Cantillon 50ºN-4ºE

Bottle, from the BSF at the GBBF. Honey colored pour with a nice white layer of fine head. Dense perfumed apple aroma, honeysuckle, green plums. The cognac is there, but in a very restrained way, warming and softening the whole, adding a certain buttery richness. Swirling the glass releases a bit of green peppermint. A nice hit of lemon flavor that is more warm citrus than sour, mouthwatering apple skin tannin, and a fresh cut oak board exhale. The main problem with this is that I don’t want to sip through my one bottle of this and never taste it again: I want my own barrel of it, and I want a glass as an aperitif before every meal. Breakfast included. <sigh>

Pours golden with a soft white head. Aroma is sour lemon, barnyard but not overpowering. Not as sour as I thought considering some of the other gueuzes out there. Flavor is well balanced with some earthy notes that linger throughout and in the finish. Finished semi-dry but not mouthpuckering. A complex and well done beer. So, so glad i have two of these the price tag was worth getting two.

Bottle shared by toncatcher at RBSG. So much good sour in this beer. Aromas were sour fruit and lot’s of tartness. Flavors were similar with acidic tones and mouth puckering finish. Very good.

Bottle, 5% at GBBF08. Good citric flavour, some orange juice. Cloudy orange colour. Stable white head. Very nice citric flavour, not mouthpuckering, but really good. A well-balanced lambic.

75cl bottle, at home. i almost cried when it was finished. almost a reason to move to brussels!! one of the softest and most delicate geuze i had, delicate horsey, vanilla and pepper nose. sour but in a light velvety sort of way, woody, citric, mouthwatering. if i could imagine what the tears of a goddess would taste like, this comes pretty close xxx

Part of horizontal tasting along with 3 Fonteinen Doesjel and Russian River Beatification (002), all served at near room temperature and similar sized snifters:

Slightly hazy deep golden hue with minimal carbonation but not flat. A musty and barnyard yeasty nose along with notes of lemon and apricot, pipe tobacco, peat and minerals, and perhaps a touch of sweet liquor. I found this aroma the most complex and intriguing of the three, +1

The flavor profile is indeed the expected sour-funk-mineral combination but I found this quite approach as the sour edge seems softened by the different aging process. A touch fruitier and rounder that Cantillon standard Gueze. EACH OF THESE WHILE HAVING MANY COMMON ATTRIBUTES ARE STILL VERY UNIQUE AND RATED ACCORDINGLY.

Soft yet there is just enough carbonation too keep things interesting, While is quite dry, not as dry as the other two.

Final Impression: While really did not find much ado about Cognac, there does appear to be a roundness and uniqueness with this Lambic not normally found within the genre. Because of that I will reward this an additional 1 point overall. (I wish I had another bottle or three for the cellar) OUTSTANDING STUFF!

Pours a small white head, thin and short lived, lace is minimal. Hazy dark gold color. Nose is large, sweat, leather, fruit, yeast and light citrus. Body is light, fairly well carbonated, medium acidity, nicely tart and palate cleansing. Musty, fruity flavors, apple, light grapeyness and citrus, Leather, mustiness, with some horsey notes. Notice the wood (nice wood too!) but no real cognac flavors. Dry, tart and fruity finish. Sweeter than other Cantillons, maybe? Though i will admit it,s not near as tart as most, making this reasonably drinkable. A nice treat provided by eaglefan, thanks Brian! Would be nice to have one or two to age, see how it changes.

Bottle from State Line, purchased in May, and then brought back for sharing after the shelves went dry in days, me a lucky passerby who happened to grabbed on in a short window. The pour yielded a nice hazy golden straw color, decent initial head, thinned to a ring, spotty if any lacing. The aroma was funky tart apples, grapes, and lemons, light leathery elements. The flavor was so excellent, this thing just melded together nicely, remained pleasantly drinkable (I even said it came across as a gueuze, so smooth, no idea that was the classification here). Wonderful notes of leather and the tartness worked for me, and this finished with a very mildly sweet touch in the finish. No, the sweetness wouldn’t be perceivable to the novice, but for a Cantillon brew, this had a very nice mild-balanced (for a lambic) finish, that was very pleasant. A solid and stellar brew, glad I was able to share with those that didn’t get the bottle. If only I had some more? Mouthfeel was spritzy, slightly less carbonated than other gueze brews, but moreso than a standard flat/still type lambic. Is this my favorite Cantillon? I think perhaps so.