Cantillon Iris from Cantillon

	Percentile
	96
	overall

Brewed by Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Unblended
Brussels, Belgium

bottled
common

on tap
available

Broad Distribution
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Ratings Average Score ABV Style Pctl Serve in
591 3.76/5.0 3.75/5.0 5% 93.8 Flute, Tumbler
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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.

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beermaniac (86), Pennsylvania, USA

4.5	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4.5	9/10	5/5	9/10	4/5	18/20

Feb 18, 2007

Aroma: Combination of citrusy hop and typical brett/sour ale funk. Interesting and pleasant. Appearance: Long last, white head. Light amber color, good clarity. Flavor: Sourness is present, but finishes with a little hop bitterness. Somewhat sweet-sour, with some oaky tannins in the finish. Complex, lovely. Palate: Sour, but not overpowering. Not harsh, but very refreshing. Overall: Excellent brew, interesting and trailblazing. I could see many homebrewers trying this, I think I will.

Skinnyviking (4142), Copenhagen, Denmark

3.1	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.1	5/10	4/5	6/10	3/5	13/20

Feb 18, 2007

Bottle. 2003. White creamy and astoshingly high and lasting head for a lambic. Hazy orange body. Acidic dry horseblanket aroma. Mild more lemon than grapefruit flavor plus cheesy notes. Definately different. Dry mouthfeel and short aftertaste.

argo0 (6842), Washington DC, USA

3.8	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.8	7/10	3/5	8/10	4/5	16/20

Feb 17, 2007

(draft, 2004 vintage) White head atop clear amber body. Aroma is medium sweet, moderate sourness, horseblanket. Taste is medium sweet, medium sourness, some dandelion. Tart light body. Sweeter than the average Cantillon.

bgburdman9 (822), Columbus, Ohio, USA

3.4	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.4	7/10	4/5	5/10	3/5	15/20

Feb 16, 2007

CT V. Aroma was of sour and some funky, horsey, breadiness, with some cheesiness coming through. Flavor was pretty tart and sour. Not to bad but I struggled to drink a lot of this.

badgerben (3584), Blaine, Minnesota, USA

3.6	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.6	7/10	4/5	7/10	3/5	15/20

Jan 23, 2007

Well this didn’t start off good... the cork had soaked completely through and started to rust the cap. It looks and appears to be salvageable though. Light golden color with a massive head. Subdued sour aroma with an almost hay loft quality. A little flowery. The sour comes roaring back in the flavor. Very dry. I think the fresh hopping is noticeable. The bitterness is quite outstanding. Oddly enough, it tasted really wrong the first few sips. But now about half way through my glass, this is really quite tasty.

sliffy (1966), Columbus, Ohio, USA

3.4	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.4	7/10	3/5	7/10	3/5	14/20

Jan 15, 2007

Bottle shared at the Columbus Tasting V: Ugh unblended lambic. Hazy copper color with a white head. Aroma sour and funky, some yeast. Flavor, tart, sour funky, some lemon, acidic. A little sweetness, but not much. This was a lot better than I thought it would be.

BeerVirgin72 (778), Pataskala, Ohio, USA

2.9	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
2.9	6/10	3/5	6/10	4/5	10/20

Jan 15, 2007

Sampled at Columbus tasting. Poured murky light orange. Tasted like sour cheese to me! Very strange brew indeed, although, not nearly as bad as I was expecting!

OhioDad (2491), Hilliard, Ohio, USA

3.5	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.5	6/10	3/5	7/10	4/5	15/20

Jan 15, 2007

Well after rating number 2000 I guess the Columbus crew felt I should finally complete my styles so Sliffy and Puddintane and Beervirgin72 all brought a bottle of this - Thanks! - Pours cloudy amber with a slight white head. Aromas of swiss cheese, hay, and some grass. Flavor is cheese, sourness, a little candi sugar, and a touch of oak. Acidic and sour on the palate with a dry finish.

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