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.


2.3
   AROMA 5/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 4/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 8/20
probstk (1911) - Nepean, Ontario, CANADA - JAN 2, 2011
750 ml bottle of 2005 vintage from Bieropholie, shared with Phil, served cool in a Pils flute. Bottled 23MR07. 01JA11.

App.: Cloudy orange-amber with a small off-white head. Aroma: A mix of leafy hops and Lambic funk, some citrus notes, strong peppery herbals, typical horse blanket and barnyard, leather, a bit of rubber, strong sourness. Palate: Medium body and fair effervescence. Flav.: Strong, bracing acidity, bitter green herbs, funk, lots of minerals, some faint fruit notes, peppery, typical Lambic notes; SO sour with some bitterness, tangy fruit and minerals.

Still not a fan!!

3.9
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 16/20
jtclockwork (3433) - , New Jersey, USA - JAN 1, 2011
Bottle. Pours red grapefruit color. Nose of fresh peach, tart fruit, oak, flowers and barrel funk. Taste is acidic fruit, grapefruit rind and oaks.

4
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 16/20
Forsberg_dk (228) - DENMARK - DEC 28, 2010
UPDATED: APR 11, 2011 37,5 cl bottle (vintage 2003), pours orange with a minor head, aroma is fairly tart consisting of brett, barnyard, fruit and wood, taste is similar to the nose, pretty sour but not unpleasant in any way, super smooth mouthfeel, lovely beer.

4.2
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 17/20
tkrjukoff (2284) - SWEDEN - DEC 26, 2010
Pours hazy peach amber a small beige head. Aroma is very sweet and fruity but also tart and sour. Very nice. Flavor is acidy sour and a bit tart with nice fruity tones. Palate is sour. Finishes sour acidy and tart with some fruity notes left in my mouth. Very nice lambic.

3.7
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 16/20
Nisse666 (1973) - Göteborg, SWEDEN - DEC 20, 2010
Bottle from bierkompass.de . fresh bottle: feb 2010 bb 2020-02 cons Götteborg 2010-12-20 AR: fresh geuze, yeast, young apples, nutty FP: reddish copper colored body, wee yellowis beige head wee bubble and quickly diminishing F: small bubbly carbonation, heavy bitterness, appel tart, yeast, loaded with souness, grapefruit, rhubarb and rowanberry fruitiness

4.5
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 18/20
TimE (1980) - Tokyo, JAPAN - DEC 19, 2010
This was for a 1998 version. The aging REALLY helped this beer. Honeydew, strawberries, peaches, a touch of lemon and cherries and hay. Oaky lemon fresh cut flowers, dandelions, moderately tart, wood , earth. Unbelievably delicate, but delicious.

4
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 16/20
andyhwcinc (807) - Chicago, Illinois, USA - DEC 9, 2010
2007 Vintage. I picked this up a while ago at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL and saved it for a good time. Just got good job news, my band finished our full length record, life is good! This was drunk out of a coffee mug during the final record mixing so it’s a bit skewed. Appearance caramel gold with rich white head. Aroma of cheese and Belgian yeast, very soft. Taste not as sour as I was anticipating, definitely unique, pretty good.

4.6
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 10/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 17/20
wyzzywyz22 (1474) - Wirral, Merseyside, ENGLAND - DEC 6, 2010
Bottle from Beer Ritz, Leeds. Wasn’t prepared for just how pant wettingly good this is. Hazy orange pour with a lingering white rim. Terrific aroma, a wonderful mix of full on lemon citrus, hops and a dash of funk. The flavour was just wonderful, a sublime and perfectly balanced mix of lip puckering sourness and hop bitterness. Every sip was just a joy. A sensational beer that I could drink till the bloody cows come home.


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