How to purchase Cantillon stateside

Honest question: Since it appears that you don't know much at all about Cantillon, why are you interested in purchasing the bottles you mention above, likely at a mark-up?

Cantillon doesn't have much distribution anywhere in the US (although a few shops do get like once a year drops), so you're not alone in that. Heck, even the one and only time I visited Cantillon in Brussels (Fall 2019), they didn't have that much you could purchase and take away.

 

Try here:

https://store.belgianshop.com/25__cantillon

 

Well. There shouldn't be an expectation of MSRP anyway.

I think a 75cL bottle of Cantillon Gueuze goes for about what, 6-7 euros? ($7)

I purchased one a few years back at Whole Foods for $20. One can say that's a rip-off. But having just recently gotten back from Brussels, and now realizing how much it costs to ship those bottles back to yourself and/or the limited amount of space you have to lug it back (and airline fees for bag check-in), I look at State-side lambic prices quite differently now.

As far as hype... well. That's very individual. I prefer 3F and Tilquin over Cantillon, even for fruited beers. I've even tried Fou Foune a few times now and can honestly say I don't like it. It's probably my least favorite Cantillon beer. But most swear by it (and Cantillon in general), so YMMV.

 

You're going to pay through the nose no matter what route you take unless you bring it back from abroad. Guess is depends on how curious you are.

I'm surious about these prices too, as I have only run across Cantillon twice in NY, once many many moons ago and the store had a good selection at prices I wouldn't pay, but by no means insane. The other time was about 7 years ago at some brewing supplies store tucked in the back of a shitty mall in a seaside town and the bottles were in the 50-100 dollar range.

I know nothing here so you can ignore me. Just killing time

 

In the early 00s I sold Cantilon across North Carolina.No one knew what these beers were. They are odd. The kriek was always my favorite,

 

Look, the only way you are going to find out if Cantillon is worth a 20x mark up is to pay the 20x mark up and drink the bottle. I'd very much like to help you out if you would like to go that route.

 

Save the money you would spend on a premium to buy those bottles and roll it into an ETF. When it gets to an amount where you can afford a plane ticket to Belgium, fly out to Cantillon and decide for yourself...

 

If you enjoy Tilquin and Drie Fonteinen (and other non back-sweetened lambic) it's certainly worth seeking out. Cantillon might not be better, but it's similar. They also have a unique house flavor that I really like.

Rather than going the retail route, I'd go the trade route. Bottles aren't that expensive at the source and it seems like anyone who visits brings at least a half dozen back. I've swapped many a BA stout or local wild/sour for a Cantillon bottle. The normal stuff tends to be valued around $20-$30 depending where you are. The rarer/seasonal items go for $70-125.
The really rare ones can cost as much as a used car.

 

That's subjective. If you're on a quest to try it then what are you willing to pay? I can find Cantillon, and 3 Fonteinen etc, so I'm not really the market for sites like that. Are there any bars in your vicinity that regular have lambics on tap? If so, go there. Try it.

 

Yeah and Boon can't be overlooked.

 

It's more nuanced than that.

When you go to Cantillon, they have their standard ones (Gueuze, usually Kriek and/or Rose de Gambrinus). Most of the seasonals (Fou Foune, Lou Pepe, etc) will not be there. And if they are there, often times they only make available for specific hours of the day.

Meaning that they may only have their standard bottles. Then suddenly, they'll make Fou Foune available for sale for a few hours. Then they remove it from sale for the rest of the day. So if you get there too early or too late or on the "wrong" day, you won't get it.

It's a mystery to me how anyone manages to get bottles, as it seems like a crapshoot.

(When I went, they had no seasonals for takeaway, but in-house bottles of Fou Foune, Lou Pepe, etc were about 25 euros.)

 

Re the Fou Foune, a fella went up to Canadia and muled several of "us" and sold them for $26 plus shipping. This was years ago and Cantillon in Canada doesn't seem to be a thing anymore.

 

I don't know if it's always like this, but I think they tend to make exceptions if you seem particularly interested. Per what JVR told me, they have major issues with people coming in and trying to buy everything up and sell it on the gray market. After talking about my favorite items and inquiring about when they'd next be available, he offered my wife and I the chance to buy some on the spot. He gave us some pours of the Lou Pepe Fromboise that were due to be bottled in a few months, too. I've had friends with similar experiences.
I'm not saying that's going to be the case with everyone (especially on crowded days), but I think they're mainly looking out for their limited bottle supplies and resellers more than trying to hold stuff back.

 

Unfortunately, I'm skeptical you're going to get anything like a representative grasp on Cantillon's output by having one or two bottles you've paid a substantial premium for. Between individual variation, the odds of storage conditions being inconsistent from secondary sellers here in the US, etc., I could very well see you setting yourself up to pay out the nose for beer you end up finding to be anywhere from ok-fairly good but not obviously worth whatever you spent on it, landing you in a spot to write them off altogether.

I think your best bet for trying a good cross section of what they offer at a somewhat reasonable price here in the US is to attend the nearest Zwanze Day to you when it comes around. If you're not familiar, Zwanze Day is an annual event in which Cantillon sends out kegs or bottles of their core lineup, a few seasonals, and a one-off to select breweries/beer bars/restaurants around the world, typically held in September.

Also, check lambic.info to get a sense of just how varied and experimental they are when you get the chance!