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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 
5923.76/5.03.75/5.05%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?  
 lassem (296), Copenhagen, Denmark
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/103/516/20
May 26, 2009  
Bottle 37,5 cl and stamped 2003 Pours a clear orange with a nice golden-white head - not often seen at lambics. The nose is very fresh and sweet with light bitter undertones. There is aome abricot, orange, wet hay an soap. The Taste is round and fine with a bitter but watery palate. I taste grape-tonic, buttery notes, sour grapes and hops. Its very drinkable and a bit more welbehaved compared to other Cantillon brews that tends to be pretty agressive. Well balanced


 Narnad (682), Wonder Lake, Illinois, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/517/20
May 18, 2009  
Shared a bottle with JMerritt prior to the 2009 Peoria International Beer Fest. Pours a cloudy yellow/orange color with a low head. Aroma is extremely sour, barnyard-ish presence with some cheese notes in there as well. Flavor has an acidity to it that reminds me of a very concentrated grapefruit acid, followed by a melding of barnyard flavors and ends with a very heavy puckering sourness. Density was pretty good and the beer felt pretty smooth. A great beer overall but one that you definitely want to split since the flavors are pungent.


 xmarcnolanx (789), Kirkwood, Missouri, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/104/516/20
May 13, 2009  
2006 Vintage consumed 05/13/2009 Aroma is sour, lactic, funky and barfy. Hay, floral aspects, citrus, and a bit farty, too. Taste is a bit sweet, some bitterness in the back of my mouth, and sourness throughout. More in depth, it starts out with some bitter garbage and pine elements, citrus, and barnyard funk. Finish is bitter lemon rind, with a bit of watery sourness. I definitely get the bitter sac hoppiness in the taste and finish, and it is well integrated, if a bit intense. Nice sour with hops.


 tgncc (796), Bellmore, New York, USA
3.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/104/512/20
May 6, 2009  
500th rating. And my first Lambic - unblended. The aroam is unique to say the least. The aroma is sour, sort of barnyard, lactic acid, vaguely citrus. The appearance is attractive, like apale ale in color, yellow with a tinge of red, decent white head, strong, fizzy carbonation. The flavor is acid-y, grapefruit, malty, bitter, very sour. The finish is sour, with the lightest bit of piney hops at the end. Reminds me of some type of champagne, except not sweet. Thin, oliy moutheel. Interesting. Not my thing, but interesting.


 TampaBrew (746), Tampa, Florida, USA
4.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/59/104/519/20
May 3, 2009  
Pours a gold with a thin white head. Slightly under carbonated. Lemon zest, some other citrus. Tart sour nose. Flavor is citrus funk. Lactic acid. Tart unripe fruit flavor. Cantillon can do no wrong.


 Trev (850), Lakeville, Minnesota, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/57/104/514/20
Apr 26, 2009  
2005 vintage Pours medium gold with a thick white frothyhead. Aroma is grapefruit, lemon, earthy barnyard funk. Very funky flavour, light lemon sourness, floral tones as well.


 JMerritt (1313), Macomb, Illinois, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/104/516/20
Apr 26, 2009  
Hazy two-toned orange with a small white head that is mostly diminishing. Sour, apricoty/citric aroma - some barnyardy straw, soft cheese - very acidic and musty at the same time. Punch-in-your-face grapefruity acidity, very sour and mildly oaky flavor. Acidity is crazy, but I dig it. Brie/soft cheese finish. Yeasty notes - like banana -in the finish with a feeling I can only describe as humid. I was still tasting this the next morning, so I’m glad I split a bottle with a buddy.


 Hank1980 (734), Athens, Georgia, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/104/515/20
Apr 22, 2009    Updated: Aug 27, 2009
Bottle shared at tasting. Poured cloudy gold with a white head. Aroma of funk, sour, spice. Taste is very sour and funky with plenty of hop and malt notes. A very well balanced sour ale. The hops give the beer a bitter finish. The mouth is a bit carbonated. A very nice lambic.



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