Cantillon Gueuze 100% Lambic | Brasserie Cantillon
Brewed by:
Brasserie Cantillon
Belgium
cantillon.be
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
Ratings: 3,707 | Reviews: 910
4.36/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Served in a bottle at The Jeffrey Craft Beer and Bites in New York, NY
Note: Bottled 1 February 2013
A: Pours a very lightly hazy medium golden yellow in color with minimal amounts of gentle visible carbonation along the edges of the glass and some hints of lemon yellow highlights. The beer has a very thin (barely covering the entire surface of the beer) fizzy white head that quickly reduces to a very thin ring at the edges of the glass. Minimal amounts of lacing are observed.
S: Moderately sour with a presence of fruit (white grape and lemon), lighter amount of funkiness, and hints of yeast. Very light notes of oak.
T: The beer has a strong sour flavor that is quite acidic and tart - there is a light to moderate presence of fruit (white grape and lemon) along with light notes of funkiness, yeast, and oak. Quite puckering.
M: Light bodied with heavy amounts of carbonation. Moderate to heavy amounts of acidic prickliness are also present.
O: As this was a complementary bottle from the owner of The Jeffrey, it may have been even more enjoyable than it already would have been and considering the quality of this beer that is great. Probably one of the most perfect examples of the style in my opinion. It is truly a classic - strong sour flavors but exactly what you would expect for the style.
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look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Served in a bottle at The Jeffrey Craft Beer and Bites in New York, NY
Note: Bottled 1 February 2013
A: Pours a very lightly hazy medium golden yellow in color with minimal amounts of gentle visible carbonation along the edges of the glass and some hints of lemon yellow highlights. The beer has a very thin (barely covering the entire surface of the beer) fizzy white head that quickly reduces to a very thin ring at the edges of the glass. Minimal amounts of lacing are observed.
S: Moderately sour with a presence of fruit (white grape and lemon), lighter amount of funkiness, and hints of yeast. Very light notes of oak.
T: The beer has a strong sour flavor that is quite acidic and tart - there is a light to moderate presence of fruit (white grape and lemon) along with light notes of funkiness, yeast, and oak. Quite puckering.
M: Light bodied with heavy amounts of carbonation. Moderate to heavy amounts of acidic prickliness are also present.
O: As this was a complementary bottle from the owner of The Jeffrey, it may have been even more enjoyable than it already would have been and considering the quality of this beer that is great. Probably one of the most perfect examples of the style in my opinion. It is truly a classic - strong sour flavors but exactly what you would expect for the style.
1,314 characters
5/5 rDev +15.5%
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.
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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.
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4.44/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Poured from 750 mL bottle into 10 oz snifters x 2 with a moderate hand. Date on the bottle reads 16 october 2012. This one is following up Drie Fonteinen's gueuze, so it will be a little head-to-head action...
A: Golden orange-yellow with nice haziness. 1 finger width of white head the quickly dissolves to a thin coat. Light lacing. Very nice.
S: Lemon. Citrus tartness. Nice brett. Nice barnyard. Slightly more subdued vs 3F, but very good.
T: Moderate sourness with gradual fade to a fairly dry finish. Lemon. Undoubtedly more bitter notes than 3F with more lingering bitterness on the back end. Delicious.
M: Moderate to light carbonation. Not quite as full as I was hoping, but good.
O: Excellent gueuze - have no doubt. Had I not just enjoyed 3F's offering, I'd probably be gushing about this one a bit more. No complaints. This is a must try.
Prost!
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look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Poured from 750 mL bottle into 10 oz snifters x 2 with a moderate hand. Date on the bottle reads 16 october 2012. This one is following up Drie Fonteinen's gueuze, so it will be a little head-to-head action...
A: Golden orange-yellow with nice haziness. 1 finger width of white head the quickly dissolves to a thin coat. Light lacing. Very nice.
S: Lemon. Citrus tartness. Nice brett. Nice barnyard. Slightly more subdued vs 3F, but very good.
T: Moderate sourness with gradual fade to a fairly dry finish. Lemon. Undoubtedly more bitter notes than 3F with more lingering bitterness on the back end. Delicious.
M: Moderate to light carbonation. Not quite as full as I was hoping, but good.
O: Excellent gueuze - have no doubt. Had I not just enjoyed 3F's offering, I'd probably be gushing about this one a bit more. No complaints. This is a must try.
Prost!
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4.49/5 rDev +3.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.61/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Poured on tap at Mikkeller Bar SF during Zwanze Day. I had a little bit of this a few days before at Trappist Provisions, but both experiences felt extremely different for whatever reason. I will make note of them during the review. Poured into a 20cl tulip glass.
Pours a wonderful, beautiful gueuze on tap - glimmering and shiny, exactly in the manner I expect Cantillon's beers to be. I don't know how they quite do it, but they are miles ahead from other Lambics in terms of presenting their beers. Slightly vinous, like a juicy Sauvignon blanc, but still bready enough in appearance and some light cloudiness to add charm to the offering as a whole. Some bubbles, with a slightly frothy head that coats the glass that soon dissipates next to nothing. While not perfect, the color is extremely appealing and a benchmark for how this style should strive to look. The sample I had at Provisions was cloudier, but still retained some elegant rustic charm. The clearer, amber bronze version is pretty damn beautiful, however.
Yes, this is a full culmination of everything I enjoy about Cantillon right at the aroma. Tart white grapes, raisins, lemon peel, and tons and tons of funky and sour phenols. I'm not sure after all this time if it's the wild yeast strains, the brewing environment, or the oak barrel blending that produces flavors this robust, but something is working in their favor. There's a musty cellar flavor, as well as dust, light limestone, and cold stones that come in full force. The oak is not extremely strong in terms of providing a toasted flavor, but it still brings in notes of cedar and slight sawdust, as well as some baking spices to pep things up a bit. Really funky, but extremely appealing stuff overall.
The flavor takes everything from the aroma and immediately coats the palate in a puckering, soured sensation, further elevating all of the characteristics that make this enjoyable. Strong white raisins, tart grapes, and lemon peel are the most predominant fruit, with notes of vanilla, almonds, and baking soda soon following in the aroma. For me, the highlight is the yeasty tart flavor, that ranges from green apple peel to under-ripe apricots - combined with the oak blending and mineral flavor, this really is top notch stuff. The finish is long lasting and goes on for a long while, even hours after consumption. The bottled versions are probably more extreme than this one, but the tap version is without a doubt clean and crisper, and more of the refined nuances are, as a result, more present without too much of the yeasty acetic or lactic phenols clouding it up. Really divine.
The scariest thing about a beer this complex is how easily drinkable it is. I could have this in a long session without ever growing tired of it. I'm excited to try the bottled version of this and see how it differs. This really is, terms of basic oude gueuzes, a top quality standard and a real privilege to be able to drink whenever the opportunity arises. Without a doubt one of my favorite sours - I just wish it were more affordable and accessible.
3,082 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Poured on tap at Mikkeller Bar SF during Zwanze Day. I had a little bit of this a few days before at Trappist Provisions, but both experiences felt extremely different for whatever reason. I will make note of them during the review. Poured into a 20cl tulip glass.
Pours a wonderful, beautiful gueuze on tap - glimmering and shiny, exactly in the manner I expect Cantillon's beers to be. I don't know how they quite do it, but they are miles ahead from other Lambics in terms of presenting their beers. Slightly vinous, like a juicy Sauvignon blanc, but still bready enough in appearance and some light cloudiness to add charm to the offering as a whole. Some bubbles, with a slightly frothy head that coats the glass that soon dissipates next to nothing. While not perfect, the color is extremely appealing and a benchmark for how this style should strive to look. The sample I had at Provisions was cloudier, but still retained some elegant rustic charm. The clearer, amber bronze version is pretty damn beautiful, however.
Yes, this is a full culmination of everything I enjoy about Cantillon right at the aroma. Tart white grapes, raisins, lemon peel, and tons and tons of funky and sour phenols. I'm not sure after all this time if it's the wild yeast strains, the brewing environment, or the oak barrel blending that produces flavors this robust, but something is working in their favor. There's a musty cellar flavor, as well as dust, light limestone, and cold stones that come in full force. The oak is not extremely strong in terms of providing a toasted flavor, but it still brings in notes of cedar and slight sawdust, as well as some baking spices to pep things up a bit. Really funky, but extremely appealing stuff overall.
The flavor takes everything from the aroma and immediately coats the palate in a puckering, soured sensation, further elevating all of the characteristics that make this enjoyable. Strong white raisins, tart grapes, and lemon peel are the most predominant fruit, with notes of vanilla, almonds, and baking soda soon following in the aroma. For me, the highlight is the yeasty tart flavor, that ranges from green apple peel to under-ripe apricots - combined with the oak blending and mineral flavor, this really is top notch stuff. The finish is long lasting and goes on for a long while, even hours after consumption. The bottled versions are probably more extreme than this one, but the tap version is without a doubt clean and crisper, and more of the refined nuances are, as a result, more present without too much of the yeasty acetic or lactic phenols clouding it up. Really divine.
The scariest thing about a beer this complex is how easily drinkable it is. I could have this in a long session without ever growing tired of it. I'm excited to try the bottled version of this and see how it differs. This really is, terms of basic oude gueuzes, a top quality standard and a real privilege to be able to drink whenever the opportunity arises. Without a doubt one of my favorite sours - I just wish it were more affordable and accessible.
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Cantillon Gueuze 100% Lambic from Brasserie Cantillon
4.33
out of 5
based on 3,707 ratings.
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
750mL (bottled October 16, 2012) into a tulip. Pours a slightly hazy honey straw color w/ a thin white head.
Aroma is grassy, earthy, and tart. Really nice and clean.
Taste is likewise lemony, spritzy, pleasantly sour and very clean and crisp. Grassy and slightly grainy, nicely citrusy. No off flavors, everything just works together.
Mouthfeel is balanced and refreshing, nice dry finish.
Overall just a great gueuze, probably the most representative of the style that I've had. Right up there with Tilquin for sure.
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