Cantillon Gueuze 100% Lambic - Brasserie Cantillon

BierReise

Florida

3.7/5  rDev -17%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml Bottle capped and corked. 5th Bottling October 2000Poured a light clear gold color with minimal head and looking very Champagne like. Aroma is slightly sour, musty, yeasty and with notes of grapes. Mouthfeel is clean and crisp and somewhat lighter bodied. Flavor is as close to champagne as a beer has eve tasted. Tart and grape like with a dry finish and quite sour. Overall a very good Gueze.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2004 22:45:37 | More by BierReise

WVbeergeek

Ohio

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

Appearance: Golden haze with a strong effervescently carbonated white head leaves speckled scattered lacing. Aroma: Tart and acidic barnyard tones of wild yeast, tickles the nose with pure tartness a blend of 1, 2, and 3 years aged lambic. Taste: Layers of tart woody tones with a strong backing of semi tart semi sweet flavors, very complex and strange. The wild spontaneous fermentation creates flavors unknown to most human palate, I'm intrigued and impressed by this offering. Mouthfeel: Spritzy carbonation coats the palate with a great sensation of inordinate flavors. Drinkability: Such a complex different style shouldn't be as drinkable as this very unique and tasty making it a great drinking experience that I would love to taste at Brasserie Cantillon.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2004 23:33:17 | More by WVbeergeek

ElGuapo

New Jersey

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

A pale golden colored brew topped in a small layer of white bubbles that retain for a little bit, but die to a lacing around the edge after a few minutes. The aroma is huge. A tart blend of fruits really welcomed me. Peaches, pears, apples, simply mouthwatering. There are some woody tones in there as well.

The first sip provided me with a big kick in the face of tart fruits. Yep, this is a Gueuze all right. The peaches really seem to come out in the flavor. Apples die a bit, and the pears are all there. Citrus flavors come in to join the party. All of them combine into a massive tart flavor that causes salivation at the end of every single sip, allowing me to suck in some more of this fine nectar. I find myself trying to squeeze more out of the sides of my mouth. The woody notes are a very nice addition, and they provide a bit of balance as well as an aid to complexity. It is very smooth with almost no carbonation at all. Drinkability is excellent, and a 750 may not be enough. I will do my best to keep myself from breaking the bottle and licking the insides.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2004 21:12:37 | More by ElGuapo

counselor

Connecticut

3.95/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

1997 imprinted on the cork. Pours a hazy dull orange with a large fluffy head that sticks around a long while. The smells of apricots, pears and tropical fruits follow up with similar flavors of orange, pear and peach and nice dry citrus hop flavors - lemon, grapefruit and sour grape. This was a nice beer that expands one's understanding of what a beer is. Truly enjoyable and a large anough bottle for several to enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2004 22:05:35 | More by counselor

marc77

California

4.35/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Cloudy pale amber hue. Thick, dogged, vanilla white head leaves tattered, rough lace. Dryish, dusty yeast, multiple flora must along with dessicated hay hit the nose initially. They are promptly ensued and complemented by bittersweet lactic notes as well as mellow hints of underripe pair. Understated and welcoming aromawise. Sharper, acetic notes incipient in flavor bite the palate, then taper languidly into a melange of lemon flesh and old lemon peel. Muted, washed horse like enteric hints emerge mid palate along with ghostly kernels of wheat, lending an odd, yet agreeable soured grain impression. Stately underripe plum flesh tartness and tannic skin bitterness persists as a constant undertone. Well carbonated and spritzy, yet there's a subtle, proteinaceous quality that adds girth to the body. Finishes with a brusque snap of oaky sweetness, but otherwise simply lactic and arid. A beautifully complex brew, with an austere, yet assertive acidity. The flavor components haven't quite coalesced, but cellaring should quell any astringencies nicely. Bottled in 2002. Thanks to AKSmokedPorter for delivering this fine beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2003 03:40:28 | More by marc77

putnam

Michigan

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

Dusty dry cork under a crown cap. Not much pressure in this beer.
The subtle aromas are of lemonade powder, vanilla, succulent green apple flesh and apple skins, limes, wood and stones.
The flavors are decidedly NOT subtle as a generous, silky texture carries with it sour plums, thick orange peels, tree bark, spice, roasted oak, and smoke.
This is one of the classiest Gueuze's I've tried. Rich and concentrated, it maintains the right amont of plump, fruity/malty sweetness to cushion the more untamed aspects. A good intro to the style.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2003 18:29:43 | More by putnam

RockyTopHeel

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

CRAZY BUBBLES! This thing took a good 10 minutes to pour, and the furious carbonation raged on for a while, billowing high atop this golden-orange shaded brew. The taste had a champagne-like character, from the initial sweetness to the dry finish, but had a more full, bold roundness in the mouth. For lack of a better word, there's a musty character to this that is overpowering at first, but faded as I got more used to the beer.

This is my first gueuze, and I'm definitely intrigued. They ain't kidding about serving at cellar temperature--too bad my apartment doesn't have a cellar and I had to fridge it for a little while. It definitely improved all-around as it warmed.

I could definitely handle this from time to time--if my wallet can keep up.

12 oz corked and capped bottle.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2003 03:54:30 | More by RockyTopHeel

GreenCard

Oregon

3.93/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: "lager-yellow", some haze, lots of champagne bubbles at first, very little head

Aroma: it's got all the lambic stuff: sour, earthy, horsey, sulphur, bile, camel-butt, etc.; also a slightly apple-like fruitiness underneath

Flavor: gently sour at first but then a more agressive twang perks up at the same time as some bitterness and a rancid butter note; a bit sulphury, enteric, foie gras, burnt rubber, a bit of wood with hay strewn on it; quite sour finish with a sour-bitter aftertaste; dumping in the dregs gave it a moldy note (like "inoculated" cheese)

Mouthfeel: medium-light body, acidic, astringent, low carbonation

Overall Impression: A fairly young geuze, I believe. There is no bottling date on the label, but the cork says 2003. While I fully support Cantillon's efforts at preserving "true lambic" tradition, I usually find their offerings a bit too extreme for my taste (in the sourness and circus-tent aroma). I do quite like their kriek and framboise when they are less than 6 mos., though.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2003 16:54:34 | More by GreenCard

nomad

Kansas

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

A fresh 2003 bottle with a newly designed label (props to Dan Shelton, Go Jeffs!).

Poured with so much carbonation it was comical and annoying, but that's a great sign for gueuze because it shows its kicking. Furthermore the carbonation sizzled away like a boiling broth, fascinating to watch, showing pure gold that darkens and hazes as you pour more beer in.

The first smell of this beer made me cough it was so strong. Its musty, with a sturdy sour background and an astringent citrus-vinegar foreground. These two meet to make a warming sour that must be smelled to be understood. Then the magic: dry wild yeast scents fly around like crazed but holy fairies of goodness. Also, seems there are faint herbal scents too, as some sweetness abounds through out my nose.

Taste was citric heaven, interminably juicy, with the softest and most inviting tart - zesty. Had a complex flavor of wheat gone funky from the wild yeast, but a strong body of wheat nonetheless. Tasted a little strange flavor that seemed like the yeast because it was so strange and earthy in an inexact sense: sort of salty, chalky, bitter, green leafy. In all, the most wonderful pure gueuze flavor, the blessing of magically fermented and finely blended lambics. So drinkable, as the finish begins as so little, cunningly builds, then recedes again, disappearing as strangely as it had just dominated, puzzled, and shot you with its arrow of ambrosiac nirvana. Departs with a mouthfeel close to the “swallowing clouds” sensation of a truly great gueuze that has been aged.

The best part about gueuze is that like any truly fine food product (e.g. mangosteen, fresh black truffles) it cannot be explained to the uninitiated with any sense of truth or justice. Call me if you’re having one. Can't wait to age one of these.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2003 16:00:16 | More by nomad

Realale

Missouri

4.8/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

5th Bottling, 2000

Deep clear gold. Big, extremely fine foamy off-white head - the bubbles are so small its almost impossible to see them with the unaided eye! Head sits at 1/2" and doesn't move in the lovely Cantillon tumbler kindly donated to my cause by MJR.

Nose is a squirt of lemon juice over spicy wheat and crackery malt. Barnyard is there, but its more in the background than usual for Cantillon. Overall, the nose is mouth-watering and well-balanced.

Just stunning in the mouth. Acidic, and on the light side of medium. Its a malty, earthy, barnyard, lemony, leathery feast for the palate. Longer than a time-share condo presentation. A wonderful softness from the bottle-conditioning despite the incredible acidity. Just great stuff.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2003 02:14:01 | More by Realale

AtLagerHeads

Ohio

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

Well after the shock wore off I really enjoyed sipping this. Kind of like sucking on a raw, tart lemon for the first time. You know you're into new, unexplored territory, but plunge on ahead anyway, until you're so lost you can't go back.

Murky yellow body with hints of orange. Small whitish head and some lacing. The smell is sour tartness and fairly bold - hints that you've got something rare here. Then the taste. Wow! Let me try that again as the brow furrows and mouth puckers. Am I really tasting something this tart and yet so appealing? Back for more - it's growing on you now. Sip, sip again, feel that strong acidity and champaign like feel? What is this? Tart, sour, lovely stuff this.

Could I drink it for long? Not more than I could suck a lemon for long, but, wow, on a special occasion and in the right mood, this is really special sipping. Try it, but be warned - there's no turning back.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2003 17:52:19 | More by AtLagerHeads

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.7/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Cork date of 2001, Sampled November 2004
Pours a brilliantly clear copper orange color. It is topped by a frothy light tan head, that is held up by a light but persistent carbonation. Ah, the aroma is simply magnificent. In the nose I get notes of lemon, grapefruit, an astringent woodiness, musty leather, vinegar, citric acid, a hint of ripe cheese, lemon zest, and hay.<br><br>

The beer is creamy up front, but quickly moves to a bracing hit of sharp acidity that lingers through to the finish. I get lots of notes of grapefruit up front, and the finish has an austere dry, mouth coating, tannic astringency which helps to balance the citrus character. It is almost like chewing on a old piece of formerly musty but now dry leather, ooh how pleasant that sounds.

It is amazing how much one can get used to things, I hardly even notice the acidity in a traditional Lambic anymore.

Sampled 2001
This one is quite sour smelling. There is lots of acidity (one of the harder gueuzes out there) and tastes of grapefruit. Well carbonated and has a woody finish, that is accompanied by a light bitterness. Though quite sour this beer still manages to be well balanced with lots of different things going on. A good traditional example of this style.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2003 21:49:54 | More by Gueuzedude

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.83/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Fifth bottling, October 2000.

This beer has a deep golden hue to it but it glows an almost luminescent orange. A compact and long lasting white head adorns the surface. Carbonation noted is modest. There's a nice musty aroma to this beer. Also a little of that Barnyard/Horse Blanket aroma mixed in. And some lemongrass and vinegar on the nose as well. Very inviting. I think this gueuze nails the flavor profile right on the nose for the style. Just delicious. Quite drinkable. I'm surprised at how fast I'm drinking this lambic. The mouthpuckering quotient seems a bit tamer in this one than in other styles of Cantillon I've enjoyed (Kriek and Rose). I like the way the tart acidity is kept in check, but still is allowed to give an abundance of character to the beer. Some hay and stale hops are noted. Vinegar. And a somewhat crass "farmyard" flavor that is quite enjoyable. Damn fine gueuze.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2003 05:35:30 | More by Bighuge

francisweizen

Australia

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

Notes: 12.7(?) oz corked bottle, wrapped in a black overwrap. Old-school black cantillon label. Cork dated....wait for it....get this....1993 (!) This superb beverage, which I purchased for only $5 or so, poured a still dark golden colour with only a few small bubbles. The aromas were of anything and everything ones mind can imagine. I smelled old farms, old casks, leather straps that have been lying out in the sun, various farm animals, horse blanket, french countryside, dirty new york streets, and the wonderful knowledge that this is a truly authentic, properly cellared and stored 10 year old traditional gueuze lambic beer! This beer tasted extremely sour, sharp, dry and wonderful This beer is mouth puckeringly sour, and it is a classic examplke of this style. Scratch that it is *the* classic example! The mouthfeel is still pretty active, if not a bit still, and the drinkability is the best....ever, for a traditional gueuze beer, lambic beer, or almost any beer! I thought this store had more bottle of the 93, but this may have been the last one...should I weep???
-F

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2003 14:34:28 | More by francisweizen

Jon

Illinois

4.83/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I sampled this at the Cantillon Brewery, where it is served in a wicker basket on its side at room temperature. Gueuze is a very distinctive brew, and is certainly not for everyone. Personally, I'm enjoying the style since my first exposure to it in Belgium. This pours a light golden color with a large, fizzy head from the corked and capped magnum bottle. Its smell is fresh and tart, and one can tell that acidity is on its way before even tasting it. Notes of honey are also present in the nose. The taste, to me, is unlike anything I've tried. The acidity creates a menacing pucker effect at first, but for me, that drew me in closer to the beer, where I discovered notes of Granny Smith apples, honey and sugar. Mouthfeel is quite carbonated and cuts through one's palate like a fine champagne. This actually drinks quite well on a warm day -- super refreshing with its big acidity and citrus notes. Wonderfully complex, yet remarkably enjoyable. A fantastic traditional offering from Cantillon.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2003 12:15:03 | More by Jon

dmarch

Pennsylvania

4.85/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy golden color. This is the basis for anything lambic. The tartness may turn some off, but it can be paired with food that no wine can come close to. This was my first non-fruit lambic and it really opened up my eyes to this style. Taste is very sour with hints of apple.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2003 16:48:24 | More by dmarch

philipt

North Carolina

4/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Since this is my first sampling of a gueuze lambic ale, I didn't quite know what to expect and how to compare it to others.

This lambic is remarkably clear, golden with a slight orange effect, and has an extremely active white head. Smells sweet and acidic. Apples/cider and grapes are particularly present in the aroma. Tastes extremely tart with some sweetness. Granny Smith apples and grapes stand out in the flavor. This is an extraordinarily dry and tart beer. I have never had anything that's similar to this. I'm quite intrigued and impressed with this style.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2003 18:52:42 | More by philipt

importguy

British Columbia (Canada)

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

As Camra's "Good Beer Guide to Belgium" says about Guezze "...your fiirst encounter should suprise you. That is suprise in ' I'm not sure I have ever tasted anything like that before.' " This would definately expalin my experience.

The taste was a bit sour, but also dry. Best way I can describe it is it is more like a a very dry cider than a beer. But after the intial shock on the flavour I quit enjoyed it. I think it could be a very nice drink that could be drunk anytime of the year.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2003 10:38:57 | More by importguy

Murph

Arizona

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

Pours a slightly hazy golden color with a nice creamy white head that just won't give up. Huge tart and musty aroma. Musty hay smell with some slight woody characterisitics to it. Cheek puckering tartness starts this one off with an apple and grape skin flavor to it. A nice fruity sweetness is in the back of this brew and keeps a very pleasant balance. Extremely crisp and refreshing, this lightish bodied brew is an absolute pleasure to drink. The only bad thing about this was when the bottle was empty and there wasn't anymore left to drink.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2002 17:20:24 | More by Murph

Longstaff

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Sampled some at the Cantillon brewery in Brussels. The head brewer poured it out of a bottle that was laying in a wicker basket. Had the color of a chardonay wine and when you smelled it, it made your mouth water and caused a little puckering. The sample I had was very young - less than 2 months in the bottle and was sweet enough to balance the tartness. Ended acidic on the back of the throat. Like a tart white wine. Nice but only could drink a small glass at a time.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2002 13:35:18 | More by Longstaff

ADR

Pennsylvania

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

Oct. 2000 bottling...

Hazy peach color, a nice head with bigger carbonation at the edges. Smells a lot like a Chardonney with lots of yeasty barn aromas. Wow, this stuff is major league astringent (bear with me, I'm no Gueuze expert, that's for sure). Ginger flavors, lots of wine-like character, and a sourness that just sucks your cheeks in...then, suddenly, pop, it finishes very clean and dry. Here's a style I need to do "face off" comparisons with, a Fruit Lambic is no preparation. To be fair, I'll give it a higher flavor score and lower drinkability (its certainly everything I've heard Gueuze to be) and I'll try to think of occasions when this would be what I want...hail beer diversity. A classic...

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2002 09:10:02 | More by ADR

TheLongBeachBum

California

5/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Cork Dated 2001:
Extremely astringent, superbly sour, very sharp with hints of bitterness. A truly Classic Gueuze, often regarded by many as a benchmark example of its style. A beer style that does polarize drinkers. You will Love it & want more - or Hate it, & spit it out. Apart from the Gueuze-Vigneronne (also Cantillon), it would be my chosen desert island beer. Jean-Pierre Van Roy of Cantillon tries very hard to create authentic lambic beers, & he has excelled himself in my opinion with the Gueuze. Beer can be lively (hence the reference to Gueuze as the Champagne of the Beer world) - do not stand over the cork when pulling, have your glass ready - you have been warned! Improves with age. Try and find older examples with the blue and white Mannekin Piss pictured on the labels, as opposed to the colored brew-kettle on recent years bottles. Can I give this 6 out of 5?!

>>Updated 6/2/03
750ml – Old Style Black Label – Cork Dated 1996.
A brilliant murky fluid, which has an orange cloudy hue. Served in a dry flute glass with minimal carbonation, white, but very tight thin bubble head. It resembles a flat Hefeweizen after a short time.

Has all the nasal beauty of a herd of damp unsheared Sheep, you know the ones that have shit stuck to their matted back ends. Liquid farmyard effluent traces, wet straw, hay-lofts, rotten soaking oak casks, old wooden barns & crap stained muck-spreaders.

Incredibly dry, impressive yeast dominant astringency, with a massive acidity that fights every drop of saliva in the aural cavity. It decimates the mouth & creates an arid wasteland. The sourness has lessened over the years. Dehydrated cheeks are powerless to defeat the “you-know-what-is-coming-next” aspect. The Cantillon mouth-pucker. I am sure I swallowed my own mouth at least twice.

Drinkability – More Please…….

Geeeeee-zuss – DON’T drink this if your lips are chapped!

A WORLD CLASSIC that just gets better (worse?!?) as it gets older.

Kudos to EyeChartBrew for supplying this dirty whore of a lambic.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2002 09:37:26 | More by TheLongBeachBum

rastaman

United Kingdom (England)

4.8/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Exceptional!!!! Bone dry and slightly tart acidic sourness, very earthy aroma, and impressivly refreshing. Complex, and dry from start to finish, definitely my style of beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2002 03:59:20 | More by rastaman

aracauna

Georgia

3.98/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Outside of bottle in area around cap was covered in a black crusty liquid that smelled of soy sauce. Cork was still in good condition though. When cork was about halfway out we heard the hissing and rushed it over to the sink to protect the floor. Right about the time I got it to the sink the cork shot out (attached to one of those big cork screws with the handles to make it easier to get the cork out) and it hit the ceiling.I'm just glad I had it aimed straight up and not towards my head or the window. The head was huge but faded quickly and unevenly. The scoring in the bottom of the glass left a thick column of tiny bubbles coming from the bottom of the glass so the head never completely went away. The smell was a bit musty with an aroma I have noticed with many darker belgian ales, especially the La Trappe Dubbel and Quadrupel. I had thought that until recently it was candy sugar, but I'm not sure if that's what it is since I don't know if it's used in this beer. In the flavor, the beginning is some maltiness, mustiness and a few other flavors I don't recognize. The finish is sour and a fairly lengthy aftertaste is also sour. The sourness is the largest part of the flavor profile but not as much as I had been led to believe. A very interesting experience, but it was a little difficult to drink more than a glass.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2002 16:46:21 | More by aracauna

pbrian

Connecticut

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

Outstanding experience. The pour alone was worth it. Big bubbles form below tight ones, popping, causing volcano-like eruptions. The aromas and flavors transport you to a different place. Drinking this beer is like putting your tongue in the cobweb-strewn rafters above the fermenters and tasting it's storied history. Spritzy, tart, sour, funky, bone-dry, delicious.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2002 05:25:08 | More by pbrian