I've ever had... Every aspect of this beer is amazing.
★ 447 characters
4.94/5 rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Had a glass of this at the brewery in Brussels ... can't get any better than that. They served it via lambic basket into my glass then I closed my eyes and I was in heaven for a few min.
★ 186 characters
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Had a glass of this at the brewery in Brussels ... can't get any better than that. They served it via lambic basket into my glass then I closed my eyes and I was in heaven for a few min.
★ 186 characters
4.94/5 rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Oh my, my!!! This is what it is all about!! DRY, tart, prickly carbonation, musty, earthy, funky goodness :-)
Not your usual beer. If you are not prepared for the very wild flavors of a Cantillon you may go into shock. If on the other hand you are looking for a very authentic Lambic, this is your man!!
★ 306 characters
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Oh my, my!!! This is what it is all about!! DRY, tart, prickly carbonation, musty, earthy, funky goodness :-)
Not your usual beer. If you are not prepared for the very wild flavors of a Cantillon you may go into shock. If on the other hand you are looking for a very authentic Lambic, this is your man!!
★ 306 characters
4.94/5 rDev +12.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
A fantastically perfect example of what a Gueuze should be. The two clowns who reviewed this beer before me didn't review the beer properly. Anyway more Cantillon for the rest of us
★ 182 characters
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
A fantastically perfect example of what a Gueuze should be. The two clowns who reviewed this beer before me didn't review the beer properly. Anyway more Cantillon for the rest of us
★ 182 characters
4.92/5 rDev +12.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Thank you to BTPete for this bottle, from like a year ago.
Poured in my Cantillon tumbler (Mega thanks to Jerriko!), this gueuze pours a pale, slightly hazy gold, with a small, white fizzy head that's still sitting there, a while after the pour and some consumption. I can't believe the head is still there! It's beautiful. Lots of bubbles zing to the top, as well.
The aroma of this is amazing. I keep having to take another whiff. Very tart right off the bat, funky too. The classic barnyard odors, hay, some poop. Some sort of unripe tropical citrus. A lot going on and it's just great.
The taste lives up to the nose. It's very impressive, the best Gueuze I've had. Very sour, but not too acidic, with a hint of sweetness after a few sips. The barnyardness really starts to come through. A hint of bitterness on the finish. It's mouthwatering, and quite drinkable.
Mouthfeel is nice, too. Smooth with much less carbonation than you would expect, given the fierce bubbles that you see first off. Doesn't leave my mouth too dry, but wanting more.
Overall, this is quite the treat and I'm so glad to finally have opened my bottle. The Cantillon tumbler makes it even more of an experience, and I can't wait to enjoy more Cantillons with it.
★ 1,246 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Thank you to BTPete for this bottle, from like a year ago.
Poured in my Cantillon tumbler (Mega thanks to Jerriko!), this gueuze pours a pale, slightly hazy gold, with a small, white fizzy head that's still sitting there, a while after the pour and some consumption. I can't believe the head is still there! It's beautiful. Lots of bubbles zing to the top, as well.
The aroma of this is amazing. I keep having to take another whiff. Very tart right off the bat, funky too. The classic barnyard odors, hay, some poop. Some sort of unripe tropical citrus. A lot going on and it's just great.
The taste lives up to the nose. It's very impressive, the best Gueuze I've had. Very sour, but not too acidic, with a hint of sweetness after a few sips. The barnyardness really starts to come through. A hint of bitterness on the finish. It's mouthwatering, and quite drinkable.
Mouthfeel is nice, too. Smooth with much less carbonation than you would expect, given the fierce bubbles that you see first off. Doesn't leave my mouth too dry, but wanting more.
Overall, this is quite the treat and I'm so glad to finally have opened my bottle. The Cantillon tumbler makes it even more of an experience, and I can't wait to enjoy more Cantillons with it.
★ 1,246 characters
4.92/5 rDev +12.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Special thanks to Evan for this one. Bottled September 17th 2011
A- Hazy orange pour with a thin white cap that slowly disappears. lacing is minimal.
S- Lemon, grass and full on funk. The beer is making my mouth water. Typical Cantillon smells of hay, horse blanket and damp barn.
T- Sour, funky and delicious. This thing is a triple threat. Starts off with a puckering lemon, cranberry sour that quickly hits its stride with full on barnyard funk. There is a grassy aftertaste that makes my mouth water for more.
M- Thin with oodles of carbonation making this sour and prickly on the tongue.
O- This one is remarkable. A true bench mark for all other gueuzes on the market.
★ 679 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Special thanks to Evan for this one. Bottled September 17th 2011
A- Hazy orange pour with a thin white cap that slowly disappears. lacing is minimal.
S- Lemon, grass and full on funk. The beer is making my mouth water. Typical Cantillon smells of hay, horse blanket and damp barn.
T- Sour, funky and delicious. This thing is a triple threat. Starts off with a puckering lemon, cranberry sour that quickly hits its stride with full on barnyard funk. There is a grassy aftertaste that makes my mouth water for more.
M- Thin with oodles of carbonation making this sour and prickly on the tongue.
O- This one is remarkable. A true bench mark for all other gueuzes on the market.
★ 679 characters
4.92/5 rDev +12.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
A 750ml pour into a mini duvel tulip.
Appearance - a nice light orangy color, pretty clear.
Smell - smells great. There's something familiar about it but can't put my finger on it. Maybe vinegary? But I really enjoy that.
tatse - excellent.
mouthfeel - smooth and a little fizzy at the same time.
overall - a real treat.
★ 320 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
A 750ml pour into a mini duvel tulip.
Appearance - a nice light orangy color, pretty clear.
Smell - smells great. There's something familiar about it but can't put my finger on it. Maybe vinegary? But I really enjoy that.
tatse - excellent.
mouthfeel - smooth and a little fizzy at the same time.
overall - a real treat.
★ 320 characters
4.92/5 rDev +12.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
L- A nice golden honey color. Maybe a touch orange. With a thin, quickly disappearing, champagne like head. Beautiful.
S- Nice citrusy vinager scent. Good funk.
T- Lambic at its finest. Nice pucker, without masking the various flavors.
M- Goes down smooth. Leaves that nice slightly dried mouth feel.
O- One of the best bottles anyone can buy now-a-days.
★ 355 characters
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
L- A nice golden honey color. Maybe a touch orange. With a thin, quickly disappearing, champagne like head. Beautiful.
S- Nice citrusy vinager scent. Good funk.
T- Lambic at its finest. Nice pucker, without masking the various flavors.
M- Goes down smooth. Leaves that nice slightly dried mouth feel.
O- One of the best bottles anyone can buy now-a-days.
★ 355 characters
4.92/5 rDev +12.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
One of three beers offered as a tasting at the brewery in Brussels. Poured into a flute.
It was pale golden, sour and dry. Definitely more like wine than what you would expect from a typical beer. Incredibly complex, vinous, sour, apple, funk, softer and more complex than you would expect. Wonderfully strange to someone used to "regular" beers.
★ 346 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
One of three beers offered as a tasting at the brewery in Brussels. Poured into a flute.
It was pale golden, sour and dry. Definitely more like wine than what you would expect from a typical beer. Incredibly complex, vinous, sour, apple, funk, softer and more complex than you would expect. Wonderfully strange to someone used to "regular" beers.
★ 346 characters
4.9/5 rDev +11.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Appearance: slight haze, gold color, small white head
Aroma: bittersweet fruit, milder acidity on nose than the pure Lambic, sour notes
Taste: musty, barnyard like flavor, less acidic than 15 month pure Lambic, sour notes on finish
Mouthfeel: medium body, medium carbonation, prickly on the palate
Overall impression: a mellowed version of the 15 month Lambic with sour and acidic notes toned down. Also with the addition of the 3 year Lambic, it achieves that musty, barnyard flavor that is so desired in a proper Geuze.
★ 525 characters
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Appearance: slight haze, gold color, small white head
Aroma: bittersweet fruit, milder acidity on nose than the pure Lambic, sour notes
Taste: musty, barnyard like flavor, less acidic than 15 month pure Lambic, sour notes on finish
Mouthfeel: medium body, medium carbonation, prickly on the palate
Overall impression: a mellowed version of the 15 month Lambic with sour and acidic notes toned down. Also with the addition of the 3 year Lambic, it achieves that musty, barnyard flavor that is so desired in a proper Geuze.
★ 525 characters
4.9/5 rDev +11.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
On tap at Ebenezers Pub, Lovell Maine.
Well poured in Cantillon long-stem glass. Yellow-Orange-Gold, medium translucency with one finger of white foam. Definitely not cloudy.
Nose of citrus fruits, sour, and grassy funk.
Mouthfeel very clean, higher carbonation than I am used to in this style but matches the flavors well.
Taste from beginning to end of sip is wider than I've ever had in this style. Nearly sweet at the beginning, but transitions to a sharp-sour, nearly bitter but extremely clean flavor of almost musty cheesiness. Reminiscent of the dry finish of very good french champagne.
Awesome example of the style, wish I could get it where I live. Paired amazingly well with the lobster roll I had for lunch.
★ 728 characters
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
On tap at Ebenezers Pub, Lovell Maine.
Well poured in Cantillon long-stem glass. Yellow-Orange-Gold, medium translucency with one finger of white foam. Definitely not cloudy.
Nose of citrus fruits, sour, and grassy funk.
Mouthfeel very clean, higher carbonation than I am used to in this style but matches the flavors well.
Taste from beginning to end of sip is wider than I've ever had in this style. Nearly sweet at the beginning, but transitions to a sharp-sour, nearly bitter but extremely clean flavor of almost musty cheesiness. Reminiscent of the dry finish of very good french champagne.
Awesome example of the style, wish I could get it where I live. Paired amazingly well with the lobster roll I had for lunch.
★ 728 characters
4.89/5 rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
750mL bottle - bottled in 2009 - served into a tulip glass
Pours a glowing goldenrod color. Fairly hazy. The head is pretty much white and sits at one and a half fingers in size. Spotty lacing in the few spots where there is lacing. Pretty solid looking, especially for the style.
Oh, man, this is a great nose for a Gueuze. This beer brings the FUNK. Horseblanket, decaying hay, a bit of poop - the Brettonamyces aromas are strong (and lovely, if you're into Brett). To balance that funk is the tang of wheat, the sourness of lemon juice and the sharpness of vinegar. It doesn't have any aromas that you don't normally expect from gueuze, but what it has (especially in the category of funk) is perfectly executed.
This is a tremendous guezue. It is perfectly balanced between sour and funky. Lots of lemon juice flavor provides the sharp, sour backbone needed to deliver the amazing funk character. Taste follows the nose, only there is no poop flavor. Instead we get some phenolic business that takes the edge off the sourness. I'm a little surprised that the beer isn't MORE sour, given that this bottle was bottled in 2009. Still, this is great. So, so much funk.
Love the mouthfeel. Light to medium bodied with a just-right amount of carbonation. It is very drying; this would make for a killer aperitif. The drinkability is insane; this is totally sour and funky but also refreshing; I can polish off a 750mL of this very quickly.
I can't imagine a guezue getting much better. The balance is tremendous and the funk is so well-executed. This is the best guezue I've ever had; if there are better than I really, really want to try them. Please. Give them to me. I'm down for trades.
★ 1,693 characters
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
750mL bottle - bottled in 2009 - served into a tulip glass
Pours a glowing goldenrod color. Fairly hazy. The head is pretty much white and sits at one and a half fingers in size. Spotty lacing in the few spots where there is lacing. Pretty solid looking, especially for the style.
Oh, man, this is a great nose for a Gueuze. This beer brings the FUNK. Horseblanket, decaying hay, a bit of poop - the Brettonamyces aromas are strong (and lovely, if you're into Brett). To balance that funk is the tang of wheat, the sourness of lemon juice and the sharpness of vinegar. It doesn't have any aromas that you don't normally expect from gueuze, but what it has (especially in the category of funk) is perfectly executed.
This is a tremendous guezue. It is perfectly balanced between sour and funky. Lots of lemon juice flavor provides the sharp, sour backbone needed to deliver the amazing funk character. Taste follows the nose, only there is no poop flavor. Instead we get some phenolic business that takes the edge off the sourness. I'm a little surprised that the beer isn't MORE sour, given that this bottle was bottled in 2009. Still, this is great. So, so much funk.
Love the mouthfeel. Light to medium bodied with a just-right amount of carbonation. It is very drying; this would make for a killer aperitif. The drinkability is insane; this is totally sour and funky but also refreshing; I can polish off a 750mL of this very quickly.
I can't imagine a guezue getting much better. The balance is tremendous and the funk is so well-executed. This is the best guezue I've ever had; if there are better than I really, really want to try them. Please. Give them to me. I'm down for trades.
★ 1,693 characters
4.89/5 rDev +11.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
Cracked a 2011 with some friends. Loved everything about it - delicate sour flavor, but very smooth and drinkable. This won't smack you over the head, but it's tart and refreshing.
★ 180 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
Cracked a 2011 with some friends. Loved everything about it - delicate sour flavor, but very smooth and drinkable. This won't smack you over the head, but it's tart and refreshing.
★ 180 characters
4.87/5 rDev +11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
"This one's on the house", proclaimed Casey as he plonked down a bottle of the 2001 Cantillon Gueuze on our table last night. Thank you SO much!
With great clarity, this beer is light orange with a dense off-white head with great retention and lacing. The nose... to quote Devin Townsend - "Oh. My. Fuck.Ing.God" Musty as hell with plenty of tannins, grapefruit, copious funk, this is exceptional. The blend and balance of musty basement with bright citrus character is particularly exceptional. The palate opens tart and salty, very Limburger-like. While tannic, this is still very bright and lemony with moderate citrus. Musty, cheesy, funky... this is the paragon of an aged gueuze. I can't help but stress how wonderful the balance between the tannins and the citrus is, this is just fabulous stuff.
★ 804 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
"This one's on the house", proclaimed Casey as he plonked down a bottle of the 2001 Cantillon Gueuze on our table last night. Thank you SO much!
With great clarity, this beer is light orange with a dense off-white head with great retention and lacing. The nose... to quote Devin Townsend - "Oh. My. Fuck.Ing.God" Musty as hell with plenty of tannins, grapefruit, copious funk, this is exceptional. The blend and balance of musty basement with bright citrus character is particularly exceptional. The palate opens tart and salty, very Limburger-like. While tannic, this is still very bright and lemony with moderate citrus. Musty, cheesy, funky... this is the paragon of an aged gueuze. I can't help but stress how wonderful the balance between the tannins and the citrus is, this is just fabulous stuff.
★ 804 characters
4.85/5 rDev +10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
5th bottling. Oct 2000.
Vivid golden orange, skimmed on top by milky white foam.
It's got the hallmarks of gueuze nailed in the nose department. Hay soaked in oaky Chardonnay and urine. Add some lemon pulp, rust and dirt and there you have it.
Wheaty up front, and just for a moment. Then it begins its descent. Rusty iron, cobwebs, and mildewed hay. Uncut, unadulterated lime juice tartness and acidity. Acidity is futhered by a white vinousness. Oaky hues are bolstered down the stretch. Cottony, sharp cheese. Ends with lemon-squeezed soil.
Mouthfeel is equally silty soft and cuttingly sharp. A rope-a-dope in the mouth. The compacted yet steady carbonation keeps this drinkable indefinitely.
The remarkable thing here is that it serves equally well as a quencher as it does as a stand-alone experience.
It's not the foulest, loudest gueuze out there (though it comes close). But it's likely among the finest.
Huge praise, 'Huge.
★ 945 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
5th bottling. Oct 2000.
Vivid golden orange, skimmed on top by milky white foam.
It's got the hallmarks of gueuze nailed in the nose department. Hay soaked in oaky Chardonnay and urine. Add some lemon pulp, rust and dirt and there you have it.
Wheaty up front, and just for a moment. Then it begins its descent. Rusty iron, cobwebs, and mildewed hay. Uncut, unadulterated lime juice tartness and acidity. Acidity is futhered by a white vinousness. Oaky hues are bolstered down the stretch. Cottony, sharp cheese. Ends with lemon-squeezed soil.
Mouthfeel is equally silty soft and cuttingly sharp. A rope-a-dope in the mouth. The compacted yet steady carbonation keeps this drinkable indefinitely.
The remarkable thing here is that it serves equally well as a quencher as it does as a stand-alone experience.
It's not the foulest, loudest gueuze out there (though it comes close). But it's likely among the finest.
Huge praise, 'Huge.
★ 945 characters
4.85/5 rDev +10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
750ml 2011 bottle
A - Pours golden straw colored, with a hint of orange. A very small off-white head forms, but that fades quickly and leaves a small amount of lacing.
S - Smells of sour vinegar, sweet citrus, and a bit of funk.
T - The first taste you get is that sour, acidic vinegar taste. But, surprisingly the sourness isn't overpowering at all. Next you get an smooth oaky taste and finally it finishes almost like a sweet champagne. After the first sip I immediately needed another. It's sour, smooth, and refreshing all at once.
M - Fine carbonation, almost champagne - like. Beautifully smooth and bubbly mouth feel.
O - In my opinion, this is the gold standard for the standard gueze style. I can't imagine it getting much better than this.
★ 756 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
750ml 2011 bottle
A - Pours golden straw colored, with a hint of orange. A very small off-white head forms, but that fades quickly and leaves a small amount of lacing.
S - Smells of sour vinegar, sweet citrus, and a bit of funk.
T - The first taste you get is that sour, acidic vinegar taste. But, surprisingly the sourness isn't overpowering at all. Next you get an smooth oaky taste and finally it finishes almost like a sweet champagne. After the first sip I immediately needed another. It's sour, smooth, and refreshing all at once.
M - Fine carbonation, almost champagne - like. Beautifully smooth and bubbly mouth feel.
O - In my opinion, this is the gold standard for the standard gueze style. I can't imagine it getting much better than this.
★ 756 characters
Cantillon Gueuze 100% Lambic from Brasserie Cantillon
4.38
out of 5
based on 3,051 ratings.
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Funky, fruity nose with traces of of grapefruit, lemon, must, wet wood and wet horseblanket. Pours hazy straw with a very slight copper hue. Very tart over ripe fruit, lemon, sourness, a grapefruit sharpness, hints of pear, oak, and a quinine bitterness on the finish. Reasonably light, effervescent, refreshing.
★ 312 characters