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Saint Lamvinus
Brasserie Cantillon
- From:
- Brasserie Cantillon
- Belgium
- Style:
- Fruit Lambic
Ranked #4 - ABV:
- 7%
- Score:
- 100
Ranked #122 - Avg:
- 4.54 | pDev: 7.49%
- Reviews:
- 513
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Tuesday at 06:29 PM
- Added:
- Mar 20, 2003
- Wants:
- 1,423
- Gots:
- 467
Everyone knows some of our best friends are wine growers from the Libourne region in France, more specifically those who make Saint Emillion and Pomerol. They respect the tradition and let their wine ferment in a natural way.
Fermentation, origin and vintage are still kept up.
Our collaboration resulted in a product uniting the best of their wine and of our beer : the Saint-Lamvinus.
The grapes, of the merlot and cabernet-franc varieties, are soaked in Bordeaux barrels containing two to three years old lambic. The beer is not blended before the bottling. The foam is caused by the addition of a liquor which starts the fermentation.
Fermentation, origin and vintage are still kept up.
Our collaboration resulted in a product uniting the best of their wine and of our beer : the Saint-Lamvinus.
The grapes, of the merlot and cabernet-franc varieties, are soaked in Bordeaux barrels containing two to three years old lambic. The beer is not blended before the bottling. The foam is caused by the addition of a liquor which starts the fermentation.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by BuckeyeNation:
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa
4.42/5 rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.42/5 rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Glowing coral red with a considerable orangish tint; one of the most unique colors that I've ever seen in the world of beer. The rose petal pink cap is a stiff collection of brittle bubbles that looks good immediately after the pour, but doesn't look good on the way down, doesn't last and doesn't leave any lace. I've taken style into account when granting the appearance score.
My lambic experience is still limited. Having said that, it's hard to believe there are many lambics this vinous. That's understandable given the addition of red grapes. One source gave the breakdown as 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Also prominent are red wine vinegar, oak and musty-earthy funk. My salivary glands are already beginning to squirt.
Cantillon Saint Lamvinus tastes like the perfect marriage of beer and wine. Even though lambics are anything but typical beer, the comparison still holds. It's much more lambic than wine (obviously) since grapes are only used for flavor and sweetness, not character. In other words, there's no red wine in the world that's this acidic, puckery, funky and dry.
I find full-bore versions of this style to be a little too aggressive to suit me. The addition of raspberries (Rose De Gambrinus) or grapes (in this case) tends to contribute just enough underlying sweetness to take the edge off the sharp, biting acidity and the saliva-sucking dryness. Any number of foods would match up perfectly with this beauty.
Since I have so little experience with the style, I'll have to trust my instincts when it comes to the mouthfeel. It's light, with a sneaky suppleness on the finish of the finish. I also enjoy the brisk, fine-bubbled carbonation that gives the beer a festive mouth presence.
Cantillon Saint Lamvinus is a unique beer from one of the world's most unique brewers. I'm not sure I have the chops to completely break it down and appreciate where it fits into the pantheon of great lambics, but I sure do love the inspired attempt at beer-wine fusion. This is a beer that is meant to be consumed with gusto and a beer that deserves to be celebrated.
Jul 24, 2007My lambic experience is still limited. Having said that, it's hard to believe there are many lambics this vinous. That's understandable given the addition of red grapes. One source gave the breakdown as 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Also prominent are red wine vinegar, oak and musty-earthy funk. My salivary glands are already beginning to squirt.
Cantillon Saint Lamvinus tastes like the perfect marriage of beer and wine. Even though lambics are anything but typical beer, the comparison still holds. It's much more lambic than wine (obviously) since grapes are only used for flavor and sweetness, not character. In other words, there's no red wine in the world that's this acidic, puckery, funky and dry.
I find full-bore versions of this style to be a little too aggressive to suit me. The addition of raspberries (Rose De Gambrinus) or grapes (in this case) tends to contribute just enough underlying sweetness to take the edge off the sharp, biting acidity and the saliva-sucking dryness. Any number of foods would match up perfectly with this beauty.
Since I have so little experience with the style, I'll have to trust my instincts when it comes to the mouthfeel. It's light, with a sneaky suppleness on the finish of the finish. I also enjoy the brisk, fine-bubbled carbonation that gives the beer a festive mouth presence.
Cantillon Saint Lamvinus is a unique beer from one of the world's most unique brewers. I'm not sure I have the chops to completely break it down and appreciate where it fits into the pantheon of great lambics, but I sure do love the inspired attempt at beer-wine fusion. This is a beer that is meant to be consumed with gusto and a beer that deserves to be celebrated.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by ThisWangsChung from Maryland
4.29/5 rDev -5.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.29/5 rDev -5.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
2023 vintage.
4.29/5: The first few sips didn't bowl me over, but it got so much better after half the glass; beautifully nuanced funk, light tartness (at best), and the delicately vinous nature make this an absolute winner
Sunday at 12:00 AM4.29/5: The first few sips didn't bowl me over, but it got so much better after half the glass; beautifully nuanced funk, light tartness (at best), and the delicately vinous nature make this an absolute winner
Rated by moysauce from Illinois
4.5/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.5/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Only had the 2015 vintage in 2023. Don't know what this tastes like fresh.
Mar 06, 2024Reviewed by joaopmgoncalves from Portugal
5/5 rDev +10.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
5/5 rDev +10.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
This was drank almost a week ago, at Vítor Claro's home - the winemaker from Portalegre, behind the Dominó and Claro & Ferreira brands.
Trying to review this from the top of my mind.
Poured from the bottle to a stemmed wine glass.
A: The body is dark purple with a light purple, almost pinkish head. Created a generous foam quantity that lasted quite a while before jumping in.
S: The aroma is actually perfect without any overpowering acidity. It's balanced as it is sweet, savory, and acidic to the right point. It's a great beer only by smelling it.
T: It's the taste of heaven. I think that after Fou'Foune, this might be my favorite Cantillon beer. It's perfectly balanced with the sweet notes from the grain and the grapes embracing quite well the light fruitiness, and very light bitterness of aged hops combined with just the right amount of acidity incoming from Brettanomyces. It's really great with nothing to point to as a downside.
M: Body has just the right feel, being light with the cool effervescence and silky tones from the sweetness you can find in this beer. Bitterness is low. Acidity is mild.
O: As said before, this ranks at the top of my favorite beers. Unbelievably good.
Aug 18, 2023Trying to review this from the top of my mind.
Poured from the bottle to a stemmed wine glass.
A: The body is dark purple with a light purple, almost pinkish head. Created a generous foam quantity that lasted quite a while before jumping in.
S: The aroma is actually perfect without any overpowering acidity. It's balanced as it is sweet, savory, and acidic to the right point. It's a great beer only by smelling it.
T: It's the taste of heaven. I think that after Fou'Foune, this might be my favorite Cantillon beer. It's perfectly balanced with the sweet notes from the grain and the grapes embracing quite well the light fruitiness, and very light bitterness of aged hops combined with just the right amount of acidity incoming from Brettanomyces. It's really great with nothing to point to as a downside.
M: Body has just the right feel, being light with the cool effervescence and silky tones from the sweetness you can find in this beer. Bitterness is low. Acidity is mild.
O: As said before, this ranks at the top of my favorite beers. Unbelievably good.
Saint Lamvinus from Brasserie Cantillon
Beer rating:
100 out of
100 with
2313 ratings
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