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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.


4.3
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 16/20
SuzyGreenberg (1578) - Seattle, Washington, USA - SEP 29, 2009
375 ml bottle - 2004 vintage; pours lovely light yellow, slight haze and faint white head along the edges; lots of soft wild flowers, lemons, wild grass; stale lemons, grainy with mild sourness; delicate and subtle combo of a little funk, sweetness and earthy wildflowers; wow, pretty much a masterpiece

4.1
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 17/20
LordCorkscrew (1737) - Ronco Scrivia (GE), ITALY - SEP 25, 2009
Mica male come voto #900, un altro eccezionale lambic di Cantillon, anzi non si potrebbe dire "lambic"..solo malto d’orzo per questa ’nuova’ gemma della gamma dei Van Roy, che nell’aroma ha l’acidità pungente del lambic migliore ma anche la complessità maltata di una leggiadra ale e un poco di aceto. In bocca è splendidamente articolata, più asciutta ancora e forse un poco meno dissetante del broucsella, però comunque eccezionale.

4.1
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 17/20
Pipper (325) - Ohio, USA - SEP 23, 2009
750 from Grapes of Mirth into glass. Really pretty lighter medium orange with lots of carbonation. Fluffy, super fizzy off-white head that starts off aggressive and then fades pretty quickly. The head really sparkles you can hear it. Smell is true to lambic funkiness and wonderful sour white grapes with a woody background. This is seriously drinkable, the flavor is much lighter than the color or aroma suggest. Sour white grapes and lemon in the flavor with a lemony acidic aftertaste that is pleasant. The mouthfeel is bright and fizzy. Loverly simply loverly. Was really looking forward to this and it did not disappoint!

3.8
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 16/20
awiseman01 (469) - Indianapolis, Indiana, USA - SEP 20, 2009
2007 bottled 09 thanks Dan. Pours cloudy pale orange and citrus fruit looking. Has a strong sour/lambic nose with some spice. Flavor follows with a heavy/sharp sour bite and is quite fizzy, with sour lemon and a dull, dry finish. Pretty decent sour.

4
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 17/20
danielcurtis81 (1446) - San Diego, California, USA - SEP 19, 2009
Served from a 375mL bottle vintage 2007 picked up from OTM. Appearance is a brilliant brown hued golden orange with some medium moving bubbles. Nose is acidic with vinegar tones. Flavors of deep wood, tart sour flavors, green apple, and lemon. Mouth has a mild carbonation and a small puckering feel. A really nice lambic.

3.8
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
MoDog (927) - Griffith, Indiana, USA - SEP 19, 2009
750ml bottle 񢉖 vintage) served in a snifter. Slightly hazy orange pour with a thick head of fizzy off-white foam that slowly settled. Slick lacing. The aroma had strong notes of funk, vinegar, lemon, and a touch of caramel. The flavor was similar to a gueze, but a bit rough around the edges. There was a nice sourness and acidity, but they seemed a little out of balance when compared to a blend. The mouthfeel was lively and highly carbonated. Very aggressive on the tongue. Decent.

3.9
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 17/20
richlikebeer (835) - Easton, Pennsylvania, USA - SEP 16, 2009
Thanks for sharing to boamr. So smooth for an unblended. Copper color with the vinegar aroma that gave me the memory off other amazing cantillon beers. Sourness is smooth atthe same time. Another amazing beer fron these people.

4
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 16/20
TheAlum (2981) - Lisle, Illinois, USA - SEP 14, 2009
375 ml bottle from Sam’s Clybourne (Chicago, IL). Pours a darker rich amber, orange fiery notes within, a huge billowing offwhite head that sticks around and a big level, laces well. Aromas are present off the bat, throwing a good funky brett dose, barnyard and horseblanket, citrusy lemon underneath, a touch of rubber and a bready graininess underneath. The aroma is really quite strong and funky, with some very acidic sourness within. Light vinegar in there, with a light floral feel, good carbonation. Initial is medium bodied, a good dose of sour tart lemon juice and rind, citrus, funk is covered up a bit by the acidity, but is still there, some funky barn and hay, light maltiness under it all, the sourness is a pretty good level, almost puckering, but with a little sweetness behind it, green apples and maybe a touch of pear. Further in more dryness, a lingering funk and slight rubber, and moving out with a light sweetness in the finish lingering with floral hops and citrusy sourness. A bit unbalanced, but that bit of sweetness tries to bring it back down to earth a bit. I don’t mind though, as the sourness is what I like the most. A bit soapy, the hops really start to come through in the body and finish as I get further into it. Very nice.


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