Cantillon Rosé De Gambrinus - Brasserie Cantillon

AleWatcher

Illinois

4.85/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Got this as an extra from Hannydawg in our excellent in person trade.

Split with DrewBa and Oreo. 2008 vintage.

This looks like a slightly pink version of Peach-O's. Pink, peach, red, and white. Fluffy white head. Looks glowing and gorgeous.

Smells strongly woody, musty, and dank. Cherries and raspberries and overripe fruit. Very little sweetness. The oak is a giant part if the flavor profile-- more so than any other Cantillon beer I've had. The beer is quite sour, and pretty tasty. I personally this isn't the best offering from this brewery, and yet, this is sooo much better than most other breweries' fruit lambics.

The body is medium with a decent carbonation level. Not bright and airy like a gueuze, but not a still either. It could use a little more, but on the whole, this works.

Overall, this is a good beer to try. It is strongly sour, and quite complex. As much as I love Cantillon, I can't bring myself to call this "world class."

EDIT---
My original review was of a bottle about 2 years old... I've since been fortunate to try this beer very fresh and at 4 years old... My review is of a bottle in the awkward phase...
The fresh bottle is THE BEST framboise I've ever had.
The raspberry flavor and aroma are amazing.
At 4 years old the sourness builds up nicely to compensate for the faded fruit notes.

This is yet another fruited Cantillon that has a certain age range for it to be "prime." Glad I've figured out the sweet spot!

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2011 06:32:59 | More by AleWatcher

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4.5/5  rDev +6.4%

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Michigan

4.75/5  rDev +12.3%

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Quebec (Canada)

4/5  rDev -5.4%

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Quebec (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +0.5%

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4.5/5  rDev +6.4%

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5/5  rDev +18.2%

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5/5  rDev +18.2%

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Texas

4.25/5  rDev +0.5%

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New York

4.75/5  rDev +12.3%

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4.5/5  rDev +6.4%

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4.75/5  rDev +12.3%

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California

4.25/5  rDev +0.5%

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emerge077

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Seldom seen around these parts, I fondly remember picking this up years ago off the shelf and introducing friends to what traditional lambics could be.

375ml split into two goblets.

Deep rosy reddish orange color, slightly murky (likely due to handling). Thin layer of foam with pinkish white hue, it maintains a thin ring at the edge.

Farmy wet pasture aroma, leafy fresh raspberries, oaky sandalwood, authentic and fruity at the same time.

Spritzy and moderately tart, sour raspberry with a dry finish. Seedy and pulpy raspberries, wild sour ones, not at all sweet. Puckering though not extremely sour in the scheme of all things Cantillon. A nice aperitif to be sure, first time I had this it seemed more sour years ago... Chalk it up to a threshold shift in sour tolerance I guess, though batch variation is a possibility too. A classic framboise.

Serving type: bottle

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Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +0.5%

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California

4.25/5  rDev +0.5%

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4/5  rDev -5.4%

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4.5/5  rDev +6.4%

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4.25/5  rDev +0.5%

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4.25/5  rDev +0.5%

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