Cantillon Cuvée Des Champions - Brasserie Cantillon

FeDUBBELFIST

Pennsylvania

2.68/5  rDev -39%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

***EDIT: I didn't realize Cantillon Cuvée Des Champions was an unblended lambic when reviewed. I will re-review when possible***

Draft pour into an 8 oz tall and narrow flute. $8.

A: Two fingers of dense foamy pristinely white head. Excellent retention being aided by lazily paced bubbles. Very hazy and opaque except when held to light. Pale straw golden yellow body. Looks divine in the glass.

S & T: Nose foreshadows sour and tart flavors, yet they are very restrained by Cantillon standards. Sweet, fruity and citrusy. Orange and lemons, some peel and spices. Bit of barnyard funk but again restrained. There is an off-putting sulfuric note, very recognizable. This follows through on the palate but only on the backend. Phenolics come through much less on the palate and make for better flavor than aroma.

M: Tame and on the disappointing side. Light body, inadequate carbonation.

D: Low. And the high price adds insult to injury.

Serving type: on-tap

11-02-2010 00:52:06 | More by FeDUBBELFIST

GClarkage

California

3.15/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

10/14/08- Purchased at Whole Foods in Redwood City, CA. Paid $19.99.

Presentation- 750ml bottle, capped and corked. Cork says bottled in 2008. Poured into my miniature Cantillon wine-like glass. Think it's a 6oz glass as it took me 4 full pours to empty the bottle.

Appearance- Unfiltered peach or brighter pear juice in color. About a 1/2 inch head upon pour which disappears in a blink of an eye. Leaves ultra light spotty lace, which is all common for such a style.

Smell- Light farmy aspects, mostly a mid range sourness and a whaft of tart citrus fruits. A fair amount of oak as well.

Taste- Well, my bottle must have been from a different batch or something...not even up to the standards of those previous reviewers. From the first sip it was very watery. It became a tad less as I consumed the rest of the bottle, but for the most part, it was quite watery. It was sour, but not even to the standards to an unblended lambic. More tart than sour with some pera, lemon and maybe a touch of melon. Oak flavor is nice, which saved the overall flavor.

Mouthfeel- Thin, watery, but a nice carbonation level. Considerably dry.

Drinkability- I have to admit, it was refreshing and easy to drink, but the watery part made it a bit borning and dull to drink. I've had much much better from Cantillon. Maybe just a bad bottle. But, I don't think I am willing to shell out another $20 to find out.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2008 15:15:16 | More by GClarkage

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.28/5  rDev -25.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Reviewed on 6/11/08. On tap at Spuyten Duyvil Brett Fest. Pours orange with no real head. Aroma is not very strong, mostly of sour funk. Flavor of lemon, slight sourness, and slight hop bitterness. The hops add an interesting dimension to this lambic, but I'm not sure they blended well with it. The palate also seemed weak and unlike other Cantillons I've had. Tasted like an American sour ale/lambic-esque beer and didn't quite impress.
6/4/7/3/15 (3.5/5)

Serving type: on-tap

12-28-2008 01:04:17 | More by LilBeerDoctor

Overlord

California

3.58/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks Deaconbluez!

Pours a hazy golden orange. About two inches of white foamy head.

Smells like sadness. LOL. I crack myself up. Actually, faint wisps of grass and hay, along with a familiar funky lemon/vinegar smell.

Taste is surprising. Really not like any of the other Cantillons I've had. A weird spicy, musty, funky herbal lemon thang that's really exotic. Hm. The funk and sour notes are blended with this strange background.

Interesting. Not particularly drinkable. Well carbonated, particularly considering the style.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2009 08:36:48 | More by Overlord

mrasskicktastic

New Jersey

3.6/5  rDev -18%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pale hazy yellow, small head, no lacing.

S - Very faint - lemon and grapefruit with tart white grapes. Way too faint.

T - Sour, slightly funky. Strongly tart lemon citrus with a touch of grapefruit. A touch of barnyard funk with a faint earthy yeasty fruitiness. Alright.

M - Slightly smooth, thin a little refreshing, carbonation is noticeable.

D - It is mild and not to sour. PLeasant overall. I wouldn't mind having this one again. Not fantastic, but definitely worth trying.

Serving type: on-tap

02-17-2007 07:49:06 | More by mrasskicktastic

Crosling

Colorado

3.63/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Vibrant aroma, with more fruit hints than a normal lambic with subtle lemon, orange and peach and lightly herbaceous, floral hops from the dry hop, perhaps? Light orange color. Dry with mild tartness and wld yeast flavors. Well balanced. Really your typical Cantillon lambic, which is still mighty tasty, but I didn’t notice much from the Goldings addition, except a little bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2006 03:39:49 | More by Crosling

pwoods

Ohio

3.73/5  rDev -15%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to FtownThrowDown for sharing this bottle.

Brewed 1/07, bottled 5/09

750ml corked and capped green bottle poured into a GLBC snifter.

A: Pours a murky burnt lemon color. Decent head on the pour with a little retention. Decent lacing.

S: Loads of hops. Piney, somewhat resinous, lots of pungent lemon. Very spicy as well, helped along by the yeast. Peppery. Some tart lemon.

T/M: Lots of hops, pine and lemon, lemon zest. Very spicy and peppery. Some tart lemon and citrus tartness. Funky but hard to describe. Not really cheesy or moldy, and only light horse blanket. Funky nonetheless. Some subtle and smoothing barrel to kind of hold things togeher. Body is medium to medium light with average carbonation.

D: Low ABV and tasty but something in there that doesn't make me continue to reach for the glass.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2009 20:30:10 | More by pwoods

Floydster

California

3.75/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This brew is what my buddy recently brought back for me from Brussels, 750 ml bottle that was around twenty dollars supposedly, poured into my Duvel tulip glass

A-Hazy but bright golden color, thin 1/2 inch white bubbly head, disappeared quickly, not much retention but did leave some rings of lace

S-Sourness, lemon juice, citric acid, some horse blanket, almost some vinegar, cherries, and funkiness

T-Sour and dry right from the beginning, some herbal and floral accents mix with the lemon juice in the middle, finish is acidic with a strong citrus tart, mellowed out after the first sips and the sourness turned to a more sweet fruit flavor, got some funk in the aftertaste that was leaning towards the barnyard aroma I noticed later on, the dry flavor of this beer was super strong and I could not seem to get over it even by the end, needed more sweet accents in my opinion, I love sour beers but this took it to another level

M-Medium body, tart, dry, and chalky mouthfeel, tons of carbonation, taste lingered a long time mainly because of the dryness

D-Tasted better as it warmed and the tart settled down a little bit, low ABV allows for fairly easy drinking, sourness can be a little much though, did not finish the whole bottle

I did not know anything about this brew but I am glad I got to try it, also saw in on tap the day before down at Churchill's in San Marcos left over from CBC week, probably will not get to drink this again because I have never seen it in bottle form in the US, recommended

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2008 15:49:45 | More by Floydster

Auracom

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

2 oz. bottle pour into a wine taster at the Bruery Provisions on November 7th, 2011. #2 of a 5-bottle Cantillon flight.

A - Same golden hue as Classic Gueuze, but more transparency and quite a bit more frothy, white head. Lots and lots of carbonation and legs on the sides of this one.

S - The brett is more potent in this one. Horse blanket, wheat, hay-covered earth. Underneath lightly-astringent fruit. Lemongrass/lemon peel, subtle apple.

T - Certainly sour, but not huge. Citrus notes, lime tartness. Slight hop bitterness (that or I'm mistaking it for tannins). The drink doesn't offer quite as much depth as the nose. Semi-dry finish.

M - A tad thicker body than Classic. Otherwise very similar.

D - It's an interesting mix, but I don't find Cuvée des Champions quite as purposeful as Classic. Wouldn't say no to another tasting, but wouldn't really seek it out either.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2011 06:12:30 | More by Auracom

rowingbrewer

Massachusetts

3.78/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

One of my friends brought this to a tasting a little while back I don't know why it took me so long to get around to reviewing this.
poured from 750ml (cuvee de dhampions labe forget the bottling date)
Pours a slightly cloudy yellow color with a thin white head. the smell is slightly funky, tart and a little hop presence. the flavor is sour, but not overly sour with a little bitterness. the mouthfeel is dry and well carbed. overall this is a a good gueuze not a great one

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2011 20:15:44 | More by rowingbrewer

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.8/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle at Beerbistro, a bargain at $30. A geuze for intermediates, this is a smooth drinker. Aroma still floor cleaner and funk, sweat and arseic. Light orange body, medium mouthfeel. Not too hard on the palate initially, a key for beginners. however it is there hours after.Fruit and ginger and apple.Bottle with Todd B

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2011 23:02:13 | More by northyorksammy

SpeedwayJim

New York

3.85/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had this one at Gingerman out of a Snifter

A: Poured a fluffy white filmy head with very little retention. Brew itself was light orange and semi-cloudy with absolutely no lacing.

S: Sourdough, bready, citrus, and faint alcohol.

T: Extremely tart in the beginning but fades into a grassyness. Hops appear in the end as does the sourness. Bitterness in the aftertaste lingers extremely long.

M: Medum bodied and coarse, finishes wet and clean with a very strong and memorable aftertaste. Feeling left in mouth is oily.

D: Rather drinkable but this one tastes more like a sour than anything else. Building of bitterness in the end takes away from overall enjoyment though.

Serving type: on-tap

10-27-2009 20:30:21 | More by SpeedwayJim

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is the Cuvee Saint Gilloise and a different beer. Not sure why they are put together in one on here. Pour is a transparent golden peach with a very loose small bubbled white head. The nose has a lightly dusty funk, cob web, hint of sea salt and some zesty yeast notes. There are some golden fruits behind and a strong hp punch of juicy citrus and floral hops. The taste seems brighter and more balanced. Very dusty funk, lemon rind and a bit of sour peach. There is a fair bit of lingering sourness, citrus hops, and an assertive bitterness with just a light touch of heat. Medium body, very active and granular on the palate, high carb and fairly dry. This is starting to open up in flavor and has an interesting and awesome hop presence and bitterness but not quite balanced and integrated enough to be great.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 15:25:41 | More by cpetrone84

rudzud

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up a bottle of this up in VT during my travels. This is a 2011 vintage. Poured into my Duvel tulip.

A - Pours a nice crystal clear vibrant gold with a one finger head that quickly faded to leave a super thin fizzy cap that never left.

S - Getting ALOT of musty funk on this one. Mostly the basement funk here with some super light citrus. Not really as potent as most Cantillons.

T - Very, very sour here. Which is pretty nice. Not getting much fruit/citrus just super sour dusty sacks/basement. Really different. Not a super huge fan but it is tasty. The finish is the lingering sour with light wood and some light vinous qualities. Not as complex as other Cantillons.

M - Mouthfeel is solid as usual. Nice light, carbonation, super dry and tart.

O - Overall, while this is a tasty beer its possibly my least favourite Cantillon. For me, it just lacks the complexity of others.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 03:39:18 | More by rudzud

beachbum1975

Ohio

3.95/5  rDev -10%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Many thanks go out to FTownthrowdown for sharing - thanks, man! I'm a fan of any Cantillon brew, so let's see how this goes...

Pours a thin, dull yellow with brownish highlights. An average 1/6th inch head rest above with the occasional spotty lacing spots. No active carbonation can be seen after the pour.

Smells like funked out socks and stilton cheese. Richly pungent and nasty. Wow...

Mouth carbonation is surprisingly high... The flavor is similar to the nose... I get skunk, bitter cheese and a fresh, green hops feel in the end.

Very interesting, unique and enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2009 20:33:44 | More by beachbum1975

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev -10%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served in a becher at ChurchKey.

My first unblended lambic, and, lo and behold, it's on draught at the CK. These guys know what they're doin', I tell you what. It pours a cloudy pale straw that's suffocated for a while by a tall, thick, white froth. Once this head dies down, the smell is detected: a good amount of funk, wet hay, cobwebs, and a rather tart vineyard of white grapes. I'm not sure what to expect after that whiff. The taste is composed of sour apple, tart white grapes, yeast (you know the taste), bread, lemongrass, and that nice citrus combo of lemon and lime that 50/50 and Squirt managed to mimic so well in the soda world. While puckering somewhat, my mouth determines a light body with an active but small-bubbled carbonation and a dry finish. I'm intrigued, to the point that I want more of these unblended beauties. Luckily, one's in my fridge right now...

Serving type: on-tap

06-13-2010 21:13:35 | More by TMoney2591

Goldorak

Quebec (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: A darker shade of cider, no head worthy of mention.

Smell: That's odd, it has a sweeter aroma that I wasn't expecting, especially from an unblended lambic. A berry character that reminded me of Oudbeitje Lambic.

Taste: You can see he added both fresh hops and candi sugar to help out with carbonation. And I thought Jean Pierre didn't like sweetness in his Beers...The sweet and sour combo is quite nice, but this isn't my favorite.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2005 00:45:46 | More by Goldorak

3.98/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Max's 72 Hours of Belgium

Warning - my first review of this style of beer!!!

Poured a hazy, pale yellow with some brown in it, color. Small, off white head.

Aroma mainly citrus and apple. Bit of Belgian funk.

Taste was fairly tart, but not astringent. Mainly citrus in character. Bit of sweetness (honey, sugar?) in middle. Floral/herbal taste at finish.

Light in body. Medium + carbonation. Drying.

Overall, nice introduction to style. Very drinkable, in my opinion. Seems an easy transition for a hop-head.

Serving type: on-tap

02-16-2007 20:09:19 | More by

Suds

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I picked this brew up from a small beer store on one of my last days in Europe. It pours a clear golden color with lots of effervescense. The beer sports a very nice white head...thicker than expected, and long-lasting. The smell is not as intense as it could be, but there's a very pleasant grain and horse-blanket smell. Modest funk, with a little wood scent. The flavor is very well balanced. Not as sour as most Cantillon's, this one is incredibly drinkable. The flavor is still strong, despite the medium-sourness. Medium to medium-light in body. Very nice beer!

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2009 16:07:46 | More by Suds

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A 750 mL corked and capped bottle with '2008' stamped on the cork.

A: The ale is an apple juice yellow, hazed up by both temperature and sediment from the bottle. The current mugginess is making the glass very sweaty with condensation. A small white head arose on pour only to quickly dissapate.

S: The aroma is sharp, tart with citric lemon and grass flavors. A mild hoppiness and cereal grain profile stands out on the back end.

T: The first impression is citrusy tartness, sour but fleeting. On second and third sips, the sourness lasts much longer, well into the last quarter of the sip. Lemon and green apples are dominant behind the tartness. The cereal malts and a stronger than normal hop flavor linger near the end. Sweet fruits fill the void near the end, but the lasting memory is more citric tartness. A nice beer for a warm day.

M: The lemony mouthfeel is tart but not astringent. A grassy mint and lemon aftertaste doesn't overpower.

D: At 5% or so, this is a very easy sipper, which explains why this first glass took all of 20 minutes to get through.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2009 22:11:41 | More by akorsak

Gobzilla

California

4/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: poured a hazy yellow that had a finger head and some good sticky lacing.

S: up front hits acidic lemons with slight oaky notes and slight hay like funk.

T: lots of lemon tartness that reminded me of the cantillon iris. Like the nose it also had slight oaky funky flavors going on in the mix.

M: meduim body with good carbonstion to accent the taste with a dry finish that cleansed the palate.

D: very good beer by cantillon but not my favorite from them, too expensive for what it is at $35 bucks. The iris comes close to the overall characteristic and is almost half the price of this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2010 07:19:12 | More by Gobzilla

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On draft at Churchkey in D.C. Served side by side with Fou' Fonne. Review from notes.

So this is the same brew as Cuvée des Champions. Apparently, I enjoyed this beer in the bottle much more than on draft.

This beer appears a hazy orange, with a little head that fades rather quickly. The beer smells spicy, funky, and noticeably more subtly sour than I expected from a Cantillon. Of course, I did drink this side by side with Fou' Fonne, which was incredibly tart. I found this to be an enjoyable beer, but it lacked the depth and/or complexity that Cantillon beers usually have in spades. This was a plain, decent offering from a brewery that I hold in the highest esteem.

Serving type: on-tap

08-02-2010 05:42:46 | More by Huhzubendah

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

4/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle: Poured a hazy golden color lambic with a medium foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of funk and barnyard with some dry hoppy notes. Taste is also a funky mix with medium barnyard notes with well balanced tart and acidic notes and a dry European hops finish. Body is quite full with average carbonation. Very well brewed with hoppy notes mixing quite well with the tartness and acidity.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2010 02:07:49 | More by Phyl21ca

brew3crew

Ohio

4/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Par of the epic tasting at jackie o's with brad and crew

A-straw yellow with nice head
S-nice yeast smell with a little bit of grass
T-very dry and sweet. Alot lime it smells
M-light body and smooth. Very carbonated
O-nice offering. Would like to try again

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2011 19:10:46 | More by brew3crew

thagr81us

South Carolina

4/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks goes out to MSquared2 for sharing this one during a fair sized Cantillon tasting! 2011 Vintage! Served from bottle into a Cantillon balloon. Poured fluorescent orange with a minimal white head. Maintained excellent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, fruit, fruit hop, funk, tart, and herbal. The flavor was of sweet malt, fruit, fruit hop, funk, wood, sour, spice, and herbal. It had a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a good brew. The hop character on this one really added a very unique touch to this style that I never would have thought possible. The fruit hoppiness really blended quite well with this brew and kept me interested after each sip. This could be a good gateway for some who like fruity hops and want to get into sours. Will be interesting to see what some age does to this brew as the hops start to fade. But as is, this is still a very solid brew.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2012 11:07:09 | More by thagr81us