Cantillon Zwanze 2008

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

Rare bottle at Beer Bistro, cheers to them for bringing this one in. Hazy yellow, small white head served in a Cantillon glass that looked like a normal water glass. Lovely sour aroma, with some ripe rhubarb and yeast. Taste is excellent - tart, mouth puckering, yeast, rubharb, very dry. Quenching. Not as complex as other Cantillons but still a very nice sipper. Did not realize the alcohol was 6.5. A really nice treat for us here in the Toronto area.

Bottle (375ml - green). At BeerBistro. A rhubarb lambic? Hell yes! Poured medium-hazy gold, with a decent and lasting frothy/creamy white head. Solid sour/funk aroma, lemon, sharp yeast, and at cellar temperature decidedly of tart not quite ripe rhubarb - mmmmmm. The taste was a little mild, at first, a blend of ripe and green rhubarb up front, almost a hint of sugar, with a solid sour lemon goooooz backing it up, but as it opened up further, complexity and balance developed - very drinkable yet plenty of character and funk. Average bod (I mean for the style - hell, it’s acidic and thick), nice carbonation, the only complaint might be it finished a little abruptly, leaving a pleasant acidic coating on my tongue. Very drinkable, oh why can’t we get stuff like this all the time? And why does it have to be $o expen$ive???

Bottle at WSF. Pours clear golden coloured with a creamy egg white head. Aromas of sulphur, earth, white bread and citrus. Tart and dry flavour with notes citrus fruit, wood, and vinegar.

Beer bistro, 2007 bottle. A real find for Beer bistro to bring in this rare one. Pours lightly yellow/transparent with some foaming head. Takes tartness to the edge, and a little beyond, offset by some sugar. Masterful, rhubard like you never tasted it, but I do like red cabbage salad with balsmatic vinegar, and it was a cousin to that taste. Good till the last drop.

A Sim rate. Bottle at the WOSF.
Smells like hay and true barnyardiness. It’s a delightful version of ‘This APE needs a bath!’ The rhubarb comes in very faintly. Definite guezuey tartness but not as rhubarb as I expected. It’s tart but sweet. Dry finish with more rhubarb that sticks to the back of your throat.

Hazy tan. Pedio comes first on the nose, then wood. Assertive palate starts dry but picks up sweetness as it goes. Slight hint of fruitiness but the rhubarb is tough to find. Dry finish with a light vinous character. Simple and approachable, not my favourite of theirs.

2009-06-16. Hazy golden body with a bit of an off white head that fades a bit. (3+) Aroma is mild at first, with an interesting range of funk to it. Very mild yeasty brett funk, fair bit of sweetish fruit that I believe is the rhubarb but I think is fairly noticeable but I was also looking for it. (7+) Flavour has a zippy sourness up front but overall the sourness is surprisingly restrained, especially for Cantillon. Very refreshing, and drinkable. Light funk throughout, rhubarb is less prominent than in the aroma but it is there. Lingering mild sourness lasts for quite a while in the aftertaste. Sharp sour notes at the back of the tongue on alternating sips quickly fades to a broader sourness with less of a bite to it. (8+) Average palate has pleasant carbonation that suits the beer nicely. (3+) I expected a much more assertively sour beer and was delighted to find how balanced and drinkable this was. Very nice, subtle, refreshing. Bottle at beer bistro, Toronto

75cl bottle. 2008 Bottle. Pours a clear copper with a small creamy head and lacings. The nose is mouldy , tart and cellar. Very cantillon ish. Crisp and dry. Smooth and complex. A bit of vinegar and wood. Nice