Cantillon 50ºN-4ºE

Brewed by Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Gueuze
Brussels, Belgium

Bottle thanks to xnoxhatex at the First Annual Chicago Sour Tasting. Pours a light hazed orange with a thin white head. Sour grapes, earthy, fruity funky aromas that are full and inviting. Tart acidic fruit flavors that have a slight earthiness. Tangerines, oranges, and oak with touches of sherry, dark fruit and bitter oranges. Complex fruits, malts and oak that are really enjoyable. The oakiness is very well balanced. Excellent.

Bottle @ Spuyten Duyvil Brett Fest 09. 300th Rating! Although this bottle was a bit steep I am glad i got a chance to drink this. Wish it was a little cooler, they should have put these bottles in the fridges the night before, however i won’t take that out on this rating. Golden pour with little head. Flavor and aroma take after the gueuze: tart, slightly sweet although very balanced. Oak and cognac are apparent but take a back seat. Nice brew.

750ml bottle at Moeder Lambic, Bruxelles. Pours hazy amber with a medium creamy head. Some lacings. Really nice looking. Aroma is sour and a bit acidic. Hints of barrel. Taste is some tart and some very light sweetness. Some barrel also. Texture is liquory. There is also a light spicy bite on the back of the tongue. Among the most complex gueuze I’ve had. Well balanced. Last glass was paired with a goat cheese they serve at Moeder. The dryness of the cheese was a great companion to the gueuze. Awesome brew. Awesome bar !

bottle. thanks to devon for sharing. pours gold with white head. nose buggy, funk, sour, vinegar. flavors are sour, woody, soft berries, very smooth and well balanced. not a lot of cognac but who cares this tastes incredible.

Bottle thanks to Andrew via trade for the same beer which I originally got in Belgium. Tasted during the First Annual Chicago Sour Tasting. Hazy golden amber with small, creamy white head. Aroma is stinky, funky, lots of barnyard and some sour. Flavor is wood, funk, slight barrel, grapey really well balanced. Medium to light body with slightly active carbonation. Fantastic, well balanced, one of the most straight forward geuzes so far.

75 cl bottle, shared with Roger and Atle. Golden color, white head. Aroma is most of all cognac barrel, there is also sourness and fruit. Flavor is sour, fine sweetness and has a oaky finish. Nice.

Another big ol’ winner graciously shared by xmarcnolanx. Pours orange / bronze with an off-white head. The aroma has light sourness, funk and lots of weird buggy things going on. There is also horseblanket, light cognac and lots of lambic goodness that’s hard to put into words, but is distinctly Cantillon even with the twists in here. Medium body that is very smooth for a Cantillon with a small amount of carbonation. The flavor starts with smoothness of malt and a hint of cognac, then lactic and wild sourness come into play with some strange funky sourness, light vinegar and lots of very buggy wild goodness. The finish is sour and smooth. As it warms more oak comes into the flavor. This is a fantastic and unique lambic. Delicious.

I was slightly disappointed in this one. The aroma was complex, with a bit of cognac and the typical Cantillon sour funk, but I just couldn’t get past the awkward wateriness that occurred mid-sip. The finish was lasting and acidic, but overall the flavors were less homogeneous than I would have liked.