RateBeer
Score
9996
OVERALLStyle
Brewed by Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Unblended
Brussels, Belgium
Serve in Flute, Tumbler

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution

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RATINGS: 833   WEIGHTED AVG: 3.79   EST. CALORIES: 150   ABV: 5%
COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
The Cantillon brewery is closely linked to Brussels, a city which has the iris as its symbol. As the name indicates, the "marsh iris" is a plant growing in humid areas. The historical center of Brussels is built on swamps where this flower used to grow abundantly.
In 1998, the Brussels Museum of the Gueuze celebrated its 20th anniversary. The Cantillon brewery decided to make a new spontaneous fermentation beer for this occasion, named after this symbolic flower.
It is a completely original beer which, contrary to the other products of the Brewery, is not brewed with 35% of wheat. The Iris, which is only made with malt of the pale ale type (giving a more amber colour to the beer) conserves the typical flavour of the spontaneous fermentation, the complex aromas and the vinous taste.
The hopping is different too. Lambic is made with 100% dried hops, for the Iris we use 50% of dried hops and 50% of fresh hops. The latter cause a superb acidity, the former, due to their tannins, enable to conserve the beer while preserving all its qualities.
After two years in the barrel, the Iris undergoes a second fresh hopping two weeks before the bottling. A linen bag, filled with hops, is soaked in the beer for two weeks. This technique, called "cold hopping", gives the beer a more intense savour and makes the smell and the taste more bitter.


3.9
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 17/20
thome50 (200) - Boringville aka Irvine, California, USA - JUL 8, 2011
Tap at Stone Sour Fest 2011. Pours a hazy yellow with a nice frothy head. Tons of citrus in the aroma with some nice sourness picked up but very little funk. The bitter lemon peel really hits you when you first sip this beer. This stays to the end but is not over powering and is a very nice sour beer. Not overly mouth puckering but a very enjoyable beer. Wish I could taste more of the "cold hopping" but can’t in this taste. Overall a very enjoyable beer and one that I could drink on any summer evening.

3.9
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 16/20
LtDan (1415) - Los Angeles County, California, USA - JUN 29, 2011
Appearance: Pours an amber tinted gold with a thin eggshell colored head.

Aroma: Musky funk, slight mildew and sourness.

Taste: Mineral or metallic like bitterness, wood tannin notes, lacto.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, light fizz.

Overall: A very complex beer, not very sour. There is a lot going on in this beer, but it all falls into place with each sip.

3.8
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 16/20
RasmusOtt (706) - Aalborg, DENMARK - JUN 28, 2011
UPDATED: NOV 13, 2011 Bottle from 2003. Pours hazy orange with a white head. Aroma is tart, bread crust, horse, citrus, wood, floral, fainted hops, yeast, light caramel and grapefruit. Taste is tart, lemon peel, fainted hops, grapefruit, green apples, floral, brett and stable. Dry mouthfeel ..

4.1
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 17/20
hoosiers1994 (561) - Maryland, USA - JUN 26, 2011
Draught at Max’s Rare and Obscure. Pour was cloudy orange with a white head. Aromas were sour, yeasty, and funky. Taste was sour on the front, with lots of fruit. The finish provided a nice balance with the hops that kick in. Overall, a very well done beer, very refreshing.

4
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 17/20
beersearcher (1357) - Glendale, California, USA - JUN 26, 2011
This is a world class beer. Sampled at Stone Sourfest 11. Sour like a sour patch kid. Pours a hazy orange. Slightly bitter with big grapefruit notes at the end.

4
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 17/20
sunevdj (2306) - Copenhagen OE, DENMARK - JUN 25, 2011
2000 at Ungstrup’s - Thanks. Pours a clear light amber with a small off-white head and lacings. Smells of sour dust. Sour and quite bitter. Fruity aromas with aromas of cask. Quite dry. Weird aromas of old hops. Medium to full bodied. Soft carbonation. Dry, casky carboantion.

3.5
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 14/20
Koelschtrinker (6544) - Köln (Cologne), North Rhine-Westphalia, GERMANY - JUN 19, 2011
Dezent säuerlicher Antrunk, deutlich herb, was von der Holzigkeit zu kommen scheint. In Teilen essigähnlich, diese Säuerlichkeit nimmt im Mittelteil bereits wieder ab, bleibt aber dennoch deutlich vorhanden. Dieser etwas merkwürige Ton scheint mit der Zeit süßer und bekömmlicher zu werden, man brauch tatsächlich erst einmal Eingewöhnungszeit. Kein Bier für Jedermann! Test vom 22.12.2007, Gebinde: Glasflasche Noten: 9,12,10,11,11,12 - 11,20

3.9
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 16/20
kermis (571) - The Hague, NETHERLANDS - MAY 29, 2011
Bottle bought from the brewery and shared with friends. Pours slightly hazy golden with no head. Aroma is sour fruity brett. Lots of grapefruit in the flavor. Almost no carbonation. Very good beer, but certainly not one of the best Cantillons


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Rating Notecard:
Beer: Cantillon Iris Rating Avg: 3.79 No. of Ratings: 833
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