Cantillon Cuvée des Champions

Brewed by Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Gueuze
Brussels, Belgium

Golden in color with a slight haze and a medium white head. Hoppy aroma which I found really unusual for a lambic, with mild acidity.Citrus hops,bitter yet sour. One of Cantillon’s most interesting offerings.

Hazy blond color; huge head, very lively; wonderful fine perlage. Classic aroma, sour, elegant, cellar smell with a hint of citrus fruits. Weak mouthfeel, the sourness is not very strong, but it’s too much astringent, and the bitterness is too high.

Sampled draught at Akkurat, Stockholm. Hazy pale orange appearance with a small dissapearing white head. Fresh acidic lemon aroma with notes of barnyard, green apple-skins, flowers and grapefruit. Acidic flavour of grapefruit, Granny Smith apples, hay and a subtle tone of hops. Bone dry finish of grapefruit, wood and grass. Damn good.

Bright, fruity aroma, strawberries, pears, flowers, hints of wet hay, horse blanket, and that special cantillon funk. Clear golden color, thin white head. High acidity, fresh apples and pears, a little banana, fresh flowers, just a hint of hop bitterness. Medium-light body, moderate carbonation (quite low for the style), crisp, dry finish. A very nice gueuze, complex, however the flavors are pleasantly rounded-out, not as intense as some others from Cantillon.

Draft at the Maproom... what a find! Poured a hazy medium golden/orange with a short cap of dense white head. Phenominal bouquet of tart lemongrass, cellary yeast, funky horseblanket, grass, and must. Flavors were from the same page with wonderfully tart freshly-sliced apples and pears, an aire of old rustic barn, lemon-wheat, and vinegar providing a puckering acidity. Lighter-bodied and somewhat effervescent... tart, funky, acidic, and remarkably refreshing with bitterness coming through at the finish... everything was seamlessly blended and in balance. This was a helluvan experience.. all 5 glasses of it.

Golden-orange color with a medium sized white head. Acidic, lemon aroma with notes of green apples and some light hops. Mild tartness, some green apples and hay with a hoppy finish. Dry and refreshing. Interesting take on the style.

Cuvee du 89 at Het Bier Circus. Well-balanced, and fairly hoppy for a gueze. Strong citrus flavors. Not as tart as some, but farily typical for the type.

Cuvee du 89 - Bottled 2004 - Golden body with big full white head that lasts quite long; Beautiful nose, complex and fresh, it lacks a bit of depth though. Loads of citrus, fresh green apples, hay, leather, horseshit, wood, along with very clear notes of dried hop; Very light body, quite sour, medium carbonation, a little watery, this turns into fresh and sour finish which is a bit short (the aroma of the finish is short, but the sour and tart part stays long), quite tart, again fresh green apple but mostly dried hop together with lemon, oak in the late finish. I think this one lacks complexity and power to be a true winner. Some raters find this dry hopping in the cask a fantastic idea, I really don’t!