Old timers: When did Cantillon "boom"?

Not really an Old Timer, but I was into craft beer when it happened; It could be found on shelves through 2009, haven't seen it on shelves from 2010 onward.

Not much of a sour fan myself, but I attribute it's popularity more to the scarcity of the beer rather than being measurably better than other world class sour beers like 3F, Tilquin, etc...

 

2009-ish. I never tried them but Rose, classic gueuze, the various Lou Pepe beers, and St. Lamnivus were pretty easy to find in Illinois and Iowa back then

 

I couldn't give a real date but I very much remember Catillon sitting on Total Wine shelves 5-6 years ago.

 

How hard to get is Cantillon in America? Is it just the more unusual ones or is it the more standards ones as well? I can get Gueuze, Kriek and Rosé de Gambrinus pretty easily in the UK.

 

It's generally a nightmare. In NYC you can buy them at a few bars (with a solid mark-up), but you're very very lucky to see any in a shop.

Yeah when I'm back in Edinburgh, I've picked up the three you mentioned very easily at several decent offies

 

What happened? I'll put my money on the creation and growth of sites like this.

Reason for that bet? Before the creation of sites like BA Westvleteren 12 was a drive up and buy multiple cases beer without any wating, etc. Folks in Belgium could get all they wanted when they wanted it. Then sites like this happened and suddently Westvleteren 12 because the "best beer in the world" and highly sought after.

So I'm putting my money on what happened with Cantillon and 3F was all the buzz about them on sites like this. And they became overnight successes after 20 years or more of being hard to sell in Belgium.

 

Last time I saw any on a shelf was early to mid 2012, and that was dumb luck. It started getting harder and harder to find in 2010, even before then it was scarce.

 

Yeah its hard to find both Cantillon and 3F standards as well. And I'm in the Greater Philly market area where we have access to lots and lots of the better Belgian beers. (At least one pretty knowledgable beer writer has noted that this area consumes more Belgian beers than Brussels. :-) )

 

An hour is a decent chunk of time. Where I live you would have had to turn up armed with a bat, within 5 minutes of the post, to stand a chance

 

2010ish? I think it's been harder to find domestically each year since then. I'm sure this year will be no exception.

 

and 5-6+ years ago... you couldn't even give that stuff (Cantillon) away...

 

I bought Classic Gueuze at a store in late 2011, and I was lucky. Haven't seen it on a shelf in the US since (Shelton did pull out of my state though).

 

Found some kriek on a shelf in the Bay Area last year. Before that I hadn't seen any sitting on a shelf since 2011.

 

Not long enough ago to be calling us old timers, sonny.







I'm 27 btw...

 

If I got the tweet about LPK, I'd have bought it all if possible. 3F Gueuze is plentiful here though.

 

I'm gonna agree with 2010. I remember I had just joined this site and I had seen it on a few shelves so I bought a few bottles. I have never seen it on a shelf since then. Special releases/raffles/behind-the-counter has been it ever since. I managed to get one bottle of the LPK in 2012 and never got another bottle of any Cantillon afterwards.

Dope

 

09-10 for us. They would sit for months on the shelves for us before then.