4.6 AROMA 10/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 10/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 16/20UPDATED: APR 5, 2013 notes from three 750ml bottles at Akkurat in Stockholm, bottled 2005
first pour: tannic, prickly, zesty, amazingly vibrant and live in the mouth, wonderfully vibrant acid matched to the medium-low carbonation and dry body. muscat grape shows up remarkably well and integrates with the lambic bacteria perfectly: pungent spice, earthy, sweet (smelling) floral notes with small touches of mint leaves and tea and green apples reminiscent of Spanish Sidra Natural. Vinous mouthfeel, wet / oily / slick / syrupy but light-bodied with assertive and clean acid (lacks any overt notes of vinegar). exceptionally well-balanced this early on: low yeast, low must, soft peach and orange and mango esters at play with the light spice and floral character of muscat must.
mid pour: some more yeast mixed in and it’s blossoming well: peppery peach, floral honey and mint, fresh-squeezed lemon juice with a sweet/salty acid profile and exceptionally soft yeast texture. mustiness is increased, minerals are more pronounced and it becomes more doughy and starchy with malt and wheat coming across like baked crackers and toasted bread. has some lingering white vinegar notes that pass back and forth to lemon juice.
late pour: herbal fern, jasmine, rosemary and evergreen Muscat character is amplified by the yeast. this is where it goes from being great to being difficult to put into words. everything begins to swirl, sometimes single aromas and flavors jump out and make an appearance, then disappear back into the glass before a cacophony of greens, vinegars, bacteria, grains, musts, flowers and fruits burst back up once again.
the verdict: simply astonishing! the farmhouse, horse, burlap, wood, hair, dust and air character of the microbial flora is perhaps the most expressive I’ve ever had from Cantillon. for three bottles the experience as a whole was the same, worthy of high fours and contending with the best lambic i’ve ever had. certainly the best Cantillon I can remember having, and likely the best druiven geuze as well.
4.7 AROMA 10/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 19/20
Last bottle @ Akkurat. They’re now officially out.
Amazing beer! So good grapes really beautifully blending into the sourness.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
750mL bottle at Akkurat, pours a fairly clear golden with a tiny, quickly-dissipating white head - looks flat after the head settles. Aroma is quite dusty and vinous, with moderate funk, dusty grapes, horse blanket and hay. Flavour is unlike anything I’ve ever had before, with notes of berries, perfume, grape skins, and some fresh meadow notes. Quite high acidity, with tart grape skins on the finish. The transition of flavours is quite something -- starting with the perfume and flowers, and ending with very sour grape skins and high acidity. Gets better and better the more you drink, with the gueuze qualities coming out more. Certainly a elegant beer and surely one of Cantillon’s best. Excellent stuff.
4.6 AROMA 10/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 19/20
In short: An intense blond lambic of amazing complexity.
How: Bottle 750ml at Akkurat, Stockholm.
The look: Cloudy dark blonde body topped by a large white head with low retention.
In long: Bottle opens with a big healthy ‘pop’. Nose is quite something, old farmhouse, earthy groundcherries, wild countryside flowers, grape skin, mild funk. Taste has all the elements of the aroma (earthy groundcherries, wild countryside flowers, grape skin, mild funk) and then adds lemon zest, pineapples, must, horse blanket. Acidity and sourness levels are pretty high, even by Cantillon standards, you need a high tolerance to lactic acid to drink a full bottle in one hour like I did. Bone dry finish, even a bit dusty. This is one of the few rar Cantiloons that stands up in quality with the regular Cantillons, and even surpasses most of them. Probably in my top-5 Cantillon offering so far, just as excellent if not better than the likes of Foufounes, regular Gueuze, LP Kriek, Rosé de Gambrinus and my other favorite Cantillons. If it was a little less citric it would probably be my favorite Cantillon ever. I was heartbroken when my bottle was empty, actually not sure heartbroken is the right word, what do we call a heart that has difficulties pumping blood because the arteries have been damaged by years of excessive alcohol consumption?
4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
good stuff they got going here a lot of funk and a lot of the grapes. although the pinot noir got more grapes left in my opinion!
4.3 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
Bottle at Akkurat. Hazy orange liquid with minimal white head. Aroma of lemons, white gripes, spices, herbs, white pepper, barnyard, dust and a earthy funk. Really funky and complex. Nice! Taste is dry and medium to high sour with notes of grapes and herbal funk. Very complex. Medium bodied with light to medium carbonation. Awesome stuff. Just so complex and funky. Kind of weird at first glance but it really grew on me.
3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
The beer is a hazy orange color with a short lived white head. Very fruity and grape forward on the aroma. An interesting herbal and tea-like nose, too. Plenty of musty funk, mild cork, and lots of white wine. The flavor is lightly sweet with a heavy dose of wine and muscat grapes. Strong herbal notes, a ton of oak, tea, and an earthy, mushroom-like funk.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 17/20
Bottle @ Akkurat. Pours hazy bright orange with a small fizzy offwhite head that quickly dissipates without leaving any trace on the glass. Smell is sour and fruity with crackers, menthol, barnyard, lemon juice, dry soil, grapefruit rinds, manure, hay, horse blanket, white grapes and hints of raisins. Taste is very sour, tart and slightly fruity with white grapes, green grapes, grapefruit juice, lemon juice, dry soil, crackers, barnyard, unripe strawberries, horse blanket, wood, hay, lemon drops and gastric acid. Mouthfeel is dry, tart, mouth puckering and medium bodied. Finish is sour and tart with lemon juice, grapefruit juice, green grapes, hay, gastric acid, leather and dry soil. Possibly a bit over the top in regards to the sourness but still a very good beer.
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
750ml Bottle (Kindly shared by Scopey at Akkurat, Stockholm. Many thanks) - Hazy gold/amber in colour. Stewed fruit, concentrated orange juice, grapes and some lemon juice in the aroma. Fruity, tangy and fairly rich taste with a pleasant tartness. The tartness gives the taste a certain warmth which can be felt at the back of the throat upon swallowing. Very drinkable and has aged well.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Bottle, shared with SaintMatty at Akkurat. It pours cloudy golden yellow, with a quickly dissipating white head. The nose is sweet white wine, apricot, peach, white grape, tinned pear and melon. The taste is tart white grape, apricot, peach, vinous, alcohol warmth, lemon, traditional cloudy lemonade, sharp citrus notes, honey, tinned pear and grape skin, with a tangy, tart finish. Medium body, fairly high acidity and lively, prickly carbonation. An enjoyable fruity lambic. Only real negative point is that the acidity is probably a bit too high much.
4.5 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 10/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20
Bottle @ Akkurat Stockholm. One of the best treats of the night. A bit hazy golden appearance with a dying white head. Fairly funky, mild citrusy, dark grape, a bit boozy spirit, light cognac, nose. Intensely sour at first but not as much going forward. Very tangy, tart, grape juicy, mild vanilla, rich wood flavor wit ha puckering, grape/plum finish. Mild tannins throughout Really a treat to drink
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