Cantillon Cuvée des Champions

Brewed by Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Gueuze
Brussels, Belgium

Serve in Flute, Tumbler

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UPDATED: APR 12, 2005 Bottle: Light-medium amber/orange color with a medium white head. The body looks somewhat opaque to me, and remains hazy even when held directly up to the light. This has quite a bit of carbonation for an unblended lambic (due to the addition of candi sugar as mentioned). When too cold (about 45F) the aroma is more fruity than sour. At this point notes of lemon, peach, grapefruit, apple and orange really show - the sourness is there, but seems more in the background at first. As it warms to room temperature, the aroma becomes more citric, acidic, and sour. Unripened orange rind, sour orange, lemon, mild leather, light barnyard, and dust come out in a very musty scent. I even get some spicy pepper, fresh-cut grass, blue cheese, band-aid, marigolds at the tail end, and as Schroppfy has noted, apricots towards the end of the bottle. Interestingly, the hops really seem to come through in the aroma if you give it a vigorous pour, allowing a large head to form. Medium bodied, with spritzy carbonation and an almost creamy mouth feel. The first sip really overwhelms my palate with lemon rind. Though to be honest, it’s not as sour as I expected. After my palate gets beyond the initial shock, multiple flavors start to reveal themselves: sour grapefruit, orange rind, dandelions, leather, a hint of barnyard, fresh bitter grass, lemon grass, wet leaves, salt & pepper, xerox paper, sweet ruby grapefruit, celestial seasoning’s red zinger tea, rhubarb, cheese, and light wood. When the bottle nears the end it seems to get markedly sweeter. I’m not sure what accounts for this. Finishes quite bitter and acidic with notes of citrus and something else I just couldn’t place until I saw that rauchbier had it nailed - retronasel hops notes. Even further out in the finish some notes of sour grapes, cardboard and chardonnay come through. I was lucky to get my hands on this one.

Fantastic aroma. Still (one can immediately tell this is unblended) with little head unless you try hard. Glowing orange/amber. Great barnyard, leather, musty aroma - by the end with the dregs pour there is a real apricot fruitiness. The flavor has an initial hole, not watery by any stretch, but empty, then a bursting bitter finish. Did not detect dry-hopping. Definitely the body of a lou pepe gueuze (a fact observed not by me but by the esteemed JSturm, and in fact he pegged the priming addition of the sugar as in the lou pepe). Delectable and thanks to the VA connection!!

A perfect cloudy orange/fresh ripe peach skin colored body. The medium-particled white head is medium in size and diminshes down to a ring that lasts for the duration. The aroma is more citric than the typical Cantillon, also the usual supsects of dust, musty basement, cobwebs, and even some lemon rind come out. The flavor is intense up front (big surprise right). Lemon, grapefruit, acidic, tart, and lots of hops. The palate is attenutated with a lively mouthfeel. A lovely brew very refreshing.

Bottled. Hazy orange colour with a small white head. A lovely taste and aroma of grapefruit and a touch of dry hops in the end. Very dry but still soft.

Bottle I bought at Cantillon and drank with the other London raters and Joet at chris’ house. Murky orange with no head and very busy carbonation. Aroma is woody and very dry. Flavour is sharp, and funky and woody. Is this indeed dry hopped as has been suggested? Typical Cantillon - close to world class but just unable to break the barrier.

Hazy golden color with a small white head. The taste is a nicely balanced sourness with light hoppy notes. A very complex pattern of sour fruits like grape or lime.

Sandy beer. Sourness nicely combined with the fruityness. A nice cleaner. A great lambic.

Bottled: Orange coloured. Small off white head. This has all the things I love about Cantillon. Tart, earthnotes, light fruitnotes, great sourness balanced by a subtle sweetness. Is very refreshing and cleansing. Balanced and complex as hell. A true great one.
Earlier Rating: 6/17/2004 Total Score: 4
Bottled: Orange coloured. Unclear. Small beige head. Earth, tart, wood, sour and citric aroma. Very pleasant. Tart, earth, smoke, sourness and some light fruit in the flavour. Has a grape aftertaste. Very good one. Thanks Jacob for sharing.

UPDATED: OCT 21, 2005 I asked Sten, the owner of Akkurat in Stockholm, if they got this beer, knowing that it was only released a couple of weeks earlier in Belgium. They just got it in the day before so I was very lucky to get the first bottle! Thanks Sten :-) The beer pours a thin snow white head on a cloudy dark yellow body. The aroma is rather mild but with a nice complexity of hops shining through the grapefruity sourness. The flavor starts with a very nice and fresh hoppy bitterness (East Kent Goldings) and ends in a long lasting citrusy finish with an excellent balanced sourness. It is not as tart as many of the other Cantillons I have had but more fruity with notes of grapefruit and oranges. This beer is really amazing, the mouthfull is nice and foamy and it all ends in a very fine dry finish. This is one of the most balanced and complex lambics I have had to date and I must say that dry hopping really suits lambics. A bull’s-eye from Cantillon!!