Cantillon Saint Lamvinus

Brewed by Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Brussels, Belgium

$70 bottle at dirty Truth Northampton, Ma. Wild berries, but not overwhelming and vinegar. Merlot like flavor with a superb tartness

Bottle. Attractive dark red but no head. Bottled Nov 2008. Familiar cheesy salt lambic nose. Flavour seems somewhat subdued without the expected snap. Has all the elements; cheese, salt and fruit but flat. Grapes seem stronger in the finish and aftertaste. Grapes not as dominant a fruit as others such as cherries.

A fresh nose of blood orange and apples. Taste is of wood, red currant and red grapes. Finish is bone dry. The fruity character comes out very well and it’s balanced with the acid. Almost no funk, which is a bit unusual. Lambics are often very acidic and a bit soapy, but not this one. It could be the best one I’ve had in this style.

Aroma of fun, red fruits and red wine. Appearance is red with small white head. Flavor is sour with funk and grapes. Overall an amazing beer.

750 ml bottle thanks to Eric. Drank at our early November 2009 blast. Pours a very cloudy brown with small bubbles pushing through. A sweet oak and grape nose, very tart seemingly and light funk. A very complex character; its dominated by a wine/vinous flavor, loads of sour grapes and barrel. Tart but not too much so, a lot of sweeter flavors. Very complex and nice.

Pours a clear plum color with no head. Aroma of wine, funk, and fruit. Flavor of grape, yeast-funk. Sour and tart with a hint of sweetness.

Pours dark red tending brown with a nice pink head that settles very quickly. Nose has trademark lambic funk, very tart red fruits hiding beneath dusty, salty notes. Palate is perhaps a little fuller than I expected but quickly dried up with high carb & racy acidity/tartness. Finishes quite dry with oak and tannic notes aswell. Awesome beer! A touch fuller than most other cantillons but huge tartness one expects from this brewery. Almost cross between gueuze and oude bruin/Flanders red.

Bottle: Poured a wine like plum color with no head. The aroma was funky, grape, and sugar. The flavor was sour grape and funkhouse. Overall, a wine like beer that was excellent.