Cantillon Lou Pepe - Kriek - Brasserie Cantillon

brystmar

Texas

4.22/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Shared a 2008 bottle at the bar of EMP in Flatiron, NYC with my buddy Nate.

Deep red pour with ample reddish-white head. Decent lace and strong aroma of fresh cherries linger. Yeasty notes hit the nose too, but fresh cherries remain in my mind.

Taste begins where the aroma left off: cherry fruity-ness meets a mildly acidic base, blending into an extremely pleasant mixture of fruit and tartness. Mildly tart, not extremely sour, but exceptionally balanced. Overall, this is a better, more balanced beer than the Cantillon 100% Lambic Kriek '07 I've had on multiple occasions. My palate, however, prefers the super acidic, extremely sour flavor profile that resulted from that 2007 batch.

Regardless, I really love Cantillon. Bring me more!

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 22:43:14 | More by brystmar

DarthKostrizer

California

4.2/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to ZX6Chris for sharing this bottle

Vintage 2008

Look: Pours a darker shade of pink body with a lighter shade of pink head that is just over 1/4 inch and ok retention

Smell: The nose is full of sour cherries and a bit of grassy funk

Taste: Mild sour cherries with a touch of oak and a touch of funk on the backend. Very nice

Mouthfeel: Light body and ample carbonation

Overall: Damn fine beer. Glad I finally got to try this one

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 05:16:41 | More by DarthKostrizer

Thehuntmaster

South Africa

4.63/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle 5,0% Abv.
Served lightly chilled in an over sized wine glass.
2009 Sticker date
Bottled on 01 September 2011, good for 10 years.

This is the 8th beer in my series of sours and is the first of my 3 krieks.

Appearance: This is hands down the best looking lambic I have had! Absolutely stunning deep pink body topped by a large, creamy, pink marshmallow coloured head. The subsequent pour cause more clouding and a much deeper pink, almost purple tinged, body.

Smell: Mmmmm, this smells absolutely delicious. My first whiff seemed to be all funk, but with each subsequent sniff the fruity cherry character seems to increase until the point that is almost more dominant than the funk. The cherry character is both tart (dominant) and sweet (underlying). Other notes include: Sweet strawberries, vinegar, lightly vinous, old wood, musty, wet hay, oak and a hint of feet.

Taste: Simply delicious! Wonderful balance of cherries (mostly tart this time) and funk. Tanic cherry skins, a touch of sweet berry, oak, musty hay, old wood, sweat and a touch of vinegar are also noted.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate, fine bubbled carbonation. Moderate tartness (not mouth puckering) and a light dryness in the finish.

Overall: I have heard this beer described as one of the most intense fruit beers on earth and I wholeheartedly agree! Stunning mixture of sweet-tart cherries and funk. I will certainly be having this again in the future!

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2012 14:46:12 | More by Thehuntmaster

FosterJM

California

4.43/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

1049th Review on BA
Bottle to Snifter
750 Ml

2008 Vintage

Thanks to ZX6Chris for sharing
Shared at MrHirschybars tasting

App- A good bit of a mix between pink/purple in the glass with a good white head that fell quickly with a bit of dotty cling.

Smell- A whole lot in this glass. Very tannin forward with some great oak, funk, fruit and sweetness behind it.

Taste- A sour beer to say the least but was very temepered and balanced with fruit/sweet and the oak treatment. Didnt have a huge puckering flavor but was more of a sipper. Cherries are there and provide a bit of acid and vinegar but this was just sublime.

Mouth- A good bit of a light-medium with some very medium-high carbonation to it. The after taste is very wine like with some acid/tannin and fruits. Well balanced residual flavors.

Drink- Chris brought his A game on Saturday and I can't thank him enough for this treat. It was very well balanced, fruity and tasted great. I am very glad I have a bottle at home to now sit on and savor for a bit.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 19:12:17 | More by FosterJM

UCLABrewN84

California

4.35/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to ZX6Chris for sharing this one at MrHirschybar's place!

2008 vintage.

Pours a murky cranberry red with an off-white head that settles to a film on the top of the beer. No lacing on this one. Smell is of lots of sour and funky cherry aromas along with some woody aromas. Taste is the same and has a great but very sour flavor. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a great lambic with fantastic aromas and flavors. I am very happy I was finally able to try this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 22:35:27 | More by UCLABrewN84

eduardolinhalis

Switzerland

4.63/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle poured in a chalice.

Bottle from September 2009. Cork in perfect state.

A: Absolutely beautiful deep ruby red color with a huge rose aired bubbled head. Medium retention and practically no lacings left

S: Acid and fruity on the nose. Cherry tart. Oak and Lambic yeasts

T: Mild sourness. Cherry, crispy malts, barrel and yeasts

M: Light body. Bit molasses. Reasonable carbonation and good moderate sour aftertaste

O: High drinkability. Beautiful beer. The best Cantillon I've ever had

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 01:52:52 | More by eduardolinhalis

schwaeh

Ohio

4.43/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2008 vintage. I've been dying to open this for some time now, glad I'm pulling the trigger finally.

A: Very deep ruby red, this has some serious color to it. A massive spritzy pink head forms that goes down real quick. A pink ring sets around the beer but there's no lace.

S: This has amazing wine characteristics, gobs of oak and sharp fruity tartness. Cherry is in full effect, real fresh smelling. Bugs also cut through the mix no doubt about it, this smells crazy funky. I can practically smell the barrel room at Cantillon in this.

T: The cherries actually keep this grounded when you first take a drink, there is some building tartness initially but the darker cherry offsets it some. Just as in the smell, this is very woody-tons of oaky vanilla, years worth of wild yeast and bacteria. It gets fairly acidic on the teeth, I wouldn't drink this on an empty stomach. As far as sourness this isn't even close to Rose de Gambrinus or the more readily available beers; The sourness is kept in check, to a degree. The carbonation gives you a nice kick of sour while swallowing.

M: This has a lighter-easy drinking body with high carbonation. It really dances on the tongue.

O: LP Kriek lives up to the pedestal I put it on. This beer tastes very mature, the brewer let the beer come into it's own without trying too hard. Simple and complex at the same time, sour enough to appease sour fans, yet down to earth enough for most newcomers.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 01:19:50 | More by schwaeh

DaftCaskBC

British Columbia (Canada)

4.63/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The cork said it was bottled in 2010, the label said it was originally brewed in 2008.

A: Massive 1" pink head that dissipated quickly over murky dark raspberry vinaigrette coloured liquid.

S: Funk, vinegar, some oak and cherries.

T: Tartness and vinegar up front, and this acidity breaks into flavours of sour cherries and some oak on the back end.

M: Thin viscosity and a high level of extremely fine carbonation.

O: The viscosity was much thinner than I had expected, and this has more vinegar and funk than fruit taste as compared to some of the non-aged Cantillon lambics. I found this to be extremely drinkable once my palate settled down.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2012 00:19:14 | More by DaftCaskBC

SkiBum22

New York

4.5/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a light red with a quarter of pinkish head.

S - The aroma is full of cherries, slightly on the tart side, slightly sweet, with a little bit of straw and barnyard funk in the back.

T - Big fresh cherry taste along with some cherry juice. Really flavorful, woody and musty.

M - Foamy light body with high, fizzy carbonation. An obvious cheek puckering sour finish.

O - Another great beer from Cantillon. Really wish there beers were easier to get.

Serving type: on-tap

01-07-2012 22:13:46 | More by SkiBum22

Phelps

Arizona

4.5/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Cantillon Lou pepe kriek

Shared by whiterascal and poured into a Russian River glass. Brewed in 2007 with Schaerbeek cherries and bottled in 2009.

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. The beer’s a brilliant crimson with perfect clarity. One inch of rosy, pink foam is dense, sticky and homogeneous. The cap fizzles away fairly quickly, becoming a thin, frothy top layer.

Sugary cherries, soft barnyard funk and lactic tartness in the nose. Packed with spices, like mulled cider. Cinnamon, apples, anise and more. Such balance and complexity.

Major lactic, vinegary tartness is first in the flavor. Tart Cherries are in there as well, along with some soft horsey funk. The swallow brings that amazing cherry cider complexity: cinnamon, sweet cherries, vanilla, more mulled spices. Hefty lingering tartness on the sides of the tongue. Complex, drinkable, awesome.

Highly carbonated and fizzy, bringing life to the medium-light body. It’s a bit thin for me, with a bracing acidity that grips the teeth.

Lou Pepe Kriek is a damn near perfect example of the style, exhibiting a masterful balance and blend of tart, sweet flavors.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2012 22:47:59 | More by Phelps

DrewZ926

New York

4.97/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2003 vintage, generously shared by Ryan of the Funky Buddha

Hard to review this one as I really found no flaw with it...in my eyes the perfect Kriek. Pours a hazy grapefruit pink body with an inch of pink coral head. Smell is brilliant. Fresh tart cherries, oak, slight tannic dryness, a touch of musty funk. Tastes flawless too. Starts off with a kick of fresh cherries, very tart but balanced acidity, lots of oak notes and a little barnyard wildness on the finish. Also picked up some floral, almost perfume-like, notes on the finish. Mouthfeel was less thin than the standard Kriek and perfectly carbonated even with the age. Overall, I can't see a Kriek exceeding this one. Not sure if the age made the difference here but it sure didn't hurt. Seek this one out and buy it if a recent vintage is on the shelf.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2011 18:09:26 | More by DrewZ926

angrybabboon

Rhode Island

4.33/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Review adapted from notes taken 12-23-11

Note: 2008 edition (bottled 2010)

Appearance: Bright red, a cherry color - thin pink head, some lacing - pour from the first half of the bottle is clear, second half is cloudy thanks to the delicious sediment

Smell: Hay, cherries, cherry skin, barnyard, horse blanket, funk - the funk is quite substantial with an undercurrent of farts and feet - the unpleasantness fades, however - some acidity, some tartness, some sweetness

Taste: A ton of tartness and cherries - dry, not as funky as the smell - a little vinegar, acid - definitely sour, but more tart than sour - some light fruitiness, tannins, wood, a little puckery

Mouthfeel: Very tart and mouth-drying, not particularly puckering - medium body, very smooth, good carbonation

Overall: Great, but not mind-blowing

This is a great kriek with a lot of depth. I split this bottle with Goblinmunkey7 at the Ale House in Amesbury, MA. We paid $30. Was the bottle worth $30? No... but close considering the bar markup. I would love to have this again if Cantillon weren't so expensive and impossible to find.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 23:45:12 | More by angrybabboon

pmlondrigan

New York

4.72/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2008 vintage served in a traditional-like belgian tumbler. Deep red nearing a purple shade. A tight dense head of light lavender-esque pink appears and disappears just as fast. A juicy nose, filled with tart cherry, wild funk, damp basement, faint graham cracker crust. This beer opens with a lactic tart cherry hit, lots and lots of cherry/berry flavors, some pie crust in the taste and brett charecter and oak. On the finish this beer is like a perfect sour cherry. Not thin, clean, crisp, dry. This is one of my top cantillons to date, tons of flavor, well crafted, balance....but could have had a bit more sour.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 01:55:07 | More by pmlondrigan

thepeter

United Kingdom (England)

4.47/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2009 Bottle: Pours a beautiful Bright red with a nice red tinted head that was big and frothy but left the scene quickly. Smelled like cherry candy wiht some sour adn slight wood. Tastes quite similar with a boom of sour to begin with a great balance of cherry candy sweetness, a tiny bit of woody dryness at the end. Overall a Beautiful beer that I absolutely loved

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 10:58:58 | More by thepeter

WillCarrera

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2009 vintage. Picked up a bottle at the Cantillon brewery in Brussels.

A- Pours a dark cherry color, produces a finger of pinkish red head that fizzles quickly to a thin ring.

S- Big tartness, cherry sweetness, some vinegar and oak.

T- Starts out similar to a lot of Cantillon beers with a big blast of Jolly Rancher / Warhead sourness, but from the first sip you can also pick up on a more pronounced oak flavor. As your palate gets used to the tartness a delicious cherry pie flavor comes out, very fruity and tasty. Earthy yeast funk rounds out the background as expected.

M- Medium bodied, well carbonated, finishes semi-dry.

O- Another slam dunk from Cantillon, the fruit and oak is more pronounced on the Lou Pepe than on the normal Kriek, although both are absolutely delightful beers. I look forward to finding another bottle.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2011 22:23:48 | More by WillCarrera

ADZA

Australia

4.15/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottled on the first of September 2011 and this is the 2009 version.

Pours a nice Cherry,dark grape hue which leaves a fast vanishing two finger head and no lacing,the smell is sweet cherries,a touch of funk and the mustiness of an old house not lived in for a while,the mouthfeel is light bodied and bone dry and has tastes of Cherries and lots of them mixed with cranberry juice,a touch of bitter lemon and finished with a funky sour dryness and overall very nice and not many can top Cantillion at what they do but not one for someone who doesnt like Cherries or sour Lambics but me id drink again cheers.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2011 11:01:49 | More by ADZA

HuskyinPDX

Washington

4.33/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Review #500

750ml bottle poured into a Duvel Tulip, Batch 2008.

A - Pours a dark, ruby red with a nice light pink fluffy head. Good retention.

S - Tart cherry, slight funk. I was expecting more tartness.

T - Cherry, raspberry, some nice barnyard funk. Very nicely blanced.

D - Not overly sweet or tart, a nice balance. Good carbonation and average body.

O - Maybe a bit of a let down, just due to my own hype. Overall very nice.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2011 01:32:58 | More by HuskyinPDX

dirtylou

Washington

4.28/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

on-tap, brouwers

appearance: short-pour in an unbranded snifter during the big wood festival, bright cherry-red body, fluffy pinkish-white head

smell: lots of red cherry, vinegar, nice tartness, earthy

taste: seems like the standard cantillon kriek is a bit oakier/tarter while the lou pepe delivers a bigger dose of cherry and balsamic - moderate tartness, lots of funky and earthy flavors - cherry skin, wood, berry, red wine

mouthfeel: a bit acidic, light carbonation, moderate tartness

overall: not a weakness in the cantillon arsenal

Serving type: on-tap

12-12-2011 01:58:15 | More by dirtylou

camil1mj

Michigan

4.28/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Shared by Sarro at our recent Holiday tasting.

A: Beautiful cherry red. Some white head present.

S: Strong sour acidic notes.

T: Sour cherry flavors upfront followed by some funkiness, as expected. Not overly sour. The sour and sweetness of this one are very well intertwined.

M: Medium body. Well carbonated. Champagne-like dryness.

O: A great lambic. Very glad to get to try another great Cantillon. I wish their beer was still distributed to MI.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2011 20:48:46 | More by camil1mj

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4.28/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750ml bottle corked and capped poured into wine glass 3/11/11

A pinkish burgundy with a decent carbonation and a short lived pink head that leaves no lace

S tart and sour with a little sweet cherry, with some funk and jolly rancher and cough syrup

T no sweet cherry like I could smell, quite acidic and a little more funk then the nose, the jolly rancher and cough syrup are not as strong, very dry finish, it has a earthy woody thing going for it too, pretty complex stuff

M more bubbles then expected very sour, has quite the pucker too it, leaves a fair bit behind in the mouth

O another step down my road to sourville, pretty bang on from what I've had in the past, big sour notes and not as muck funk as i expected but I'm wondering if that changes with age

I grabbed another pair of these for long term aging and I'm curious to what will happen. Pretty easy too break the bank on this stuff but I just had too try it

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2011 22:27:04 | More by wordemupg

kjyost

Manitoba (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2008 Vintage. Consumed Nov. 19, 2011 at Inaugural Bottle Share, thanks tbadiuk! From Notes

A: Clear red with a light fizzy head and touches of lacing.
S: Tart cherry pie with light hints of soap.
T/M: Thin body with a tart sourness in the back of the lower jaw. Hints of funky vinegar. Lots of cherry playing well with all of this. Finishes quite dry.
O: A delicious beer that could be paired with many light and fruity dishes.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2011 03:43:14 | More by kjyost

birchstick

Missouri

4.33/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - pours a ruby, cherry red without much of a head on it

S - the nose consists of cherries with citrus and funk. Nice smelling nose, but to be expected at the same time.

T - sweet cherries up front fade to a citric sourness. The sourness is a bit understated; this isn't as sour as the regular version of this beer. As this warmed, the cherry flavor started to really pop, imparting a really nice cherry pie finish to this.

M - medium body that finishes dry

D - pretty solid kriek. My second venture in the LP series and another winner. This isn't as acidic as the 3F kriek I had next to it or the '05 Cantillon Kriek that I also tried. This had the perfect amount of cherry and lambic to it. Worth the hunt? Tough question when the regular kriek is so damn good as well.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2011 15:08:36 | More by birchstick

Auracom

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2 oz. 2008 bottle pour into a wine taster at the Bruery Provisions on November 7th, 2011. #5 of a 5-bottle Cantillon flight.

A - Potent, bold, red coloring with a deeper color around the edges. No head, carbonation, retention, or lacing. This one sits very still.

S - I nosed this one for a long time. Excellent cherry component. It is 100% pronounced yet not at all overpowering, and despite the years of aging the fruit smells fresh and intoxicating. Behind the cherries are candied sugar, grass, dry hay, earthiness, dirt, and oak barrel notes. Not deeply funky but well-balanced.

T - Again, great cherries here. Sweet fruit and sugar front notes lead into a sour backend that rivals Classic Gueuze. The tartness lingers in both the finish and aftertaste.

M - Medium body with adequate carbonation. Somewhat smooth.

D - Can't wait to see what age does to this one. I'm feeling blessed to have sampled this one with an identical vintage sitting in the reserves.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2011 06:52:27 | More by Auracom

Halcyondays

California

4.4/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

From a 750 at Provisions,

A: Pours a gorgeous red with a heady cap of pink foam. Nice lace.

S: Cherry pie, notes of funk, definitely fruit forward.

T: This is brewed with 50% more fruit than the regular Cantillon Kriek and it shows. Delicious pie cherries, a great interplay of sour and sweet. The fruit dominates, that's fine with me as is true and delicious.

M: Medium-bodied, fairly light acidity for Cantillon, round in the mouth, unctuous at times, but only slightly.

O: Another classic delicious beer from Cantillon. Not as good for my palate as compared to the regular Cantillon Kriek (much more acid, good interplay of flavours - acid and fruit) this is wonderful as well. Fans of the fruit will adore this.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2011 22:38:28 | More by Halcyondays

tempest

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Split a bottle with a friend. Ah, this is the way fruit beers should be. The cherries complement the base beer without overpowering or oversweetening. There's still that biting citric sour character, but with a gentle layer of the fruit blending in with the funk. That said, this wasn't a life-changing lambic worth the extra cost of a Lou Pepe, but a fine example of the kriek style.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2011 01:03:28 | More by tempest