Just was given a 2008 Cantillon Grand Cru in a beer trade with a bottle shop in Paris. I honestly think someone else will enjoy this more than I would and I'm thinking of trading it. I'm more of a stout and IPA guy at the moment. What might be a reasonable return in a trade? I'd love to land an Assassin or Double Mexican Cake, but would this be way off? The other option would be to cellar it and see if my tastes develop over time. Any advice is appreciated. Cheers!
Grand cru is tricky. It is one of the rarest regular loons (maybe the rarest, aside from Blabaer), but it doesn't get as great of reviews. I think people are taken aback by the lack of carbonation. Serious lambic fans appreciate it and know how great it ages, etc. I drank one recently and loved it. Being an unblended lambic, I'm not sure how much bottle variation there is. If I had to guess, it could trade somewhere on the same level as Mamouche or St. Lam, but it might take a while to find the right person, depending on how specific your ISO is.
2008 label grand cru most likely has 2011 bottling date. Grand cru may have low production but it also has lower demand than many loons. I would guess that it trades higher than classic geuze but lower than mamouche or St Lam. I think you will have to add for your ISOs. Agree that you will have to find the right eyes as some really dig this beer especially with some age. I tasted a 2010 label/2013 cork earlier this year. Still fairly fresh. I liked it but I preferred regular geuze with carbonation.
Ok, so it looks like the label is actually dated 2006, and the cork is 2009. So it's over 5 years old, with the beer itself being 8 years old. Not sure why I was thinking 2008. I know this beer would likely have to be purchased for at least $50-75 given the age. Any ideas on what a good 1:1 would be from my wants or other somewhat limited beers?
