So I am beginning to enjoy sours more and more, and it seems Cantillon is considered the cream of the crop. Which states in the US have distribution? Which non-whale Cantillon beers are most desired, and what does it take to land some of these Belgian beers? Thanks!
Well, a few things. First, I don't think most people consider all Cantillon to be cream of the crop. I believe that many prefer many other gueuzes to theirs (usually Drie Fonteinen is regarded as having the best gueuze). So people generally go for their fruit lambics. And you probably wouldn't be disappointed by a De Cam or Hansenns or 3F Kriek. So if you really want to get into lambic, you don't need to drink Cantillon. (I was recently in Belgium and drank a ton of lambic, nearly a gallon one day. I drank much more 3F than Cantillon.) As for which Cantillons are most desired, there are levels. The absolute most desired are crazy-rare and stupidly expensive and almost certainly not worth it other than for bragging rights (these are things like Soleil de Minuit). The next most desired are either more recent one-offs (Jean Chris Nomad) or less frequently produced (Blabaer, and yes, I know JCN and Blabaer aren't quite equivalent, this is rough). Then you have the ones that are continuously produced and available everywhere, but in limited quantities (the Lou Pepes, Fou Foune, maybe St. Lamvinus or Vigneronne). Finally, you have the "shelf" Cantillons, the Classic/Bio Gueuze, Kriek, Rose de Gambrinus, Grand Cru (probably others not at the top of my head). The top tier is functionally impossible to buy (except eBay). The next tier requires traveling to the right place at the right time (I got JCN at Moeder Lambic, for instance). The next tier you can get in stores, but it requires a good deal of luck and being in a state that Shelton distributes to. The final tier are findable on shelves if you try. Keep an eye out and keep an ear to the ground (provided you live where Shelton distributes it...). Finally, the bottom two tiers can be purchased on European websites easily, but usually for more cost (this is lessened with a group purchase of a few hundred dollars). Trading for the lowest tier is possible with limited shelf beers. The next tier takes very high demand shelf beer (think King Henry) or brewery-only releases. The next takes very limited and desired brewery-only releases, possibly multiple of those. The top tier is basically impossible to trade for unless you have a cellar worth more than my car.
This about sums it up. From the peanut gallery, I'd just add Iris to the limited quantities group. I lived in Belgium for multiple years and traveled there a few times outside of that time and I've had zero luck with any top tiers and only intermittent luck with one-offs (pre-2011 Zwanze). Some mid tiers (Fou' Foune) take a bit more effort to find, but most (LPs, St L, Iris, Vig, etc) are doable at the brewery itself and out-of-the-way shops.
