-
Stop lurking! Log in to search, post in our forums, review beers, see fewer ads, and more. — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate
Blåbær Lambik
Brasserie Cantillon
- From:
- Brasserie Cantillon
- Belgium
- Style:
- Fruit Lambic
Ranked #5 - ABV:
- 5%
- Score:
- 100
Ranked #148 - Avg:
- 4.52 | pDev: 8.41%
- Reviews:
- 265
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Jan 05, 2024
- Added:
- Apr 11, 2007
- Wants:
- 2,520
- Gots:
- 120
Made in cooperation with Jeppe from Olbuttikken in Copenhagen. Jeppe provides the blueberries for the beer,and it is brewed at Cantillon and then shipped back to Copenhagen and only sold at Olbutikken.
Since Ölbutikken closed, this is exclusive to Himmeriget in Copenhagen.
2005 Vintage (batch 1) - 50 75cl bottles released. Gold foil.
2007 Vintage (batch 2) - 37.5cl and 75cl bottles. Black foil.
2007 Vintage (batch 3) - 75cl bottles. Gold foil.
2009 Vintage (batch 4) - 37.5cl and 75cl bottles. No foil. Label reads "2009".
2009 Vintage (batch 5) - 37.5cl and 75cl bottles. No foil. Label reads "2009 II".
2010 Vintage (batch 6) - 37.5cl and 75cl bottles. Label reads "2010".
2011 Vintage (batch 7) - 37.5cl and 75cl bottles. No foil. Label reads "11".
2015 first year with the year printed on the label and not handwritten
Since Ölbutikken closed, this is exclusive to Himmeriget in Copenhagen.
2005 Vintage (batch 1) - 50 75cl bottles released. Gold foil.
2007 Vintage (batch 2) - 37.5cl and 75cl bottles. Black foil.
2007 Vintage (batch 3) - 75cl bottles. Gold foil.
2009 Vintage (batch 4) - 37.5cl and 75cl bottles. No foil. Label reads "2009".
2009 Vintage (batch 5) - 37.5cl and 75cl bottles. No foil. Label reads "2009 II".
2010 Vintage (batch 6) - 37.5cl and 75cl bottles. Label reads "2010".
2011 Vintage (batch 7) - 37.5cl and 75cl bottles. No foil. Label reads "11".
2015 first year with the year printed on the label and not handwritten
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by ricke:
Reviewed by ricke from Sweden
4.65/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.65/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
2009 vintage (batch 4)
A: A hazy reddish pink color with a small pink head that settles fairly quickly and leaves a ring of lacings.
S: The first thing to appear is Cantillon's funky house character of hay, earth and a hint of vinegar. Then, the fruit aromas appear - both tart green apples and ripe (almost overripe and fermenting) red apples, and fragile yet prominent notes of blueberries. Everything feels very rustic and genuine, no artificial fruit flavors in sight. Being a fruit lambic from Cantillon, the smell is very balanced and sober, not even close to harsh.
T: A flawless balance between tartness and sweetness, and again this beer feels relatively balanced and tidy. The sourness isn't as puckering as in some other beers from Cantillon. Instead it showcases an amazingly balanced complexity. The mild sweetness has a pleasant fruit character. Lots of aromas of apples, lemon peel and goose berries. Lots of blueberry flavors - but they are not overly prominent. At first, the blueberries has a somewhat sweet character and really give the beer a unique overall character. But here's lots of tartness going on which levels the sweetness, and in general the beer is quite sour. Hints of vinegar and lactic acid. Pleasant funky notes of wet hay, earth and brett. Hints of wheat. The finish has a very subtle grassy bitterness to it and nice oak barrel flavors. Hints of tart blueberries, minerals and funk lingers on in the mouth.
M: Moderate body and sparkling carbonation. Feels like a sparkling white wine in the mouth, but unfortunately the carbonation is slightly too exaggerated and it gets somewhat inharmonious. Dry finish.
D: A unique and really good beer. But some aspects of it aren't as great as the overall character. It doesn't showcase the same "in your face-attitude" as some other beers from Cantillon. Instead, as noted above, it's really well balanced and very complex. Despite its few kinks, a masterpiece.
---
Some brief notes about batch 5, released in the fall of 2009:
The same lovely color as batch 4. The smell is also very similar to the older batch, perhaps the blueberry aromas are slightly more prominent. The big difference lies in the mouthfeel and in the way the blueberries appear in the taste. The blueberries are slightly more pronounced, especially in the finish were they are very noticeable (and very tasty with a genuine and rustic character). This gives the beer a slightly new expression and I really enjoyed it. The level of carbonation is somewhat lower in this batch and the beers seems a little smoother. All in all, it's still a great beer.
Grades: A: 4,5; S: 4,5; T: 5; M: 4; D: 5. Total: 4,7
Nov 01, 2009A: A hazy reddish pink color with a small pink head that settles fairly quickly and leaves a ring of lacings.
S: The first thing to appear is Cantillon's funky house character of hay, earth and a hint of vinegar. Then, the fruit aromas appear - both tart green apples and ripe (almost overripe and fermenting) red apples, and fragile yet prominent notes of blueberries. Everything feels very rustic and genuine, no artificial fruit flavors in sight. Being a fruit lambic from Cantillon, the smell is very balanced and sober, not even close to harsh.
T: A flawless balance between tartness and sweetness, and again this beer feels relatively balanced and tidy. The sourness isn't as puckering as in some other beers from Cantillon. Instead it showcases an amazingly balanced complexity. The mild sweetness has a pleasant fruit character. Lots of aromas of apples, lemon peel and goose berries. Lots of blueberry flavors - but they are not overly prominent. At first, the blueberries has a somewhat sweet character and really give the beer a unique overall character. But here's lots of tartness going on which levels the sweetness, and in general the beer is quite sour. Hints of vinegar and lactic acid. Pleasant funky notes of wet hay, earth and brett. Hints of wheat. The finish has a very subtle grassy bitterness to it and nice oak barrel flavors. Hints of tart blueberries, minerals and funk lingers on in the mouth.
M: Moderate body and sparkling carbonation. Feels like a sparkling white wine in the mouth, but unfortunately the carbonation is slightly too exaggerated and it gets somewhat inharmonious. Dry finish.
D: A unique and really good beer. But some aspects of it aren't as great as the overall character. It doesn't showcase the same "in your face-attitude" as some other beers from Cantillon. Instead, as noted above, it's really well balanced and very complex. Despite its few kinks, a masterpiece.
---
Some brief notes about batch 5, released in the fall of 2009:
The same lovely color as batch 4. The smell is also very similar to the older batch, perhaps the blueberry aromas are slightly more prominent. The big difference lies in the mouthfeel and in the way the blueberries appear in the taste. The blueberries are slightly more pronounced, especially in the finish were they are very noticeable (and very tasty with a genuine and rustic character). This gives the beer a slightly new expression and I really enjoyed it. The level of carbonation is somewhat lower in this batch and the beers seems a little smoother. All in all, it's still a great beer.
Grades: A: 4,5; S: 4,5; T: 5; M: 4; D: 5. Total: 4,7
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by zac16125 from South Carolina
4.35/5 rDev -3.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
4.35/5 rDev -3.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
Pours crystal clear, dark ruby with almost purple hues. 2 fingers of dense pink tinged head builds and hangs around forever. An essentially perfect appearing beer. Aroma has a huge minerality, only mild lactic tartness, subtle pungent funk, not much fruit. Taste is burnt plastic like funk, some bitterness, moderate tart sourness, blueberries are subtle. I poured the sedimentation in a separate mini glass, it has huge blueberry aromas and was much sweeter and richer, a blueberry cobbler character almost. The taste was a little more tart and a little more blueberry forward but still not a ton. Ok back to the main pour. As it warms it opens up a bit like a good wine. Fruit comes out a bit, and lactic acidity builds but still never reaches the mouth puckering tartness of most Cantillons. It’s very clean, crispy even, with a high but appropriate carbonation and very good drinkability. Overall, a very nice beer. Is it worth the hype/hoops one needs to jump through to obtain it? The short answer is probably no, but hell it was fun anyways.
5/4.25/4.25/4.75/4.25
Dec 24, 20215/4.25/4.25/4.75/4.25
Blåbær Lambik from Brasserie Cantillon
Beer rating:
100 out of
100 with
890 ratings
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!