Cantillon Rosé De Gambrinus

Brewed by Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Brussels, Belgium

12oz. 2003 bottle: This one pours a slightly red tinged amber color. It is hazy. There was a bit of a head on it when it was poured, but it fizzed away quickly. The aroma is sour and tart. A hint of raspberries to it. The taste is pretty much sucker-tart. A touch of raspberries in there. I like the tart ones, but this is a bit much for me.

2008. Deep cherry/pink, short lasting pink cotton candy head. Slightly tart aroma, some fruit. Sharp tart underripe fruit, soft on the palate, one sided. Think I’ll like it more with considerable age.

I can only presume that I will be the first to use the term sour with this. I not only enjoyed it but also enjoyed the face my girlfriend gave taking a sip. (she does like good beer, but not THIS one). A few others seemed to think that it was okay. Makes me wonder how things vary from year to year (or not). While I enjoyed quite a bit I was hoping that perhaps I would really LOVE it. That didn't happen. The sourness was not overwhelming by any stroke, but I was thinking that there was a lack of je ne sais quoi. I've had those framboise or krieks that just were too fruity for me - or too sweet. I think that if I were to commit sacrilege and combine such I would be interested in seeing if I thought it was an improvement or a crime. So shoot me for being honest.

2006 Bottle bought in Maine. Definitely more lambic than fruit in this bottle. Tough to tell that it is actually a framboise. Very funky, sour and tart. Nice overall though.

Hazy pale pink with little head. Tart and funky, distinct Cantillon aroma with clean raspberries added. Sharp and tart but balanced with some finishing sweetness. Silky body. Excellent raspberry flavor that lingers lighly on the palate. Easily the best framboise I’ve had.

Bottle... Poured a cloudy peach with a white head. Yeast aroma with light fruit. Dry, thick palate and was a little boozy but also very balanced. Finished sour and tart with a thick residue left in my mouth.

Massive white head. Hazy, red-orange coloring. The liquid seems to be colored in vertical layers, with the darker red in the center and the lighter orange on either sides. Pungently sour aroma, mainly of sour cherries (I didn’t think there were any in here...). Wow, this stuff is VERY sour. Those sour gumballs we used to buy as kids have NOTHING on this. A slight hint of raspberry fruit, but the overall emphasis is on the sour tartness. Personally, I really like this, but the sourness is a bit much to handle at times, and can be rough on the palate. If you loved Sour Patch Kids or Tear Jerkers as a youngster, try this for a trip down memory lane. But bring enough friends to share the bottle with!

Bottled in 2003, according to the cork, 750ml.. Pours a pink/brown, a white head. Aroma is vinegar and slight funky. Flavor is hard to pinpoint thru the sourness. Some fruit, and did I mention, it’s SOUR!!! I keep trying these kinds of beers, but I haven’t really grown to like them yet.