Cantillon Lou Pepe - Framboise - Brasserie Cantillon

Jwale73

Rhode Island

4.3/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

On cask at Moeder Lambic on 4/7/2013. Pours a beautiful raspberry hue, slightly hazy in clarity, with a fluffy, cloud-like, light pink head similar to the color of cotton candy. Nose expresses citrus, rind, cork and a wisp of raspberry essence at the back. Taste consistent with nose - no real surprises here. Citric acid is very assertive in the flavor profile. Mouthfeel is light in body, puckeringly tart and lightly stimulates the salivary glands. Overall, a very good fruit lambic; however, I'd like to have had a little more raspberry flavor.

Serving type: cask

04-15-2013 22:22:59 | More by Jwale73

Beerenauslese

California

4.75/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Vintage 2006, bottled 2008.

As soon as the cork is pulled, the aroma of raspberries wafts into the room. Poured into a tulip, has a lovely pinkish garnet color, transparent, clear on the first pour, a little cloudy on the second. A half inch head of light foam, quickly dissipates to a ring. Some motile lacing quickly runs down the glass back into the ring of foam and does not stick.

Nose is fresh raspberry, old wood and spice, a little Cantillon funk, and a mild acetic acid (vinegar) note. Main impression is a glass of macerated raspberries.

This tastes of fresh raspberries upfront with some raspberry juice sweetness, then the acetic acid hits mid palate and continues to get more acidic towards the finish, which is pretty sour at that point. I love the fresh raspberry flavor, even in this 5 year old version.

Body is light with some slight carbonation, flat mouthfeel. Has a clean presentation with no stickiness. Unfortunately, the carbonation leaves too quickly.

This beer preserves the fresh acidity of the raspberry and enhances that some with an extra vinegar sourness--but a little too much. The malt notes are light and the old wood notes, spice, and tannins add some complexity. Definitely a great beer, but the sour level makes me want to have it with food, which it pairs well with. My goal is to try this again as fresh as possible to guage how much of the fruit has left this bottle after cellaring.

Vintage 2008, bottled 29 September, 2010

Update: The following day, I opened the 2008 vintage bottled in 2010. This has a deeper red color and the raspberry flavor is slightly fresher with a much lower acetic acid level that did not produce the wave of acidity I experienced with the 2006 and is better carbonated with a more champagne-like mouthfeel. I could enjoy sipping a whole bottle of this vintage, which is what I am about to do :-). Because the 2008 vintage presents considerably better, I have upgraded my earlier score to an across the board 4.75 (was 4.5 overall). With these beers, one can expect variations by vintage (neither the lambic nor the fruit will be the same) and quality also depends on cellaring time and conditions, but 2008 is delicious now and may be as good as it gets (until I get to try a newer vintage).

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 01:47:27 | More by Beerenauslese

CraftBrewhaha

Washington

4.91/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

Booya! Poppin tops with the ole lady to celebrate an occasion and pulled out one of these (2009) bad boys. Just raspberries up in there! You can smell them skins and seeds, the whole fruit. It's like Whaaat?! Bangin tartness. This one feels like the first, feels like the very first time. Lady loved it too.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 09:35:34 | More by CraftBrewhaha

DoubleJ

California

4.45/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Double imported Cantillon. 2002 Vintage, with a 2004 printed on the cork. Bottled and imported from Belgium first by Belgian Beer Paradise, then bought in Brazil and sent to America in 2012. Now it's ready to drink in 2013. Let's hope the cork works with me. Coming out of a 750 ml bottle, on to the beer:

The cork is a little mushy, but I am able to put the cork opener into it without having it fall apart. Pull out, pour into a glass, get a muddy brownish pink color with no head on the pour. No worries. The aroma gets me in a good way, plenty acidic with some good doses of raspberries which still remain 9 years later. A rustic barnyard note sits behind all that. Somehow, the aromas are balanced very well.

As one could expect, this one attacks your palate in several ways. It's plenty acidic, which is a given, not just from being a Cantillon, but also the raspberries bring a pleasant acidic that's not so sharp as say, Fou Foune. Yet the raspberries also bring some tart, sour, and sweet flavors which soak into the palate and help this beer going down. It's surprisingly drinkable despite the intense activity and fullness found in the liquid.

Suffice to say, this is a fun and lovely fruit lambic. At a decade old, there's still plenty of life in this bottle, a bottle which I plan to finish on my own tonight.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2013 06:58:08 | More by DoubleJ

kevanb

Illinois

4.63/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle, 2009 label, poured into an Echt Kriekenbier glass.

Pours a lovely raspberry red color, tones of purple and garnet, slightly hazy with a nice, thick, billowy pink head that has decent retention and leaves a touch of spotted lacing behind. The aroma is of fresh, fleshy, pungent raspberry, funk, light chewy oak and touches of vanilla. The flavors are right in line with the nose. Lots of freshly squeezed raspberry, oak, funk, light acidic vinegar, touches of sweet vanilla at the end. The body is great, it's juicy, thick, almost pulpy with a nice zippy level of carbonation that is very lively on the tongue with a great creamy finish.

Verdict: Spectacular fruited lambic from Cantillon and my personal favorite of the Lou Pepe beers. The raspberry is just so fresh and juicy and doesn't really need any support from other flavors to make this a spectacular beer, a great celebration of raspberry.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 06:21:17 | More by kevanb

kscaldef

Oregon

3.93/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

2008 vintage, bottled in 2010

A: Super carbonated bottle with some leakage. Cork started slowly pushing out as soon as the cap was removed and could be pulled out with fingers rather than needing a corkscrew. Raised a significant head filling nearly half the glass before quickly receding. Beautiful, clear red liquid with lots of bubble activity.

S: Lots of funk and raspberry. A little jammy with a hint of parmesan cheese

T: Really sharply tart. Lots of fruit, wood, and acetic acid.

M: Highly carbonated, explodes with foam in your mouth. Long linger.

O: This beer could be great, but the over-carbonation in this bottle is really a problem, making it hard to serve and hard to taste until some extended, vigorous swirling gets most of the carbon dioxide out of solution. The smell is lovely and the taste is also very appealing once you can get to it, but the carbonation is just crazy.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2013 21:18:49 | More by kscaldef

oline73

Maryland

4.01/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Finally getting to try this. 2009 bottle poured into a goblet.

Pours a red color with a light pink head that fades quickly. The smell isn't very pleasing, kind of like raspberry farts. The taste is much better. I'm getting fruity vinegar notes with a very nice funk. There is an herbal note behind the fruit. The raspberries are good even after a couple of years.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 01:26:42 | More by oline73

emerge077

Illinois

4.49/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottled 23 January 2012
Glowing ruby red, wispy pink foam, jewel tone but light haze. Cobweb skim, spotty lace.

Funky barrel aroma, wet oak, seedy fresh raspberries.

Blistering sourness, super puckering. Juicy raspberries make your mouth water before going completely bone dry. Nice and oaky, explodes with fruit. A fuller feel, with a slight spritz of carbonation, balanced acidity and a light hit of sharpness. Stable funk with soiled hay and washed rind farmhouse cheese. Just the right amount of nuance and equal parts sour fruit delivery system.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2013 02:29:26 | More by emerge077

HopHead84

California

4.6/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

2/09/2013

2008 vintage poured into Lost Abbey stemware.

A: Dark red with a slight orangish hue and an inch of pinkish beige froth.

S: The aroma displays an absurd amount of jammy, tart, pungent raspberry seed and flesh. It's extremely aromatic and vibrant, with an almost spicy character due to its concentration. There's a lightly sweet crackery malt foundation beneath the fruit. Oak and leather blend with earthy funk. There's a bit of vinegar in there.

T: Sweet and tart raspberry seed and flesh with jammy notes and a subtle malt presence. The fruit is explosive and abnormally expressive. Face meltingly, devastatingly, depressively fruity. Lactic, leathery, and oaky, with a delicious tartness throughout. Vinegar is light in the flavor and there's a pervasive but subtle acetic acidity throughout. Finishes heavy on the fruit with a refreshing tartness and a firm but gentle lactic presence.

M: Upper light to lower medium body with high carbonation. The mouthfeel is sticky, dry, and tannic.

Overall: By far the best bottle of Lou Pepe Framboise I've tried, though I've only had the beer a few times and mostly from older bottles. This was exceptional with a radical funky fruit presence. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 08:20:18 | More by HopHead84

jvillefan

California

4.49/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

2009 Vintage

A: The body is ruby pink with a light pink lacy head.

S: Sweaty estery aroma with sour raspberries.

T: Light fruity flavors of raspberries and strawberries. There is a pleasent tart and sour apple running through the entire flavor of this beer.

M: A little light but that was expected for this style of beer. Very high carbonation.

O: Amazing beer. Worth getting.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 16:08:10 | More by jvillefan

jmarsh123

Indiana

4.4/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2008 vintage poured at Zwanze Day

Pours red/pink with a big pink bubbly head. Low retention although there was some lacing around the edges.

Great funky raspberry aroma. Funky and tart with a little fruity sweetness.

Lots of raspberry flavor in this one. Very sweet up front until some of the funk hits mid-palate. Finishes with some tasty raspberry tartness. Straight up sourness isn't as high in this as some other Cantillons, but it's still funky and the raspberry tartness makes up for it.

Well carbonated and creamy mouthfeel. Spot on for Cantillon.

I normally don't like Framboises too much, but was really surprised by this one (probably the first time I've ever had it on a clean palate). Liked it better than the other LP beers and glad I still have a bottle left in the cellar.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 17:56:33 | More by jmarsh123

notchucknorris

California

4.58/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Found a 2008 bottle at a local bar. Score!

A: Pours a dense pink/ruby color with a beastly pale pink head. Great retention and lacing. Looks amazing.

S: Rich raspberry aroma with a touch of cranberry and a dry hay-like smell. As it warms, the wood begins to come out a bit and I get some cedar.

T: Nice snap of unripe raspberry/cranberry tartness. Lemon, some faint oak and a nice dryness on the finish with some cherry skin. Absolutely fantastic.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2012 02:11:18 | More by notchucknorris

AleWatcher

Illinois

4.23/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

2009 on sticker-- shared by phineasgage on 11.09.12
served in my Cantillon stemware glasses.

Bright pinkish red body-- very clear and pretty. Lots of streaming bubbles coming up, though the head was decent, the retention is lacking.

The beer is beautiful raspberry notes with a nice diaper funk.
The flavor is very sweet, very very sweet. Loads of raspberries... The funk is pleasant... The sourness is respectable, but it is clear that it will grow in intensity.

feels perfect. nice tartness pulls gently at the sides of my cheeks. well-carbonated.

Overall-- this is the best of the LP series. For my money though, this one isnt worth the infkated price over Rose de Gambrinus.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2012 03:29:05 | More by AleWatcher

WillCarrera

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle, 2008 vintage, poured into a tulip glass.

A- Pours a dark red color, topped with a big fluffy pinkish head, great retention and spotty lacing..

S- Lots of delicious raspberry aroma, acidic tartness, wood and musty, earthy funk.

T- Powerful lactic tartness followed by juicy raspberries, slightly bitter raspberry skin. Beneath is a solid layer of musty, horsey funk with wood and tannins.

M- Light-bodied, nice bubbly carbonation, has a super-acidic and dry, tannic feel.

O- A great framboise, it's massively sour, even for Cantillon, which I really like. This is probably the oldest fruit lambic I've had from Cantillon, who I know recommends drinking these young, but even a few years out this is drinking damn nicely.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2012 01:28:56 | More by WillCarrera

Etan

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml into a Cantillon tulip. 2008 bottle.

A: Pours a light ruby with a gigantic light pink head. This bottle is super-carbonated.

S: Beautiful assertive raspberry in the nose. Fragrant, sour, must, seed, rotted wood.

T: Lots of oak, sour raspberry skin, wet hay, lactic, very acidic, slight notes of vanilla and wheat. Very sour.

M: Light-bodied, frothy carbonation.

O: This isn't a fresh bottle, but it isn't exactly old either - I'm glad the fruit component is still bright. Plenty of funk in the nose, too. Awesome framboise.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 20:59:04 | More by Etan

Tnudish

Wisconsin

4.2/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Provided by Matt for my impromptu birthday tasting. Thanks a bunch for helping me knock out the Loons I haven’t ticked yet.This is a 2008 vintage poured into a Surly Darkness snifter.

A- Pours a deep red almost brown in color with a fingers worth of tight light pink head. Very good head retention.

S-Really nice bright jammy raspberry in the nose, it smells absolutely incredible. Reminds me of a young Hommage.

T-Flavor is tart raspberry, with a little lemon, but it’s still mostly all raspberry.

M-Light mouthfeel, good carbonation, moderate acidity, and a long tart finish.

O- I like this beer more and more everytime I have it. I still think I prefer Lou Pepe Kriek in terms of Lou Pepe’s, but this is light years ahead of Rose.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2012 22:37:00 | More by Tnudish

Tone

Missouri

4.4/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear, red/pink color. 1/4 inch head of a pink color. Slight retention and poor lacing. Smells of strong raspberries, tart yeast, slight dark citrus, sour notes, and slight earthiness. Fits the style of a Lambic - Fruit. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp, with a low carbonation level. There is also a noticeable bitterness. Tastes of raspberries, tartness, pungent sour flavors, and also a strong tang. I had a hard time discerning what ingredients caused the basic flavors I tasted, but nonetheless it was an amazing brew.

Serving type: on-tap

10-04-2012 13:26:41 | More by Tone

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottled April 12, 2010 (2007 vintage).

Beer is a cloudy pink with a smallish white head. Head dissipates quickly, no lace.

Smell contains raspberry, barnyard funk and grass. Good smell and typical Cantillon.

Taste is quite sour. Raspberry, funk, hay. A marked sweetness accompanies the sour. All good, though not as complex as some of the beers from this brewery.

Light bodied, highly carbonated. Sticky and puckering. The sugar makes it a bit hard to get through.

Overall, very nice. Certainly not my favourite beer from Cantillon, but a very good lambic.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2012 19:23:28 | More by jrenihan

yamar68

Minnesota

4.58/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a glowing raspberry red - clear as a bell. A thick but short-lived pink head, the color of a McDonald's strawberry milkshake. Thin lacing, seems appropriate. And I can smell it already...

Massive notes of fresh wood, fresh grass, and far-from-fresh fruit. Tart berry bits. Some herbal qualities are subtle... lavender, sage. Extremely unique.

Equally massive in flavor - sweet raspberry, sour white grape, exceedingly tart. So pungent... reminds me of their kriek blended with crack cocaine and pornography. Super juicy, sour at first, becoming dryer and dryer.

Pretty damn drinkable but I can't help but to sit and think after each taste. Delicious.

I approve wholeheartedly.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2012 00:06:31 | More by yamar68

wethorseblanket

California

4.33/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Complete vertical (01 - 09 based on sticker) shared by Mr. Bubbler on his b-day. The following is a comparison and rating is based on the average score of all:

A: Ranged from 3.5 to 4.5. Pours a pinkish red (older) to reddish pink (younger) all with a pink head which varied from almost nothing (02 and 03) to quite foamy (07). Lace was generally trace.

N: Ranged from 3.5 to 4.5. Varied from a vibrant bright fruit (09) to just slightly (03) notable. Younger bottles were much less funky and musty compared to the older ones which were more wild and earthy.

T: Range from 4.0 to 5.0. Plenty of basic moldy, chessy funk in all. Tartness more evident in older bottles. Some lemon present in 06. Intense sourness in 02. Surprise was 01 still fruity.

M: Range from 3.5 to 4.5. Semi-moderate body consistent across all bottles. Carbonation varied from foamy to nearly nothing. Tart to very sour and puckering. Cheesy, musty, dusty, earthy dry finish not so varied but older bottles generally tasted "older".

O: Range from 4.0 to 5.0. Highlights included the fresh fruit of the 09, the intense sourness of the 02, and the still wonderful 01. Very fortunate to have been a part of this event. Thanks and happy b-day Mr. B.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 23:05:40 | More by wethorseblanket

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

4.85/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

2007 bottle

A-dark rose with a nice pink head

S-oak and a handful of raspberries. Smells quite sour and strong

T-comes in with an amazing taste of sour raspberries and oak. It's refreshing. It's a really fresh and crisp taste.

M-sticky medium carbonation with a dry finish.

O-This is just about perfect. For days after drinking this, you'll be wanting it again. The bottle is best shared though, it's so sweet!

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2012 02:31:25 | More by AdamBear

starrdogg

District of Columbia

4.08/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to makdeco for sending this out my way.

2008 Vintage. Warning: the cork shot out of the bottle as soon as I took the cap off - it was slightly terrifying.

Beer pours a dark purplish ruby red with a fluffy pinkish-white head. The smell is fantastic - raspberries stand out most, but there's a nice mix of funk, sour and oak in there as well. The flavor is still good, but not quite as impressive as the nose. It's a bit simpler than I expected. The raspberry flavor is great, and it's quite sour, but there's not much funk or anything else happening here. It's not too sweet and comes off much drier than its little sister Rose de Gambrinus. Mouthfeel is thin with heavy carbonation, would've liked a little more body here. Overall, this is another fine beer from Cantillon, but I wouldn't rank this up there with the best of their lambics. I enjoyed it more than Rose de Gambrinus, but of the Lou Pepe beers, it's definitely the simplest. A good fruit lambic, but I don't know if I'd seek this out again given what it costs.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2012 16:34:51 | More by starrdogg

DaftCaskBC

British Columbia (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: 1" of foamy light magenta head over dark magenta liquid.

S: Oak, yeast and raspberries.

T: Oak, yeast, tartness, some earthiness and sour raspberries in the finish.

M: Thin viscosity, a medium level of carbonation and some dry tartness.

O: More woody than fruity in this case, I prefer the Lou Pepe Kriek but this is still tasty.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2012 03:12:03 | More by DaftCaskBC

mdaschaf

Washington

4.41/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2005 Vintage, at Monk's in Philly shared with BeerThursday. Served in a Cantillon stemmed goblet.

A: Poured a hazy reddish color with no head or lacing at all. A few small bits of cork ended up in the beer, but no big deal. The cap was very rusty and the cork...did not look good.

S: Very nice raspberry and strawberry aromas. There is a bit of oak and some light funk. For a 7 year old Framboise, it smells fantastic and is incredibly inviting.

T: Surprisingly still rather tart, again a nice combination of raspberry and strawberry flavors with a sizeable amount of oak and barnyard funk coming through, slightly musty.

M: Extremely easy drinking, while the flavors are bold the mouthfeel is very mellow and smooth.

O: Extremely impressed at how well this held up. Saying I want more of this is obvious.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2012 03:03:13 | More by mdaschaf

eduardolinhalis

Switzerland

4.15/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle served in a Lambic flute.

Bottled in January, 19 of 2010.

A: Pours a rose cloudy color forming a huge rose fizzy bubbled head that takes some time to dissipate. No lacings left in the glass and a small layer remains on the top

S: Very fruity and sour. Some malts, leather notes. bit metallic and a lot of Lambic yeasts in the nose. Raspberry bomb, of course

T: Very sour, first of all. Fuity but not suit at all, actually it's quite dry. Some grains. Lambic yeasts. Leather. Metallic. Aftertaste is really tart and fruity

M: Light body. Huge carbonation. Sour aftertaste

O: Very drinkable. I still prefer the Lou Pepe Kriek version I've enjoyed this one

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 18:55:07 | More by eduardolinhalis