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.


4.1
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 16/20
dumontn (423) - CHICAGO, Illinois, USA - NOV 26, 2011
2007 vintage bottled in 2010 as indicated by the cork. Pours pale amber with lush dense rocky head, great retention and slight haze. Aroma is very floral hoppy grapefruit, refined barnyard funk, lemon tartness, french oak mustiness, vinuous, melon? Taste is super sour with grapefruit, hints of musty cowhide, lemon, lime, gets even funkier as it warms. Body is light, effervescent, highly acidic, cowhide grapefruit lime finish. Overall, a great if unrefined lambic that actually exhibits some well-balanced hop bitterness!!

3.9
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
Palme (1200) - Bergen, NORWAY - NOV 24, 2011
0.75l bottle - the 2007 version from Ølbutikken shared with The Tasting Crew + friends. This one pours a lovely looking clouded fairy tale orange body with a nice big and light fluffy lasting just off-white head. Nice aromas. Its light and mildly tart and woody, but also light red-fruity, apricots, sour apples and cowberries. Average carbonation levels and a kinda fading oily mouthfeel. Tastes light sour apples, light sour lemons, more pungent and bitter - and definitely not to sour. Really nice stuff!

3.3
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 13/20
Nightfall (1231) - Hamburg, GERMANY - NOV 23, 2011
37.5 cL bottle (2003) at Home in 2009. I didin’t expect to like it because I am not at all familair with geuzes. However it was quite interesting. Dry, sour, cheesy notes, the famous horse blanket, wet wood, a nice touch of hops. I will ahve to rerate it when I am more used to the style though.

3.8
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 16/20
lortsker (165) - Copenhagen, DENMARK - NOV 12, 2011
Bottle from 2003. pours hazy light orange/ amber with fluffy white head, Aroma: dusty, lactoacid, brett, lemon, floral, dandelion, plant like, farty, light sulfur, cheese, light vinegar, medium mouthfeel, taste is lemon, light vinegar, some dusty hop bitterness, lemon peel, green apples, dusty, refreshing, high drinkability, apricot, quite dry, nice!

3.7
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 17/20
Arayaga2 (1435) - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA - NOV 9, 2011
Hazy apricot in color with a micron of white head. Aroma is sour like a kombucha made with apple juice. Taste is extremely sour, with bright acetic notes, tamed by a bit of bitterness, which trails off into a bretty afterfunk. 6Eu at the brewery

4
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 17/20
blafa (447) - Helsingborg, SWEDEN - NOV 5, 2011
2003 Vintage Bottle from Ölbuttiken, at home. 5th November, 2011.
Pours golden amber with a light fading head. Sweet and sourish aromas of apple and flowers - pretty funky and fresh for being so old. No oxidation what so ever. Fresh and light taste, flowery with a mild acidity, not very sour compared to other Cantillons. Barnyard notes is of course mixed in as well. What strikes me the most is the bitterness of the beer. It’s considerably higher then what I’m used to. Nevertheless a great beer that have stood the test of time!

3.8
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 1/5   OVERALL 17/20
sebletitje (4011) - Enghien, BELGIUM - NOV 5, 2011
Bouteille @ Cantillon. Orangée brumeuse, col blanc. Bière fascinante avec une tournure originale du dry-hopping venant du Saaz. Le tout garde ce profile vinaigre tout en restant sèche avec la levure donnant un profile de cave cela se mélangeant parfaitement avec ce houblon laissant transparaitre des épices. On retrouve des notes boisées et de grains.

4.2
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 17/20
wekker84 (990) - etten-leur, NETHERLANDS - NOV 1, 2011
750 ml bottle a dark golden yellow orange colored beer with a white head aroma sourness apples earthy spicy citrus and some hops flavor sourness apple earthy spicy citrus pineapple lemon and some hop bitters in de finish


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