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.


2.9
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 5/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 11/20
DYCSoccer17 (2734) - Woodland, California, USA - OCT 23, 2009
12 ounce bottle. Not sure where I got this from. Aroma is very apple-cider like. Plenty of acetic, vinegar, funky notes and some woodiness is also present. Quite musty. Transparent amber body with a large, fizzy, frothy off-white head that dissipates fairly quickly. Quite tart and acidic to start. Acetic, vinegar-like flavors are present. Pimento olive flavors come through in the middle with a little dry woodiness later on. Some more acidity comes through late. Not sure if I like this.

3.8
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 15/20
golubj (1373) - San Mateo, California, USA - OCT 22, 2009
Bottle. Orangey and yellow pour, small amount of white film / head. Aroma is some wet wood, light funk, sour fruit. Flavor is the same, not as repulsive as the last cantillon that I had.

4.7
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 19/20
hellbilly (2857) - scottsdale über alles, Arizona, USA - OCT 13, 2009
on tap 8/26/2009 at papago... awesome! hazy pour is reminiscent of the color of iced tea topped by a spongy tannish head. a distinct smell of leather is followed by a blast of freshly cut flowers, stinky musty basement, pale malty sweetness and rotten tart red raspberries. the palate is bracingly tart and dry though there is a lot of malt kicking around in the back. lots of subtle/refined flavors moving around and changing frequently... tart red raspberries on the verge of molding, musty funk, flowers, minerals, herbs and lemony tartness. as it warms, the barrel and it’s tannins begin showing. intense mouth feel... it is bitter, dry, prickly and tart yet it is quite substantial. amazing stuff... 9/5/9/5/19/4.7

3.8
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
drowland (3570) - Tallahassee, Florida, USA - OCT 11, 2009
My first unblended!

750mL vintage 2006 poured into a flute. Nice thick beery off-white head that goes away pretty fast. The color is cloudy orange and golden. The aroma is dusty champagne as well as as layers of flowers/fruit and a touch of fresh hop and malt. The flavor is intensely sour at first and morphs to cherries, some tannins, a bit of apple peel, and a hint of malt and hop. Interesting stuff.

3.5
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 14/20
Jukkabro (3457) - Tampere, FINLAND - OCT 10, 2009
Dark yellow colored. Flowery aroma with thin cherries and wooden tones, soft sourness dominating. Thin to medium bodied. Flavor is more sour with soft palate still, only thin flowers come up. Aftertaste turns to wooden with lemon. Good and soft Cantillon.

3.8
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 17/20
dogfish120love (494) - Westfield, Massachusetts, USA - OCT 8, 2009
Pours an goldish orange. Some nice funk from the brett, notes of vinegar in the flavor, but not in a bad way (Not from oxidation). Some nice floral notes are present in the aroma. What a spectacular tartness.

4.1
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 16/20
zvikar (1205) - Tel Aviv, ISRAEL - OCT 2, 2009
In Milan at BQ Birra, from tap, pours hazy yellow to orange with a huge foamy head, great aroma of cheese, olives, flowers, tree fruits like peach and strong winey acidity, tart and refreshing flavor like wet leaves, grapes, farm bursting flavors and nice hoppy finish, very complex. Great!

3.9
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 16/20
boamr (307) - Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA - SEP 30, 2009
Bottle from 07. Pours a nice golden yellow you can see through with a nice white head to it. Has a sour funk smell to it. Taste at first is pretty sour but has a nice tarty finish to it. Great lambic


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