Cantillon Bruocsella 1900 Grand Cru

Brewed by Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Unblended
Brussels, Belgium

Serve in Flute, Tumbler

750ml bottle from High Time Wine. Pours with a few bubbles, but flat. Had to question whether it was supposed to be this flat or if I got a bad bottle. Aroma was of strong oak (expected after aging three years in a barrel) with a hint of tartness - apples perhaps - and some malt. Color is clear, crisp, gold with again, no bubbles to speak of.

Flavors are intensly lambic, oaks, woods, but a bit too much like a cider or wine. The tartness of the citrus comes through at the end, a satisfying finish, but in the end, I felt it lacking overall.

This brew poured a hazy orange- yellow. You can see in the picture that there are a few bubbles lingering on the top. But really this is a dead beer. No carbonation. Just dead. This one has a lot of the same characteristics of their other beers. You’ll hear people say musky, funky, leather, etc. It has all of this. It also has kind of a rotten aroma. Now you might say that’s sounds horrible but it isn’t. Also some oak is mixed in with lemon and apples. Not a huge smell here but decent. Now this is where the beer fell apart for me. I was really expecting a good amount of sourness or tartness here. But it doesn’t have any of that. There is slight sourness. Not the amount I was looking for though. This honestly might be a great gateway beer into the rest of their lineup. Especially for someone who really has not experienced a sour kind of beer. Now the homebrewers out there who read this, is it not as sour because it’s unblended? Do these lambics get more and more sour as you blend in other batches of lambics? Back to the taste. Mixed in with the small amount of sour, the biggest thing I picked up were apples. What followed was some citrus, lemon, and white wine notes. Overall decent, but kind of boring when it comes to Cantillon. Mouthfeel is medium bodied but like I mentioned dead.

750ml green bottle, capped and corked. 2007 vintage, Bottled jan 27 2011. Golden pour, light haze. Even a vigourous pour couldn’t raise a head - a few whitish bubbles and then nothing. expected sour nose, grapey, tart lemons. In the mouth the beer shows plenty of sourness, lemon peel notes, sharp acidic finish, a little woody character at the end. Medium bodied, carbonation is pretty much absent here. Overall this was quite a bit more mellow and a bit less sour than I was expecting, but the key lambic notes are present. The stillness if this beer is a little strange, but the taste is fantastic.

2006 vintage, rated 21/1/12. Beutiful orange colour, no head. Interesting and complex aroma mixes red currants, gooseberry, perfumy strawberry and floral notes with wood and bugs. Lots of leathery brett, light in lactic acidity. Nice and earthy, reminds me of damp cellar. Flavor is lightly sour, berryish and woody. Dry finish with lots of brett and some peppery spiciness. Smooth, oily and flat texture.

Bottle. Hazy orange body with a small white head. Aroma is tart, fruity notes. Flavor is sour apples and notes of wood. Theres not enough cellar, dust and earth in this one. I´ve had better Cantillons.

[Rated 06/04/2010] A very good lambic. Unlike the geuze, it is not sour and is very drinkable and nice.

Bottle, home - Vitage 2006. Deep orange darker yellow coloured beer with no carbonation what so ever and no head (just hints of white). Earthy somewhat fruity tart and slight cask hinted nose. Full palate. Cleaning the palate immediateley. Finish is tart fruity with a wooden dry almost peppery sweet sour ending. Complex and nicely balanced unblend lambic.

Pours clear gold with no head. Sour aroma, light oak. Good flavor, sour but it doesnt linger. Good beer.

75cl bottle, vintage 2007, bottled 01/2011. Poured deep golden with no head. Aroma is sourish apples. Flavor is similar, very dry, sour, vinegary with some fruity notes as well. Great lambic, truly enjoyable.