Cantillon Vigneronne

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.

Pale orange pour with cream colored swirls. Sizeable white head is nearly instantly vanishing. Lacing thin, but nearly full coverage. Aroma is sweeter than most Cantillon offerings, a melange of grape notes that include muscat, green unripened, sun-baked pinot noir and musty, moldy ones as well. All this is but a minor hint of fruitiness, though it’s an addition well recieved and complimentary. Tangible Cantillon yeast punch and barnyard notes are wholly evident, similar to the gueuze. Lemon rinds and wheat malts are noted. Flavor is slightly toasty and tastes young and slightly underdeveloped, a stark contrast to the carbonation level(very low). Extremely acidic with light to moderate sweetness. Finishes acidic and with some balance for such a sour beer, sweetness lingering and relaxing some otherwise brutish acidity. Palate is light to medium bodied, moderately carbonated and mouth-puckering. Sharp tannic notes increase the bite. Intense.

Colour of peach, no head. Sour apple cider and grapes in the aroma. Taste apple, plum, grapes and even grapefruit, wood and lime. Fantastic nectar-like moouthfeel.

Slightly hazy, pale body with no head. The aroma is heavy horseblanket, lemon and yogurt. The flavor has a touch of sweetness, lots of tart with lemon, blue cheese, vinous, oak and funk. Medium/light body is very soft and nice with a tart finish.