Mamouche
Brasserie Cantillon

Jack_14 from Italy

4.64/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Lambic with elderflowers of a unique elegance.
Immediately elderflowers delicate on the nose.
Aged for a year, drunk on tap.
Brettanomyces well distinguishable but it does not confer a very astringent sour.
One of my favorites of Cantillon for balance, taste (the elderflower is already released on the nose and with delicacy it seems almost just infused in lambic), elegance and ability to accompany food (white fish, delicate risottos, smoked scamorza cheese etc.)

Sep 28, 2020

JudgeRoughneck from Louisiana

4.41/5  rDev +4%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

APP- orange, very hazy,

AROMA -explosion of fresh flower aroma, fresh berries and juniper, spice and hay, pine needles

Flavor - lush, floral, lemon pepper, thyme, apricot, hay, clover, light sourdough flavor

MF - tight and dry from acidity, spritzy, pleasantly prickly, medium carb, light body

Jul 16, 2020

ArrogantB from Colorado

4.7/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

I completely ignored this beer for years. I heard it was good so I asked my friend to order us one at the brewery. Wow.

The couple next to us drank multiple bottles of this beer and gave us the thumbs up when they saw us pop one. That's how you know.

The elderflower flavor is incredible, the lambic flavor is unrivaled, this was unbelievable.

Mar 27, 2020

REVZEB from Illinois

3.74/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75

This one missed the mark for me. The wonderful lambic taste with fruits and yeasts playing together so nicely is ruined by a spicy wildflower and almost serrano pepper element for the flowers, along with a sour lemon tartness. Cantillon is usually so balanced and pure, but this is murky and all over the place, even with the honey sweet elements. Feel is still spot on for style however.

Aug 30, 2018

Nicolaiw from Denmark

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2016 vintage.
Pours pale yellow / golden with small white head.
Aroma has elderflower, very floral, grapefruit, sour.
Taste is lots of elderflower, lemons, grapefruit, very dry and sour finish.

Oct 17, 2017

Frudel from Canada

4.22/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

14/06/2016
Clear Orange, white foam on top diminishing, some bubbles noticeable in the liquid.
Funky nose, flowery, a bit cheesy, basement aromas.
Very mild tartness, you get that cheese final with a nice funk at the end, long aftertaste.
Complex mild tartness, flowery plant bitterness.
Amazing lambic!

Oct 11, 2017

Beersnake1 from California

4.16/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This was poured at the Brussels Beer Fest from draught. I knew diving into this one that reviews are polarized. Tried to eliminate any bias. Pours a golden yellow with slight opacity. Carbonation is good, although head is minimal. Nose is quite strong - getting elderflower, a nice bold citrus peel, some barnyard funk. Taste is crazy. Not parallel with the nose. Slight bitternesss and menthol quality. Heavy horse saddle, leathery taste. A grassy taste with the feel that I'm eating the dirt and grass at the same time. Definitely some floral notes - perhaps some rose petals. Mouthfeel is dry and sticky. Taste persists for minutes on the palate. Very interesting, and distinct, beer!

Aug 27, 2017

Jwale73 from Rhode Island

3.52/5  rDev -17%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

2016 vintage. Pours a dull, golden orange with a loose, off-white head. Nose expresses green pepper and lemon towards the back. Taste expresses citrus and green peppers. Mouthfeel is light in body with a pleasant carbonation and a mild acidity. There's also a an oily character to the texture. I've wanted to try this beer for a while; however, I have to say I was pretty disappointed.

Jul 03, 2017

Sabtos from Ohio

3.16/5  rDev -25.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Hazy bright gold with a foamy white head and loads of creamy lace.

Maybe I had a bottle that was treated improperly, but I was told before I drank it that it tasted like green pepper, and that's all I got afterwards. Maybe it was psychological, but I will look out for it again, because it had a nice little funk to it and wasn't entirely offensive, but certainly my least favorite Cantillon, easily.

May 20, 2017

JamFuel from Sweden

4.92/5  rDev +16%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Shared 750 ml bottle at Himmeriget in Copenhagen.

Great looking beer, straw colored, clear, with lots of bubbles.

The nose is perfection, and as much elderflower smell as I have ever smelled. Another Cantillon I could just smell for hours...

The taste is a bit more diverse than the smell. Still a ton of elderflower, but with a bit of apricot and raspberry as well. The finish is amazing, as a slight hop bitterness settles on the tongue, and just caps the flavor beautifully. Acidity is spot on.

Great feel, bubbly and dry, and goes down incredibly easy, like most Cantillons.

This might be my favorite Cantillon, along with Rosé de Gambrinus. Perfect nose and taste, balance and finish is second to none.

Feb 05, 2017

ArkyVaughan from New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

750 ml bottle at Himmeriget in Copenhagen. This is a beautiful lambic that showcases the delicate and remarkable flavor that elderflower can bring to a beer. Pours beautifully. Really nice, although it took second place in a back-to-back with Vigneronne.

Jan 18, 2017

Yating from Belgium

4.89/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This was the first bottling of what later become mamouche and what a beer is this!

Elderflowers match perfect.

Far the most underrated but best beer of Cantillon!

Dec 27, 2016

Phil-Fresh from California

4.34/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A: Very floral with a lemon/grapefruit aroma, pretty funky and lightly sour aroma.

A: Bright yellow, slightly hazy with a moderate, uniform white head that has solid retention. There is light lacing in the glass.

T: Floral upfront, slightly mineral, moderately funky, with a lemon/grapefruit note, very clean lingering sourness and a dry finish.

M: Med-light bodied with moderate carbonation.

O: Tasty; the elderflower provides an interesting floral and slightly spicy character that well compliments the gueze base.

Oct 14, 2016

TX-Badger from Texas

4.35/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

On tap at Jester King Zwanze Day celebration. Pours a slightly hazy light golden color with white fizzy head. Floral notes, citrus, funk, and some tartness on the nose; follows onto the palate. Light and crisp on the palate. Finishes with floral notes and citrus, ending with tartness and dry.

Oct 03, 2016

snaotheus from Washington

3.88/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

2016-10-01
Small wineglass pour at Slow Boat Tavern for Zwanze day.

Pours yellow, a little hay, long lasting ring of silky white head. Smell is an odd funk, a little bit of green vegetables, fairly mild.

Taste is bitter-tart, a little peach, maybe mostly in the realm of green, unripe peaches.

Mouthfeel is very nice, like most Cantillons. Velvety smooth. Overall, very good.

Oct 02, 2016

KensWorld from Florida

4.61/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

many pours from tap at Zwanze Day 2016, Green Bench Brewery, St Petersburg, Fla.
The flower works so well with this Lambic, I'm superised its not offered by other Lambic brewers.

Oct 01, 2016

kojevergas from Louisiana

3.74/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Rating from notes taken Zwanze Day 2014:

High B / GOOD

***
2016 vintage on-draught on Zwanze day 2016 @ Fool's Gold in NYC.

Murky copper body. No head. Not a great looking beer, if we're nitpicking.

Aroma showcases lambicus yeast beautifully. Clean funkiness, mild sourness (maybe a 3-4 out of ten in terms of sourness), gym sock like funkiness, a blip of acetobacter, twang. I don't pick up on any oak. Suggests an acidic brew. I wouldn't pick up on elder flower if not prompted first; I don't pretend to know what elder flowers smell or look like.

Acidic, smacky, and dry, evoking lambicus yeast beautifully with prominent notes of clean funkiness and moderate sourness (maybe a 4/10 in terms of intensity). Elder flower? Sorry, I don't know what that tastes like. Balanced and straightforward, which might be a kind of way of saying it isn't a highly complex Lambic.

Smooth, refreshing albeit acidic, light-bodied, and approachable.

Highly drinkable fare though admittedly not Cantillon's best, Mamouche is a classic Lambic. Obscure elder flower never works its way into my sensory impression, but whatever intangibles it adds are working for me.

High B / GOOD

Sep 27, 2016

spinrsx from Canada

4.24/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2014 Vintage. Thanks to Matt for sharing. Very funky and complex, one of the better and more interesting Cantillon beers I've had. Wish it was easier to get.

Aug 30, 2016

kitch from Hong Kong

3.97/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2016 version. A 500ml pour on tap at Moeder Lambic Fontainas, Brussels into a Cantillon gueuze glass.

Appearance: It was a clear-ish golden orange colour with a two finger white head that had excellent retention and nice lacing.

Aroma: Nose is mainly sour, flowery and grape. (I have no idea what elderflower smells like, so I’ve described it as a generic ‘flowery’).

Taste: Grape, white wine notes, flowers, grape gummy candy, sour and funky.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation.

Overall: This was nice and I would drink more, but it’s not my favourite lambic.

Aug 11, 2016

joe1510 from Illinois

4.04/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

750ml

A big thanks goes out to Chris for the present! Thanks, Buddy! Mamouche is golden with a glowing apricot hue. Clarity is a little clouded, dispersing the light and adding to the overall glow. The foam is easy to rise, crowning at a couple fingers in height before slowly fading to a cap and ring with impressive staying power for the style. Patchy lacing is left behind on the glass and tiny carbonation bubbles rush to the surface from everywhere.

The nose is snappy like your usual Cantillon but it lacks, comparatively, the bracing sour notes of some of the others. The minerality of wet stone leaps from the glass, and from the bottle as a matter of fact. The elder flowers take on an unusual and welcomed soft honeydew note. Wet oak is noticeable and aged hops take on tea leaf like qualities. There's even a whispers of old spearmint which ends up being surprisingly soothing. There's a touch of champagne vinegar and wildflowers. I like this.

The elder flowers lead the way on the palate. Again, they bring about that wildflower, tea leaf, spearmint, and honeydew quality. It's all delicious and unique. A couple splashes of champagne vinegar add some tartness and awaken the salivary glands. There's a touch of oakiness on the periphery bringing with it depth. This is a good beer. A different direction than most of Cantillon's offerings but certainly good.

The body is light, soft, and effervescent. The active carbonation brings with it an airy feel that it seems only the Belgians have perfected. A little tannic dryness and even a touch of bitterness linger on the tongue after each drink. A highly refreshing, immensely approachable libation is Mamouche.

This is a damn fine beer. While I prefer some of Cantillon's other offerings this one stands alone in its uniqueness. The elder flowers add all kinds of character and it has that typical Cantillon depth and mineral profile. Thanks again, Chris!

Mar 28, 2016

Beginner2 from Illinois

4.06/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I was lucky to find this and luckier still to find it in summer.
Aroma was the top factor here, promising much.
And I it delivered, despite me hesitation for the sour family.
The sourness and the fruit was a great thirst quencher.
And of course, I shared at an outdoor dinner party.
Even the wine-drinkers were amazed at these full flavors and most wanted more.
Cantillon's reputation is deserved.

Reviewed in Roger Protz' "300 More Beers To Try Before You Die", a sequel to his CAMRA classic.

Feb 26, 2016

BEERchitect from Kentucky

4.49/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

With copious additions of edel flowers, the talents at Cantillon revisit the 2009 Zwanze and rebrand it in this cleanly soured Mamouche ale.

Within its bright straw hues lurk the pungency and tangy perfumes that leap out at the moment of the pour. Evoking jaw-tightening and mouth-whetting sensaitons, its floral fragrance is laced with white wine, cider, citrus and light vinegar. Earthen with soft saddle leather and fresh mushroom, the scent gives way to the tepid grain sweetness of malt.

But any sweet flavors are short as they dissolve effortlessly on the middle palate. What follows is a clean souring that's remiss of grapefruit, bitter orange, dried lemon and lime, crabapple and sour white grape. Trailing spiciness of cinnamon and medicinal chloroseptic provide a peppery finish with the softness of marzipan.

Dry and bracingly acidic, the beer's strong vinous, cider and white cider vinegar puckers the mouth and strips all thirst from the palate with surprisingly ease. Highly refreshing, crisp, clean, and curiously bitter with citrus peel- the ale closes the session with a short aftertaste and echoes of floral arrangements and damp burlap.

Feb 10, 2016

zac16125 from South Carolina

4.44/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750mL bottle into a Teku
Vintage 2013

Thanks to sliks96 for sending this one over in a trade, quite a while ago.

A: Crystal clear, dark golden yellow, large 3 fingers width of bright white head which dissipates slowly and leaves a few small patches of lacing. 4.25

S: Pungent. Tart, floral, biting acidity, citrusy, subtle oaky vanilla, peppery spice. Improves as it warms. Intoxicating aroma. 4.5

T: Quite tart, lots of floral notes, some funk with a plastic-like character, spicy pepper notes. Its quite excellent. 4.5

M/D: Medium bodied, carbonation on the higher end, drinkability is average, quite dry on the finish. 4

O: Complex and unique. Not near my favorite Cantillon but still a gem, that’s much appreciated. 4.5

Feb 07, 2016

amano_h from Oregon

4.69/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

2016 vintage. Poured into a taster glass at Brasserie Cantillon.

Fragrant dandelion-like floral notes dominate the nose upon the first whiff of the brew. The floral notes linger around just enough for you to want take another sniff without giving you a headache, unlike those you tend to get from some stronger or more pollen-y flowers like roses and acacias. The initial floral breeze is further accentuated by a warm scent reminiscent of cold chrysanthemum tea, and finishes with very light funky barnyard notes with a touch of cracked pepper.

Wildflowers and cold chrysanthemum tea are again the dominant flavors on hand. There's a hint of a refreshing mint-like quality that I can't quite put my finger around which starts to slowly surface along with the "cold tea"; the oak and funky barnyard notes gracefully ornate the finishing touches upon the tongue, along with a slight hint of cinnamon / nutmeg (I can't tell the two apart at times) and peppery spice.

Medium-light bodied--sips like herbal tea to be honest--with a moderate amount of pleasant tongue-tickling carbonation. While I can understand that most will either end up absolutely hating this beer or adoring every last sip of it like I did, it's definitely a brew worth trying once for the experience; and of course, the fresher the better.

Jan 04, 2016

rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.65/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

Dull yellow, significant amount of haze, lambic hefe. Pristine white head. Aroma was pepper, flowers of a purple variety, lemon, sour tartness.

The pepper flowers (like black pepper) are some of the most unique flavors going on. Not my cup of tea (this and grand brusccella are my least fave Cantillons). Lots of carbonation. Too much pepper domination.

Dec 20, 2015