Cantillon Gueuze 100% Lambic - Brasserie Cantillon

vonnegut21

New York

4.63/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at the Armsby Abbey, a leftover from the Zwanze Day event.

A: Pours a hazy gold, with a finger and a half of billowing white head.

S: Super tart, lactic, bright acidity. Slight wine-like character, tart apple and citrus. A small amount of brett funk and make a hint of tannin.

T: Puckeringly sour. Bright acidity, tart fruits and slightly vinuous. Mouth watering on the back palate. There are delicate layers of tartness and funk. Extremely tart, but not overwhelming. Dry, but refreshing.

M: Again, puckering. Nicely carbonated. Light and drinkable. A hint of sweetness up front, but mostly dry. Each sip makes you anticipate the next.

O: My first Loon was not a letdown. This is an excellent beer. Probably the best gueuze I've ever had. If only I could drink this one more often. Absolutely delicious.

Serving type: on-tap

12-14-2012 20:02:21 | More by vonnegut21

Gatch

Massachusetts

4.55/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Armsby Abbey for Zwanze Day.

A: Beautiful straw golden yellow with a big fizzy white head.

S: Incredibly funky and barny and some sour fruit.

T: Perfect amount of dry funk with hints of super tart fruit. Slight white wine qualities.

M: Dry, fruity, sour deliciousness. One of the best I've had. Everything balanced to make a nearly perfect gueuze.

O: Everything I expect in the style. It's difficult to describe these beers but I know its one of the most delicious on the planet.

Serving type: on-tap

12-01-2012 20:00:44 | More by Gatch

MDDMD

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A-hazy golden yellow color with a nice white head and minimal lacing

S-lemon, grassy, funk, musty

T-lemon, yeasty funk, grass, earthy, hint of orange

F-medium body with nice crisp carbonation, tart and acidic

O-my favorite gueuze thus far, nice body and flavor

Serving type: on-tap

10-20-2012 20:04:01 | More by MDDMD

hoserking

California

4.03/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On "tap" at Cantillon

Due to my lack of experience with Gueuze, I was surprised when this was served in a tumbler rather than a tulip.

Dull orange/straw color.
The aroma was very funky with all the earthy smells expected from a naturally fermented beer.
Taste was tart but not over the top. Clearly there is a lot of thought put into what goes into the blend for this beer as it is quite balanced and with a mouthfeel that makes it very easy to drink.

Wouldn't be a daily drinker but was obviously a marvelously brewed beer.

Serving type: on-tap

07-03-2012 10:07:21 | More by hoserking

bark

Sweden

4.68/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

The liquid is semi-cloudy, the colour is orange-gold. The low head is warm-white.

The smell is sour-sweet with red berries, vinegar, some stable and dried flowers.

The taste starts off with mixed yellow fruits and berries with a fine tartness (reminding of apple acid). The mouthfeel is a bit dry. Mineralic notes, iodine, lemon acid. It is not extremely tart, rather complex and stiff. The aftertaste is sour and quite light with multifaceted notes of stables/farms, honey drops and fine white vinegar.

The carbonation is medium strong; the small bubbles are rather sharp in the mouth. The medium smooth liquid is dry.

A classic brew.

Serving type: on-tap

12-11-2011 10:15:42 | More by bark

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.1/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this one during Zwanze Day 2011 while at Holy Grale! Served from tap into a Cantillon taster flute. Poured a slightly hazy golden yellow with a half finger pure white head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, funk, tart, fruit, wood, sour apples, and barnyard. The flavor was of sweet malt, funk, tart, fruit, wood, and brett. It had a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a solid brew. I have had this brew multiple times out of the bottle, but this was the only chance I've had to have it on tap. I have to be honest... This one actually tasted better out of the bottle to me as the funk really carried through more out of them. This was still quite good in aspects of the way. I would love to have a keg or three of this sitting around my house either way. A definite must experience serving method for this one. Now if only I can find it on cask...

Serving type: on-tap

12-11-2011 00:42:29 | More by thagr81us

flipper2gv

Quebec (Canada)

4.75/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Sampled at the 5th anniversary of Saint-Bock bar. From Notes.

A: Light yellow color, quite strong foam, ok retention and lacing.

S: Well, this is the most prototypical gueuze I ever had. It smells like strong barn: with wet hay, horse blanket and everything you'd expect from a gueuze. Also, very fruity with strong green apples, strong lemon and light mint.

T: It's everything from the smell and even a little more. It's more balanced that what I expected, with it being a bit less acidic than expected. Good amount of barnyard: good wet hay and horse blanket. But, it's really fruitiness that steals the show, it's like biting in one of these sweet lemons, not the overly acidic type, mixed with that tart like notes of green apples and very light mint.

M: It's very very light like everything Cantillon does, and superbly dry.

O: I love everything Cantillon does, and this is no exception. This is the gueuze every other gueuzes should be compared. This is damn near perfect.

Serving type: on-tap

10-23-2011 18:27:39 | More by flipper2gv

bishopdc0

Maine

3.73/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Shared with my wife at Novare Res on Zwanze day.
The beer is golden pale with a thin lace head

The nose is tart and sour like cherries or raspberries but without the distinction of each.

The taste is dry and sour to start very sour it becomes fruity like fresh apples and finishes with more of a cider sour apple taste

Serving type: on-tap

09-19-2011 13:55:31 | More by bishopdc0

Urbancaver

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

on tap at Zwanze Day 2011

Pours a hazy golden orange. Almost no head. Smells earthy and funky. Lots of armhouse dirtiness. Tastes sweet and tast. Not overly sour but definitely funky. Overall well carbonated but isn't quite doing it for me. Perhaps I'm not a Gueuze person

Serving type: on-tap

09-18-2011 15:35:12 | More by Urbancaver

auroracrisis

Kentucky

4.2/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On top into a Cantillon taster at 2011 Zwanze Day in Louisville at Holy Grale.

Bright yellow with a haze to it when cold, with a ring of foam around the edges. The haze disappears and the beverage becomes much more clear as it warms.

Barnyard funk forward with highlights of fruity esters and rind. Lemon, lime, and orange come to mind. Those nice Cantillon cheesey and horse blanket notes throughout.

Much more tart on the tongue than on the nose. Lemon rind and lime flavors are the most apparent, then some funk. Barnyard and cheesey lactic acidity. Much different than the nose.

Medium body with a tingle of carbonation. Pretty wet as well, not as dry as most gueuzes.

Pleasant barnyard with hints of fruit on the nose, and a very tart flavor with funk in the background. A gueuze with wonderul contrast between the nose and taste. Glad I got to try this one on tap.

Serving type: on-tap

09-18-2011 01:29:26 | More by auroracrisis

brew3crew

Ohio

4.38/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Zeanze day 2011. Really looking forward to this one.

A- hazy yellow with no head whatsoever

S- little bit of fruit, lot of funk

T- follows the nose. Go figure. Very dry finish. Nice tartness and funk

M+medium body and smooth

O-good beer. Can't wait to see what this does with age.

Serving type: on-tap

09-17-2011 19:36:39 | More by brew3crew

Bendurgin

Maine

4.53/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Poured into a chalice. Pours a hazy straw color with a thin layer of white foam.

Horseblanket cellar must on the aroma with a nice fresh tart finish. Lemon and vinegar in the aroma with a hearty oak character. Much like the aroma the flavor is tart start to finish with wild yeast notes and a cellar character.

The feel is light and crisp. Overall this one is the bar for the style in my opinion.

Serving type: on-tap

09-17-2011 16:23:51 | More by Bendurgin

4000qtrap

Missouri

4.43/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 5

Source/Serving: Draft @ City Beer Store

S: Chardonnay vinegar, fresh but tart berries, candied lemons and grapefruit, golden raisins. Seamless. Amazing how clean it is with no 'off' flavors. Seriously high quality.

T: Super fresh, crisp and tart with bright lemon and tropical fruits which hit briefly as oily but then as juicy. Eases into more sour depth in the middle along with some unripe banana, grapefruit oil with a light, stale, chardonnay, and bubblegum edge. Hints at leather on top of the lemon that carries over from the initial taste. Fairly dry throughout. Finish is slightly grapefruit pith bitter and not as sour. Bitter raisins, stale white wine, and a little spice with lemon candy/wine lingering sweet and sour which very slowly dries out.

Notes: Flavors are smooth and sharp and lacking anything 'off'. Complex.

Serving type: on-tap

05-01-2011 02:30:47 | More by 4000qtrap

Spider889

Ohio

4.65/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap at Local Option in Chicago.

Cantillon on tap has to be one of the most awesome beer finds possible at a bar. I think I'd geek out over a run-of-the-mill Cantillon on tap more than KBS or CBS even!

The beer arrived in a sizable tulip. A rusty cloudy red/orange color. A very small, light head that receded into a ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass.

Smelled musty alright - boy did I miss that unmistakable Cantillon aged gueuziness. Lots of clean apple skins and dusty attic dryness.

The flavor is where this beer truly shines. Mildly sweet, yet very tart right off the bat. Green cherries and under-ripe green plums kick you in the mouth, leaving your glands watering in anticipation for more. Damp oak provides an additional funkiness and adds a dry character to the beer.

Sweet finish, still sour, long after each sip. The tongue is left dry with the mild bitterness that a fresh lime might provide.

The funk certainly grows in mustiness with warmth. The boquet of this beer becomes something to savor.

Unfortunately I was pressed for time (and over-zealous about this beer) and drank this too quickly. Try and have some restraint, this beer can only benefit from it. She waited upwards of 3 years for you. You can wait a few minutes for her. The seduction is all the more inviting for your patience.

Serving type: on-tap

04-05-2011 23:34:51 | More by Spider889

jrallen34

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Local Option into a tulip...Nice light cloudy medium gold, what a gueze should look like. Head is sparse, gone quicly...Ther aroma is really nice, just funky horse blanket sourness, not super strong but a good happy medium, not overly complex...Taste is a puckerer, super tarty but drinkable, light apple skin, pretty tannic.

A well above average gueze.

Serving type: on-tap

10-02-2010 18:13:37 | More by jrallen34

womencantsail

California

4.47/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: The pour is a burnt orange color with very little head and quite a bit of bubbles.

S: Tons of funky barnyard aromas along with hay, wet oak, straw, and grass. Green apple and lemon provide plenty of acidity and tartness.

T: Just as funky, sour, and delicious as always. Very, very acidic, primarily lactic acid, with great lemon, green apple, and green grape notes. The funk is very green as well with grass, and wet straw, along with a mustiness and some wet oak.

M: The body is medium with a nice lively, champagne like carbonation.

D: One of the best and most consistent gueuzes out there. I could drink this by the case.

Serving type: on-tap

09-19-2010 05:10:39 | More by womencantsail

WOTO97

California

4.1/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this on tap at City Beer Store in SF! Gold in color with surprising clarity for style; nominal head and no real lacing to speak of but on point for style. The nose is a bit funky with notes of grape and melon with pleasant vinegar qualities, even a bit of coriander. This a real palate pleaser, slight tartness with a very clean finish. Apple and melon are noticeable on the mid-palate along with some hay qualities. Very tasty and extremely refreshing for a warm summer day.

Serving type: on-tap

08-02-2010 17:00:39 | More by WOTO97

bmishkin

Indiana

4.9/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Ebenezers Pub, Lovell Maine.

Well poured in Cantillon long-stem glass. Yellow-Orange-Gold, medium translucency with one finger of white foam. Definitely not cloudy.

Nose of citrus fruits, sour, and grassy funk.

Mouthfeel very clean, higher carbonation than I am used to in this style but matches the flavors well.

Taste from beginning to end of sip is wider than I've ever had in this style. Nearly sweet at the beginning, but transitions to a sharp-sour, nearly bitter but extremely clean flavor of almost musty cheesiness. Reminiscent of the dry finish of very good french champagne.

Awesome example of the style, wish I could get it where I live. Paired amazingly well with the lobster roll I had for lunch.

Serving type: on-tap

07-21-2010 17:19:00 | More by bmishkin

ThirstyBird

Germany

4.28/5  rDev -4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed this one on tap at Track 84 in Warwick RI
A - Hazy golden yellow. Nice bone white head that stays. Nice lacing.
S - Big nose of sour cherries, sour green apples..slight vinegar. Actually smells smooth.
T - Tart and sour up front then mellows to lingering sour cherry flavor. A little vinegar on the mouth afterward.
M/F - Light/medium body. Nicely carbonated. Very lively but creamy and smooth.
D - Smoothest and most elegant gueuze that I've had. Really something special on tap.

Serving type: on-tap

01-07-2010 23:17:46 | More by ThirstyBird

Jwale73

Rhode Island

4.22/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this one on-tap at Track 84 on 8/7/09. Served in a snifter. Poured A golder-orange with a quarter-inch, thin white head that settled into a skim. Nose reveals a bit of funk, citrus and light fruit; perhaps pineapple and apricot. Taste follows nose - sour, tart and musky. Mouthfeel fell between light- and medium-bodied, but closer to the light end of the spectrum - finished with a slightly astringent pucker. I'm still very new to this style, but what a pleasant and refreshing sipper.

Serving type: on-tap

08-10-2009 15:08:51 | More by Jwale73

robbyc1

Illinois

4.45/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Hazy orange, this has a small white head.

Huge fruitiness in aroma, same in first taste. Tart, persistent across palate. Grape in nose, with solid sourness, apples and great freshness, like the fuzz from a lemon. Really refreshing. Lively taste, effervescent. Grapefruit & apricot flavors, sour apples, much malt. Bitterness from the yeast or hops, I'm thinking it's from the malt as well.

Fizzy full body mouthfeel, a great summer beer, maybe the best made beer I've tasted from this wonderful maker, a gueuze to die for. Great to have it on tap, will be seeking it in bottles as well.

Serving type: on-tap

07-24-2009 21:40:02 | More by robbyc1

rudylaw

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap @ HopLeaf

This was what I was looking for in a gueuze. I woke with a hankering for mussels and sours, so I went to HopLeaf, natch! Cantillon was on tap and I dove right in.

It smelled and tasted exactly the same. Vinegar, a hint of citrus, very funky and very dry. I detected a bit of white wine as well. Very sour and very delicious. A perfect companion to my plate of mussels.

I think if sours are your thing, this could rate rather drinkable. For me however, I stake it a bit above average.

A delicious, summertime beverage!

Serving type: on-tap

06-08-2008 17:53:52 | More by rudylaw

DaPeculierDane

Wisconsin

4.6/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Unknown Vintage

On tap at La Cav du Vin, Coventry, Cleveland, OH.

Cleaner and more perfect then most other Geuze I have had to date, this manages to present most of the qualities I find enjoyable in a geuze, vinegar, sourness, funk, barnyard characteristics, lemon/lime citrus, and a generally wild mouthfeel without too many of the really bizarre attributes such as battery acid, dehydrated urine, or donkey hooves.

The focus of the aroma and flavor is a more pleasant barn yard aroma and lots fo lemon/lime/grapefruit citrus. There is a chardonnay roundedness on top of that but of course, funk and sourness win out.

The flavor is equally impressive containing bountiful amounts of citrus soaked hay and vinegar. The feel isexceptionaly sour, although less so then some other geuze out there such as Drei Fontaine or Oude Beersel. I cannot say whether or not this is simply a result of this being form the tap. It could be. Often with beers like this, I find that the tap versions tend to be considerably more tame, probably due to less conditioning and less yeast actually finding its way into one’s glass.

The net effect of this being slightly toned down in comparison to some other geuze is that this brew is quite drinkable, better balanced, and more refined. This seems more grown up, professional, and consistent. This is a fine geuze and certainly one of the more drinkable I have found thus far.

Serving type: on-tap

06-22-2007 20:38:00 | More by DaPeculierDane

sleazo

New York

3.3/5  rDev -26%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

On tap Blind Tiger.

A-Pours a cloudy orange yellow. No head. Minimal lacing.

S-sour apples wet blanket sour lemons. Pretty potent but in a good way

T-sour and medicinal. This doesn't even taste like beer to me.. Mineral water sourness and some green apples completely dominate the taste. This really dries the mouth out. The tartness really does somehow draw me in.

M-relatively light with a low carbonation

D-hard for me to rate as I haven't had the style before. I will definitely try this again and possibly rerate. However drinkability is definitely low as this is too sour to have more than one of.

Serving type: on-tap

06-16-2007 07:06:51 | More by sleazo

klewis

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at the Buckeye Beer Engine, Lakewood, OH - 5/28/07

A: Served in a small goblet. Pours a slightly hazy light golden with little head or lacing.

S: Subtle smell with light aromas of fruity esters and phenols.

T: Tart and strongly acidic taste with a strong funky phenolic flavor. Slight chemical taste. Very complex.

M: Light in body and carbonation with a dry finish.

D: Very tasty and interesting, but a bit difficult to drink due to the strong acidity, but definitely worth a try.

Serving type: on-tap

05-28-2007 20:30:17 | More by klewis