Cantillon Loerik

Formerly brewed at Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Gueuze
Brussels, Belgium

Serve in Flute, Tumbler

750mL bottle, bottled in 1998, courtesy of kramer17801, pre-BCTC tasting. Thanks again, Jason!! Pours a hazy, effervescent, golden-orange color; fine, pepper-like particulates; creamy, white head with fine-bubbled lacing, coating the glass; gorgeous pour. Loads of sour citrus, barnyard funk, and cobweb / funky citrus in the aroma; excellent levels of acidity; great nose; touch of toasty wood. Very mild carbonation. Loads of funky citrus, medium-to-high levels of acidity, cobwebs and funk; very dry, funky, creamy texture in the mouth; gorgeous, creamy, impressively sour and complex gueuze. Awesome. Lengthy finish: tart citrus, cobwebs (like an attic: dusty, alive), and lasting funk; a very soft ending to an excellent beer.

750ml bottle to celebrate my first tri of the year. thanks to hopdog for giving me the opportunity to try this....pours a hazy non-transparent apricot orange with a dense soapy white head that quickly disappears....a refreshing lemony citrus and tart, funky-brett nose. not totally in your face and had just the right amount of intensity.... flavors keep up with the nose profile. extremely smooth and tart citrus notes. full and creamy body, the carbonation made it even more refreshing. somewhat dry finish left some acidity in the mouth.....i was curious as to whether this one was gonna hold up but it didn’t let me down. highly drinkable and a great way to kick off a lazy afternoon.

[1195-20080304] 750mL. Tart straw aroma has generic sour fruit characteristics and some leafy tree notes. Hazy, medium orange body with a small medium-lasting creamy white foam and lots of tiny bubbles throughout. Hint of pineapple tartness in the flavour with sour yeasty straw and musty old box. Light-medium body, good sourness and booziness with a light fizz from the bubbles. Very drinkable, enjoyable.
(@ ’t Bier Circus; Brussels, BE; w/ jerc)

UPDATED: JUL 27, 2008 Incredible like everything Cantillon. Thanks to Badgerben for sharing this one. Bright orange color and cloudy. Yeasty, sour aroma with brett. Delicious, full bodied sour flavor. Incredibly smooth, and perhaps the thickest gueuze I have had, and very sour. Outstanding palate, full mouthfeel. Very sour aroma and flavor, I could smell this for a long time. I have to go with the same high score as Ben on this one.

[’98 Bottle, huge thanks go to Badgerben for sharing] Pours hazy gold with a tiny white head. The typical funkiness and sour in the aroma, but also distinct freshly cut hay with a little clover and alfalfa. Taste is the same but of course the citrusy sourness is much more prevalent. Medium mouthfeel, long finish. A very nice gueuze.

OSLO and Guerde’s Memorial Weekend Tasting, 5/23/08. 1998 Vintage. I’m going to give slight props to Ryan and the former Cellars in Minnetonka. They had a sale about 4 years ago that provoked me into buying a lot of good Belgians, and this Loerik was one of them. I believe it was the last one on the shelf. I am very glad to have been able to pick it up and save it for such an ocassion. Also, props to Joebrew for successfully extracting the soaked cork after I had ripped out 2/3 of it. On to the beer... Cloudy dark orange color with a medium head. Slightly lemony aroma, a little wheat, moderate sourness, oak and barnyard. Holy monkey, Batman... The taste was all that and somehow more. The citrusy lemon provided just enough tartness to play with the sourness, which had evolved into a very fine sour. Earthy malt, a little caramel, fresh all-grain bread... insanely smooth. Good lord. Best Lambic I’ve ever had.

Poured from a 750 ml bottle, vintage 1998. Murky, blonde apricot pour. Searing apple cider vinegar and pear acidity in the aroma, quickly softened by a calm, cheesy yeast touch. Horseblanket, saltwater, pineapple, and brown sugar; the balance of malt warmth and wild character is careful and clean. Flavor is a blanketing mildewy sourness, sticky with funky glue and animal hair crawling the cave walls. Apple cider vinegar seems recurrent. Palate is very lightly carbonated, with a searing, confronting acidity on an almost syrupy yeasty texture that glimmers and zings with passing moments of fruity sparkling. Finish coalesces delicately into this soft, irish cheddar dryness, cleaning the palate with a with this forgiving funkiness that seems carefully polished and quite kind. Outstanding and approachable. Thanks Ben!

UPDATED: MAY 26, 2008 Sampled at OSLO/Guerde’s Memorial Day tasting. A 1998 Vintage and shared by Badgerben. Pours a hazy orange amber brew with a fizzy off-white head that quickly dissipates to a film top and white ring. Aroma of barnyard funk, dry wheat, vinegar apple cider and a touch of pear. Taste is over the top tart and funky, with some tart apple, dark pitted fruit and some tangerine. Finish is still as tart and sour as its flavor with a sour apple and orange aftertaste. Most excellent!