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Cantillon Iris

Cantillon Iris - Lambic - Unblended

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 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 
5933.76/5.03.75/5.05%93.8Flute, 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.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 craftycarl21 (513), South Hero, Vermont, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/104/516/20
Jun 30, 2009  
Pours a hazy apricot pour with a minimal white head. Aroma holds lots of funk, floral notes, nectar, and clearly sharp sour qualities. Flavor starts really tart, but is really quite mellow and delicious, doesn’t attack you like some lambics. Acidity is marvelous, and the finish is great, semi dry and tasty, yet relaxed. Really nice.


 oteyj (716), Canterbury, New Hampshire, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/104/516/20
Jun 30, 2009  
Hazy peach pour with minimal white head. Lots of lemon and citrus zest aromas with tartness prevalent. Light nectar fruits also present. Flavor is quite tart, but mellows out quickly. Fermented apricot and peach combine with some cider notes to create a tart deliciousness. Palate is quite smooth, ending semi-dry. An extremely drinkable lambic indeed.


 angrypirate06 (680), Texas, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/58/104/515/20
Jun 27, 2009  
Bottle. Clear orange pour with fizzy beige head. Aroma of funk, barnyard, light bleu cheese. Flavor is funky, sourness, and a nice little bite. Syrupy mouthfeel.


 KyotoLefty (1371), Kyoto, Japan
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/105/58/104/514/20
Jun 21, 2009  
2006 vintage in the 75 cl bottle. Wild stuff. Amber color, very pretty and different from any other lambic I’ve seen. Rich malt aroma with the sourness, with malt vinegar, dust, wood. Dry lemony flavor, with hops, cheese, dust, and a relatively strong bitterness. Hugely sour, smoky as well. Very interesting.


 trapez (767), Hilleroed, Denmark
3.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/103/513/20
Jun 19, 2009  
Bottle. Yeat, wood and flowers in aroma. Unclear orange colour with white head. Sour flavour with a very dry aftertaste.


 minch25 (350), Columbus, Ohio, USA
4.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/59/105/518/20
Jun 18, 2009  
Dull hazy orange gold, creamy medium sized head eventually stabilizes to a thin layer. Aroma - lambic, funk, dried out hops. Quite dry, and rather mild. Medium bodied, medium carbonation. Highly drinkable.


 nbutler11 (731), Phoenix, Arizona, USA
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/58/104/518/20
Jun 16, 2009  
Uncorked like a boss by Shyam. Smells incredibly floral from across the room. Pours a brilliant copper color with steady carbonation and a lasting off-white head. Gorgeous looking, no doubt. Very sharp in flavor, starting with dry champagne, then souring slightly with lemon, before finishing with a mild berries (probably straw). Perhaps the beer that will get me to start drinking more lambics.


 ajm (903), Los Angeles, California, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/104/517/20
Jun 15, 2009  
Bottle shared by Shyam. From a distance, the opening nose is light powdery candy. Closer, it becomes a definite Belgian hops character. Body is very light at the top with effervescent carbonation. I was saying this has the opening quarter of Temptation’s taste. Body then becomes a mellower pink strawberry, like Doesjel, with nice floral hops on the end. Fruity tartness closes. Really enjoy the cold hopping, makes it stand out more.



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