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.


3.8
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 17/20
ApisAles (1153) - Greenbelt, Maryland, USA - SEP 20, 2011
2007 on draft. Sampled at the Churchkey on Zwanze day 2011. Orange pour with a white head. Aroma was aggressively sour and funky. Some malt hiding in the background maybe? Some fruit notes but the first sip of this thing was like a punch in the face. Very sour in a good way. Took a few sips to get past the sourness but the rest was rewarding. Tasty beer if a bit one note.

2.6
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 5/10   PALATE 2/5   OVERALL 10/20
radagast83 (2202) - Fairfax, Virginia, USA - SEP 18, 2011
2007 Draft. Poured a slightly dark yellow/orange color - almost like apple cider. Aroma is earthy, very tart and sour notes come through. Flavor is, well, very disappointing. I don’t know - a lot of people seemed to really like it at Zwanze Day 2011 (I’d hate to think it but being $6 for a 4oz pour may have forced them to like it). My friend likened it to something along the lines of fermented dirt. I thought the flavor was a bit astringent, and the palate was not pleasing in the least. Since this was my first beverage of the day (aside from water), my palate was entirely clean.

3.8
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 15/20
Cuso (1485) - Bratislava, SLOVAK REPUBLIC - SEP 18, 2011
Bottle from The Cracked Kettle web shop. Hazy orange golden color with medium light yellow fast dissapearing head. Aroma of lemon, hops, cheese, toasted grain, wood, floral notes. Taste, heavily acidic, with some sweet hints. Nice grapefruit bitter hops finish. My first Lambic Unblended, nice beer.

4.1
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 15/20
MattH (313) - California, USA - SEP 16, 2011
5.5 oz pour at Beachwood Sour Fest. Poured dark gold with no head. Aroma of jasmine. Intense sour taste.

3.7
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
DutchDrebus (1112) - Oirschot, NETHERLANDS - SEP 13, 2011
Clear, deep orange colour. Smells sour, cellar, wood and earth. Tastes sour, acidic and apple. Very long after, good carbo.

3.9
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
Ryan82SM (755) - Louisville, Kentucky, USA - SEP 10, 2011
Courtesy of Jason Bertrand, who can’t remember his Ratebeer name, but is a great friend nonetheless. Aroma of slight caramel, white grape, tart lemon and maybe just a bit of leather. Appearance is honey gold with light white head. Flavor has a reasonable amount of tartness with medium acidity, the lemon really shines through. Palate is lightly bubbly and thin. A good place to start for my first unblended Lambic.

4.1
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 17/20
watson1977 (947) - The dub c, Pennsylvania, USA - SEP 1, 2011
2004 bottle...pours a murky honey color with a medium creamy white head. Aroma has leather and funk...slightly musty...faint hint of soury notes. Flavor is more sour than the aroma suggests but not aggressive...still carries nice funk/musty notes as well...very tart and lemony...refreshing. Mouthfeel is very light and silky with a tart dry finish.

3.8
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 17/20
igniztion (313) - Kristiansand, NORWAY - AUG 30, 2011
Bottle 750ml vintage 2003 courtesy of meilby. Pours hazy orange with white fluffy head. Aroma is basement, earth, vinegar, sour on the nose. Taste is very sour for a short while. Light body, thin, high carbonation. 20110421


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