Mimosa

That depends, where can you get stupid apricots?

 

At the dumb store

Next to the freakin oranges

 

I landed a Mimosa two weeks ago and drank it Tuesday night with some friends. Fresh vs. fresh I'd say Mimosa holds it owns against Fou Foune (matter of personal preference I'd say) as Mimosa is one of the better American wilds I've had. Incredibly bright and fresh and insanely easy drinking for 10% ABV. If we're discussing vintage Fou Foune, well, a whole different ballgame as I've been fortunate enought to have had Fou up to 10 years old and I don't know of many beers that will beat a 4 year old Fou Foune.... perfect balance of funk and fruit. Anyway, it expanded to a larger deal so who knows what just the Mimosa took, but I got it with a Damon and E. for a 750 of Blabaer 11 and 375 Cantillon Gueuze.

 

Last month I traded a Flaming Fury for a Mimosa. I was fortunate in trying Mimosa early in summer and it blew me away. I knew I had to land another. The mouthfeel was what got me first, its superb. I think its very unique and definitely can hold its own against Fou Foune

 

Rarity aside, would you really drink a 10 year old Fou Foune over Mimosa? Is that even digestively possible? I split a bottle of Mimosa and drank most of it. Not sure I could do that or even more than 2 oz of a Foune that old. It's a cool novelty but I'm over it.

 

Wait, what's your question? Are you asking if I could drink a whole 10 year old bottle of Fou Foune? The answer is of course! My teeth may not have any enamel left after that sour bomb but 750mls at 5% of delicious beer is not a problem to take down at all. I drank an 01 Fou back in January and thought it was incredible. It just lost the fruit completely at that age so I prefer 3-4 year old Fou Foune as it still retains some balance and has a background of apricot still.

All that said, I'd likely not drink a full 750 to myself as I almost always share desirable 750 bottles with friends.

 

I tried to track this down for about 2 seconds before giving up hope. It's one of my biggest wants but I don't think I have the ammo at least at this point.

 

You've got a better stomach than me. Not saying I couldn't down one myself but the pain associated with drinking that much acid far outweighs the pleasure of its obscurity. I had a '99 once and the little sample I got was enough.

 

Fou Foune should be drunk fresh guys. What makes it special is the apricots and the deteriate very quickly. Not sure why anyone would want to age this more than 2-3 year as an absolute max. I am all for aging lambics but aging Fou Foune is silly IMHO.

 

I wouldn't by any means say that. I can name 20-30 beers of the top of my head that age wonderfully. Some of the best beers I have ever had have been well aged. Yes the VAST majority of beers shouldn't be aged but I wouldn't say that is a universal rule.

 

We differ in opinion on this. A friend of mine popped a 2008 Fou Foune about two months ago and other than Don Quijote and an 05 Vigneronne, it was the best Cantillon I've ever had. I have some Fou Foune's coming in now and unless some friend is just itching to try one, I'll put all of these back for at least 3 years.

 

Stu? Nope.

 

Threads like this make me want to move to Vermont.

 

Well, I 100% agree that the fresh Fou Foune is exploding with apricots... but I prefer to let those tame down a little bit and let the funky lambic tartness come through. Fresh Fou Foune is more one dimensional to me as it's so overwhelmed by the apricots. An aged Fou Foune lets some of the apricot fall out and then let some sour come into the profile creating a more complex and more enjoyable beer.

Like you said, to each is own.

 

Pfft I wouldn't have argued with you there, I totally agree. I also really like the rhetorical tactic of putting "almost" in front of an absolute word, I say "almost certainly" quite frequently. So really to argue with there!

Next time you're there ask him why the bloody hell it takes so long to get his beer here if it's best fresh. We're still seeing 2011 Rose/Kriek put on the shelves, even though I bought 2012 at the brewery months ago. It's hard for us to drink it fresh if it comes to us over a year old!

 

Finding 1 year old Cantillon on the shelf.....I'd be pissed off too!!!!

 

I'm not pissed off, I just find it odd that he supposedly cares so much about his product being consumed relatively fresh, then is apparently okay that it's sitting in warehouses (or whatever the fuck it's doing) for over a year.

 

I'm just ruffling your zebra stripes

 

Is that what they're calling it these days?