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 stakem:
Photo of stakem
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania

3.84/5  rDev -15%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4
Let me precurse this review by saying how excited and full of anticipation I was to finally have a chance to try this brew...

750ml bottle, '11 inscribed on the bottom of the label with silver marker. Split with Slatetank and Kegatron during a recent wild ale tasting. Poured into a matching Cantillon long stemmed tulip, this brew appears a deep purple color. A pink frothy head sits atop the brew and gets revived to a full finger's strength when lightly swirled. When held to the light, ruby coloration shows through the body and despite a careful pour, some tiny spots of what looks like blueberry skin rests on the bottom of the glass.

The smell of this brew is primarily funky with notes of plastic while it is chilled. Some indications of cheese and earthy fruit start to evolve as the brew warms up. It also has a mild almost medicinal touch about it. When the glass is swirled, only then do berry tinges come out and blend through the aroma. Once warm, this brew picks up a sort of damp woodsy character from the barrel aging. While not the most fragrant, bright or upfront fruit scent to a beer, it is well rounded and enjoyable.

The taste is funky primarily with plastic notes upfront. I won't sugar-coat my first impression; it is slightly disappointing considering the unrealistic aura surrounding this brew. As it warms up, it turns earthy and pitted with a light medicinal touch. The berry inclusion here gets increasingly earthy with a wet and almost moldy wood feel to it. There is a spice of alcohol that comes out across the back as the brew warms up. It is tart and rich in berry flavor once warm which is pleasant considering the initial let down.

This is a light bodied brew with a perfect amount of modest carbonation. It is lively enough in the mouth but not overdone and distracting. There is a solid mix of flavor/character to take in with lots of earthy tones. However, the initial impact of plastic and light nail polish remover was quite unwelcomed and didn't blend well with the rest of the brew. This offering was somewhat dry on the tongue which increased its overall salivation factor and ease of drink ability. It carries with it almost a cooling aspect about it in the back of the throat.

After the fact consideration: While glancing over other reviews, I don't see mention of some of the unpleasant character I picked up on in this. It makes me wonder just how variable some bottles can be. This is something I wouldn't mind trying again but it most certainly is not worth the price of admission. It is not the best fruit lambic I have had, it's not even the best Cantillon offering available. The sheer amount of blueberries that had to be packed in this to discolor the brew to the deep purple it is, is amazing. Unfortunately, that excitement/impression doesn't easily transpire to the same degree in either the flavor or aroma.
Nov 15, 2011
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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