Cantillon Vigneronne

Brewed by Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Brussels, Belgium

Man alive I was not expecting this. My first Cantillon and boy was it a punch in the face. Split a 750 of this between four people. Poured a hazy orangey amber with almost no head (thin, white, quickly goes away). The aroma was sweet, slightly sour, showed the muscat. The flavor was extremely tart, almost unbearably so. It eclipsed Rodenbach Grand Cru in that respect. Very sour and tart, the muscat was apparent though. The palate was crisp and carbonated, very lively in the mouth.

Bottle with cap and cork from River’s Bend. Poured hazy copper orange color with a minimal head that diminished quickly with minimal lacing. Moderate complex tart fruit yeasty aroma. Medium body with a slick texture. Medium sour fruit flavor with a medium bittersweet finish of long duration. Refreshing brew.

Bottle 75cl at the beerfestival at Buggenhout 2007. This version were bottled in 1999. No taste of grapes in it but still very tastful and still sour/

Bottle at Bier Circus, Brussels. Orangey amber, quite hazy, small white foam. Complex citrus aroma meeting mellower grapes. Flavours start lemony, woody character takes over, but the finish is quite smooth with hints of raisins and almonds. More mellow than other beers from Cantillon, but still rich and complex.

Bottle. 2002 vintage. Pours cloudy gold. Looks quite rich. Very distinctive nose: sour, funk. Perhaps it’s the bottling or the age, but I get notes of smoke and oak. Also some interesting maritime aromas: salt and sea spray. Quite firm and aggressive on the palate. Bracingly sour flavor. Quite acidic. A hint of oak. Where’s the muscat? Dig deeper... here are some sour grape notes. Finishes incredibly dry and sour.

Very good brew, the muscat grapes are very subtle, but kinda lends a light taste of grape skins to the finish. Good level of sourness and acidity give the usualy dry cantillon feel. Lightly tart and fruity in the finish. You get more of the grapes in the aftertaste, sour and tart with a wine like finish.

On tap at Brouwer’s Belgian fest. OK--I see what they mean about this approaching wine. This is a very sour, unusual beer. Never had anything quite like it. A golden brew, looks nice in the 6 oz. glass (which looked an awful lot like a wine glass to me) they served it in. I probably won’t go for it again, but it’s an impressively sour and interesting effort.

Bottle from Capone’s. Hazy orangy dark straw pour with minimal off-white head. Aroma of tart funky fruit, including pear, apple, and white wine notes. Tastes very fruity and tart, yet doesn’t seem as tart as some Cantillon’s I’ve had, with the funky tartness combined with the apple and pear notes all the way through.