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Cantillon Iris

Percentile
96
overall
Brewed by Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Unblended

Brussels, Belgium

bottled
common

on tap
available

Broad Distribution
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RatingsAverageScoreABVStyle PctlServe in
5973.76/5.03.75/5.05%90.6Flute, Tumbler
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.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 unclemattie (2401), Georgia, USA
4.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/510/105/518/20
Dec 12, 2008  
750ml corked bottle. Cork stated that it was bottled in 2004. Gargantuan aroma of must and acidic tartness. Just the slightest touch of grandmas attic. GOD herself cradled this bottle. Heavenly aura of everything a Belgian Lambic should possess. Color of an autumn orange. White fizzy head. Tart, heavy acidity. Still smooth character. nice malt complexities. Some mustiness along with the strong lemony citric acid tartness. So very lovely. Happy Birthday, Mom. Her name is also Iris.


 Travlr (727), Washington, Washington DC, USA
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/59/105/517/20
Dec 10, 2008  
Deep cloudy orange with medium head. Aroma of cobwebs and spiders. Acidic sour taste with citrus overtones. Lovely.


 PilsnerPeter (2612), Flushing, New York, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/515/20
Dec 8, 2008  
Bottle 2004 at d.b.a. Pours a murky deep orange with a fading head. The aroma is dusty with notes of cork, lemon, leather, soft scidity and a flowery note. Fluffy on the palate. The flavor has a tartness upfront, with old "old" quality to it. Dusty tasting with malt undertones of almond husk and a mild acidity. There are some oak flavors that mesh well with a flowery/honeysuckle-like hint. The finish is fairly clean with a touch of residual old wood. Fairly complex example.


 smith4498 (866), Miami, Florida, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/104/515/20
Dec 5, 2008  
Vintage 2004. Pours dark golden orange color with minimal head. Tart, funky barnyard aroma. Flavor is tart and musty with a touch of sourness and earthiness. Medium body with soft carbonation and a smooth mouthfeel with a dry finish. Very nice.


poolboy (66), Lafayette, Indiana, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/103/515/20
Nov 30, 2008  
Sour. Flowery. A little sour. A good but not outstanding Lambic. Pours golden with a very white head. Acidic.


 beerbill (1939), Laurel, New York, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/57/103/515/20
Nov 30, 2008  
2004 Vintage. 750 ml bottle. Pours a very hazy antique gold with a thin linen white head that completely disbursed after the first sip and left scant lace. The aroma is very bright and funky with some lemon notes. I was able to pick up the aroma well before moving the glass up to my nose. The flavor was funky as well, but had less of the lemon than the aroma and was accompanied by a musky flavor I wasn’t all that crazy about. Lingering tartness at the swallow. Lambic is a style I admit that I am still working on understanding and appreciating. More sampling and reading...


 DrHomolka (728), Columbus, Ohio, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/57/103/516/20
Nov 28, 2008  
750ml with no date. Pours with a surprisingly dense eggshell white head that has good retention for the style. A beautiful sunshine orange color that glows is underneath. Funkiness detectable as soon as the cork comes out. Aroma shows intense floral notes, esters, fruity, earthy and peppery with some strong brettanamyces notes. This almost seems like a Bretted Saison, it’s certainly unique for a Cantillon brew. Lemon, urinal, and earthiness of normal Lambic nature are also evident. Slightly soapy as well. The beer is smooth, slick on the mouth, lowly carbonated and surprisingly subtle in the acid and sour department. This is sessionable. I would like this to be a bit more sour. I had another beer recently that this reminds me of but I can’t pinpoint it. This is good but the flavor is a little one dimensional and uninspiring.


 AskForJenny (632), Ontario, New York, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/104/515/20
Nov 19, 2008  
0.75l - Fleeting cream colored head over orange liquid. Wild, acidic nose. Spicy palate, hoppy finish. Really bizarre.



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