Blåbær Lambik
Brasserie Cantillon

Blåbær LambikBlåbær Lambik
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From:
Brasserie Cantillon
 
Belgium
Style:
Fruit Lambic
Ranked #5
ABV:
5%
Score:
100
Ranked #148
Avg:
4.52 | pDev: 8.41%
Reviews:
265
Ratings:
890
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
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by sleepydave:
Photo of sleepydave
Reviewed by sleepydave from New Hampshire

4.82/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Edit, almost forgot 2009 bottle unsure of batch # at the moment...but judging from the quick notes at that other beer site, I would guess I have batch #4.

First let me preface by saying I grew up on a 44 acre Cattle and Horse farm that had wild blueberries, wild strawberries, wild apples, wild blackberries, wild pears, and a few other little goodies growing on the property. And I believe it's that reason that I truly love this brew.

I poured directly from the fridge into a Lindemans tulip (how many of you want to kill me for that?). Pours wonderfully, although quite hazy. This could be the fridge more than the beer though. For some reason my fridge always tends to chill haze lambics and gueuze.

A dark mix of garnet and deep violet create almost a mahogany color topped with a very interesting head. It has this amazingly pink center that fades ever so gradually down a hue to a whiter pink on the edges. As an artist I find this color ramping to be sublime.

Initial impressions on the nose are a vinergary tartness but it actually feels as though it's alive. The tartness level literally felt like it curled inward progressively. I loved it. The usual funk/barnyardy smells are present and make a strong showing which then seem to literally morph into a wild blueberry tartness. And I swear I pickup some stinky cheese (but a good stink) about midway through the nose.

Still chilly at this moment. I definitely taste the cheesiness in the middle to the end. Some more vinegary notes compliment the odd cheesiness well. The blueberries are almost a flash at this temperature. The tartness increases towards the middle with the fruit flavor literally flicking your tongue on initial taste.

The fruit flavor is sublime to say the least. If you like wild berries, this is just amazing. Dominated by wild blueberry, with some flavors/consitencies that seem like the skins as well with a slight grapefruit tartness. I can best describe the wild blues as to me, tasting like a grapefruit with a light zesting of lemon rind, perhaps a drip or two of fresh lime juice.

---
As it is now rounding the recommended temp I feel I should divulge further.

So much more wild blueberries on the nose. The smell has almost become the inverse of what it was. Now the cheese is playing the low and slow role. It hints in the front, but the blues now dominate from middle to end.

While intriguing cold, this is now changing into a wild blue bomb. Cheese & vinegar await you the second you swallow, but I am just blown away by the wild blue flavors. Also picking up some very subtle oaky notes in the front of the smell.

Mouthfeel appears to thin a little as it warms, but it coats your mouth so wonderfully I couldn't give it a lower score. It seems to clean itself up so well as it travels.

The aftertaste is no longer in the middle of the tongue as it was earlier (I swear it stuck dead center with the berry-ness). It now is a clawing sourness that I love more than anything. Literally feels as if there are two hands clasping the sides of my tongue. Loving this, extremely pleasant.

Sorry for the book, this is my first review and I have literally two pages of notes and feelings about this particular brew.

Thank you Cantillon and Jepe!

I prefer gueuze in most situations, but I find myself unable to put this down and not think about it, although I'm sure rarity and excitement play into that here's the real reason...

Directly quoted from my notes:

"This farm boy is practically time traveling to a simpler year. Cliche I know, but honestly I am awash with feelings and memories of growing up on the farm. Barefoot through the grass, eating handfuls of wild fruits, running with the horses as a child...Highly recommended to ANY country folk, I'm curious if this brew envokes anything similiar for the city dwellers. I could literally smell and daydream all day with this beer in hand!"
Jan 15, 2010
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Photo of zac16125
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
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, 2021
Blåbær Lambik from Brasserie Cantillon
Beer rating: 100 out of 100 with 890 ratings