Cantillon Fou' Foune - Brasserie Cantillon

Marc_V

4.65/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle from Belgianbeershop.com. A hazy orange golden beer with a moderate white head. The aroma is very fruity, filled with peach and apricots and a clear sourness. The taste is very well balanced and very fruity (apricots, peach, a touch of citrus). This is a wonderful lambic, near to perfection and a must drink for every lambic lover.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 15:51:11 | More by Marc_V

Holland

Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Big thanks to Lauren for sharing this at a tasting!

A: pours a cloudy golden color with fine bubbles coming through, but not much head, and no retention.

S: bright smelling with lemon, apricot, and peach. Some good funk is in there, but it doesn't come through too much.

T: again with a slight funk, but mostly sourness and fruit flavors like peach and apricot. The acidity is delicious, but certainly not the most sour out there. Barely a hint of sweetness.

M: bright, acidic, thin but coats the mouth well so that you can feel it for a while.

O: most excellent lambic, so happy to have tried this finally. It's not overwhelmingly flavorful, but delicious and balanced for my tastes.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2012 03:02:16 | More by Holland

writerLJBerg

Oregon

3.85/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Hop and Vine. Overly expensive 4 oz pour that was served far too cold, but which was allowed to warm to a more suitable temperature.

A: Golden-orange with a thin lacing.

N: Apricot, lemon, some sourness. Not as complex as I might have expected.

T: Tons and tons of apricots. Lemon rind and some raspberry hints. More apricot. Peach. A very pleasant sourness some ’glue’ funkiness.

M: Dry and somewhat oily. Good without being perfect.

O: The fruit is spectacular here, but it’s not quite as complex as I would have hoped. Still a worthy beer, but I think its ratings have gone up due to the difficulty in obtaining it.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 22:29:51 | More by writerLJBerg

smakawhat

Maryland

4.88/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured from the bottle into a large tumbler at Churchkey during Zwanze day 2012. From notes.

A real nice orange amber pale lemon color, opaque and orb glowing. Head is presented with a thin creamy top of light off tan color, almost looks like a dolop of cream spooned on to it. A real nice looking lambic, it glows in the sunlight.

Nose hints with classic sour funky aromas, and apricot juice. Rind like zest peel, and dried apricot fruit, even goes into cherry like aromas, fascinating. Mouthwatering smell with a real balanced acid compliment.

Palate comes with a large fruit component in the first taste. Whaffs of apricot fruit and large juicy feel with a malt depth taken over by a good sourness. Biting rind of zest comes through with chewy apricot and sour. Not particularly tart, but sourness takes over the malt action keeping the fruit just slightly downplayed. The head comes with the palate and makes a wonderful creamy feel along with the thick fruit juice quality on this. Finish gives wonderful big pepper, a quick black pepper a little. It all feels real nice together this controlled apricot and cream and pepper and classic funk.

Overall I think this just might be my favorite Cantillon to date. This also drinks so incredibly easily, it was hard to nurse this I wanted to finish this in nothing flat it's so delicious and have more.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 13:58:43 | More by smakawhat

Etan

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at WLV, Zwanze 2012. Got one of the last pours from the 30L keg.

A: Beige-orange body with a clean white head.

S: The nose holds lots of oak and apricot. Pretty tart with some wet hay funk and clean grain.

T: Really fresh apricot flavor, earthy and tart, lactic and clean in the finish.

M: Light bodied, light carbonation.

O: The apricot flavor here is fresh and assertive, and works well with the base lambic.

Serving type: on-tap

12-02-2012 05:10:18 | More by Etan

sweemzander

Illinois

4.83/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On tap at Zwanze Day 2012

(A)- Just like I remember it. Pours a hazy brilliant golden orange color that produced a nice pure white head that dissipated quickly.

(S)- Intense yet vibrant apricot fruit. Not tons of funk or oak, but they are there. The acidity is also quite bold; excellent.

(T)- Similar to the smell pretty much. Just superb acidic apricot and peach flavors that are balanced just so well with a subtle oaky dryness. Quite sour, but just so good.

(M)- An excellent carbonation level combined with a superb and excellent balance of sour fruits and dry oak with just a bit of funk in the background. Finishes ever so sweetly that just balances it out that much better.

(O)- Just superb in every way. It has been awhile since I last tasted this (almost 2 years), and it is great to try it at a fresher stage since the bottle I had back in 2010 was an '05. So vibrant yet so sour and fresh tasting. Had to go back for a second pour.

Serving type: on-tap

12-02-2012 01:32:13 | More by sweemzander

deebo

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -13%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Excellent to see a 75 cl bottle of this bad boy on a Bruges beer menu for just a hair over 10 euro on a November visit. Convinced the wife she needed to try this vs. always getting the raspberry she loves so much.

A-Bottled 28 Aug 12, this beer pours dirty golden with a ringing of white foam with a lot of lively carbonation.
S-That typical Cantillon smell-funky. Aromas of barnyard, horseblanket, just a very subtle hint of apricot. Not as much fruit aroma as you get in the kriek or rose.
T-Very tart-the sourness definitely hits you up front. The apricots are there in the finish but as in the aroma they are quite weak, in a fresh bottle I expected more.
M-Typical Cantillon
O-Yes definitely a Cantillon beer and no doubt fans of the brewery will like this brew but for my money I think either the standard gueuze or a rose de gambrinus is just as enjoyable if you are looking for eithe a straight gueuze or a fruit lambic and don't see the hype associated with this beer...other than it is hard to get.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 00:06:15 | More by deebo

Gatch

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Armsby Abbey for Zwanze Day.

Super dry and effervescent. Plenty of fruit funk and sour qualities. You get some of the apricot but it's like the dry intense flavors of dried fruit. Very enjoyable. Again with this style its so complex and delicious that it's hard to describe. But in my personal opinion, not as great as I was hoping for and I think Zwanze 2012 was much better.

Serving type: on-tap

12-01-2012 21:27:35 | More by Gatch

Beerenauslese

California

5/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Dated 25 August, 2011. Taking Jean van Roy's advice, I am drinking this just a little over a year old. Thanks to Don L. for getting me a bottle at the Alvinne Craft Beer Festival.

Hazy orange gold body--infused by the color of apricots. Poured into a tulip, a half inch head was produced that quickly dissipated completely.

Clean sour and sweet apricot notes, old wood and vanilla.

Bright and delightfully tart taste of fresh apricots. There is just a bit of funkiness ending with a little bitterness, probably from hops as the website says the apricots are pitted. Dry finish.

Light body with fizzy carbonation, this drinks like champagne even when the foam is gone.

Terrific. One of the most delicious and most unique beers in the world. I really can't find anything to fault. Though I am sorry to have consumed my only bottle.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 06:48:03 | More by Beerenauslese

cfrances33

Illinois

4.96/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2011 bottle shared by bstyle, poured into a Hill Farmstead stem.

Pour: Hazy golden orange, with a nice two finger fizzy head. Head dissipates rather quickly, and doesn’t leave much lacing.

Smell: Wow. Sweet apricots and pear up front, with a nice funk throughout. If something can smell sour on the nose… this does, with a nice lactic aspect. Again, wow.

Taste: WOW. High apricots and apricot skin, tart pear, lemon zest, and a slight peach skin right off the bat, followed by a beautiful funk. Amazing lactic sourness throughout. A slight oakeyness helps this beer finish dry, but the tartness lingers.

Mouthfeel: Great prickly sourness mingles with really nice carbonation. Acetic, but in a great way. Awesome dryness on the finish. Perfect.

Overall: This beer is flawless. That is all.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2012 18:08:52 | More by cfrances33

brikelly

New Hampshire

4.63/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

2012 bottle bought at Julio's Liquors, MA. Cork splits but I manage to get it all out without it disintegrating into the beer.

A: Gorgeous head, delightful foam. Below it is very pleasantly honey-colored.

S: The unmistakable Cantillon funky horse blanket is there, but only just. It's far more subtle than the gueuze or kriek. A little touch of sweetness in the aroma, but not much. Beguiling.

T: Only slightly sour, which was surprising. Slightly tart, with a lovely apricot hint. Very well balanced with delicate complexity.

M: Light carbonation, very well matched to the taste.

O: A stunning beer. 750ml of heaven.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 22:29:12 | More by brikelly

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

3.93/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled 8/2011
Pours a deep clear golden color with a huge white head that slowly dissipates but remains a cap on the top. The aroma is quite tart with lemons and sour apricots dominating the nose. A solid hit of funk and light plastic phenol round out the nose. The flavor is fruity with apricots with a lemony tartness and hints of sour cherries and plums. A solid hit of horsey funk round out the flavor nicely. Medium body with a moderate level of carbonation and a tart puckering mouthfeel. I think I'm going to go against the grain on this one a little bit here. This is a fine beer and I enjoyed it, but I can't see what all the hype is behind this one.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 22:07:10 | More by johnnnniee

rodkin

Missouri

4.76/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

2012 release.

Pours a beautiful translucent straw-orange, with a fluffy white head. Kind of an apricot color, obviously. Nice lacing.

Smell is really big juicy, kind of peachy. Really big smell, don't need to lean towards the glass at all to get it. A bit of funk, but really the fruit takes center stage. This is unbelievable smelling, though. Apricot, peach, a bit of apple, slight funk and hay. Delicious. I want to live in this smell forever.

Taste is very similar. A bit lighter on the apricot and a bit bigger on the funk. Still, it's not very sour. It's got a nice tartness, but not much mouth puckering. Apricot is big upfront, gives way to lemon and granny smith in the middle and some funk in the finish. Really delicious.

Mouthfeel is fantastic. Light, dry, well carbonated. Goes down very smooth.

This is absolutely fantastic. Just delicious, and crazy drinkable. Putting down a 750 of this is no problem at all. Like a delicious apricot mimosa. Drink this.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2012 16:01:07 | More by rodkin

tarheels86

California

4.3/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Tap at Spuyten Duyvil. No vintage reported. Poured a glowing, full hazy, bright orange with powerful carbonation and a thin but persistent white head leaves swathes of lace. Nose is amazing geuze character: bright citrus, lemons, tropical melons, sweat, salt water. Taste is full sour with amazing fresh fruit character though one specific fruit is impossible to pinpoint. "Apricot" is not necessarily evident as much as some medley of tropical melons and tangerines. Some slight eggy suplhur character comes in and out but does not detract too much from what is a massive lactic body that is zippy on the palate. Very refreshing, very sour. Can’t wait to crack some vintage bottles. 9/20/2010 9/4/8/5/16=4.2

750mL 2011 bottle. The fresher this beer is, the better. More of a juicy Yellow Bus style peach nose with fuzzy skin and rich juice. Taste is not quite as aggressive. Really nice- not one I think is worth to hoard but rather to crack open immediately.

Serving type: on-tap

10-02-2012 14:52:46 | More by tarheels86

illidurit

California

4.95/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottle shared at the September 2012 Santa Cruz tasting. Pours cloudy orange with an off-white head. Aromas of juicy fresh apricots with vinous grapey chardonnay accents. Tart apricot flavor, very vivid and fruity and fresh, lemonhead candy, damp oak, pixie stix. Words cannot describe. Sooo good.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2012 04:32:41 | More by illidurit

DaftCaskBC

British Columbia (Canada)

4.68/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Notes from the 2012 BC Trailer Tasting Camping Tour with Rutager.

A: Cloudy golden honey coloured liquid with a 1/4" white head.

S: Sweet apricots dominate the smell profile.

T: Sour funk with apricots in the finish along with clean yeast.

M: Medium viscosity with low carbonation.

O: The taste and smell of this sour are fantastic. Thanks to Rutager for sharing this whale.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2012 21:07:08 | More by DaftCaskBC

Tnudish

Wisconsin

4.75/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Brought this out for Jay’s bachelor party. Congrats Jay and Patty! '11 vintage poured into a Cigar City snifter.

A-Pours a hazy faint orange in color with a small amount of tight white head.

S-The nose is perfection....the pinnacle of what every beer should smell like. It’s like apricot purée, apricot jam, and fresh apricot skin all shoved into one glass. It’s bliss.

T-The flavor is a balance of apricot, lemon, oak, and funk. It’s incredibly sour, but not yet bracing. I much prefer fresh Fou Foune to aged bottles because of the balance sour and apricot.

M-Mouthfeel is light, it’s acidic, gentle carbonation, and a long, pleasant finish.

O-I’m hard pressed to think of many beers that surpass Fou Foune in quality. It is one of the best fruit lambic from probably the best brewery in the world. I need like 70 more bottles of this.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2012 21:04:32 | More by Tnudish

jegross2

Illinois

4.85/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Reviewing the infamous Fou' Foune from Brasserie Cantillon out of Belgium.
Score: 98

Bottled 08/18/11. Served in a Kentucky bourbon ale snifter and enjoyed on 06/20/12.

Appearance: Pours an opaque pale honey color. Good lacing and retention. Pours a thick fizzy white ring around the glass. 4/5

Smell: Lots of sweet apricot mixed with pear, tangerine and sweet citrus. Nice lemon backbone to the nose, a little sweet vinegar too. No real funk in the nose, which is how I like my sours, though there is a touch of "plastic." The sweet citrus becomes a little more vibrant as the beer warms and opens up. 4.75/5

Taste: Tons of tart apricot and peach and lemon zest. A little pear flavor to boot with the tart citrus. There is just a hint of funk on the midpalate, leaving me to wonder what additional complexities this beer develops with age. I am still learning to appreciate sours and learning how to pin down their complexities, so I am sitting here wishing I knew how to better describe this beer drinking experience to no avail. Suffice it to say that I am greatly enjoying this brew. 5/5

Mouthfeel: Light-plus mouthfeel, light-plus carbonation. Tartly sweet and mildly dry on the palate, but no huge pucker effect here -- certainly less than the Classic Gueuze from Cantillon. 5/5

Overall: One of the best non-IPA/non-stout beers that I have ever had the pleasure to enjoy. If this beer was cheaper and more readily available, I would likely have a case-plus of this stuff in my cellar. Cantillon is slowly turning me on to the world of lambics, gueuzes, and other "sours."

Recommendation: Seek this world class lambic out; it will not disappoint.

Pairings: Lemon poppy seed muffins.

Cost: $35 for a 750 ml bottle (bar prices).

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2012 00:11:09 | More by jegross2

barleywinefiend

Washington

4.73/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured a hazy glowing apricot colot ;) with good carbonation leaving a mioderate white cap, bubbles and a splendid amount of lacing

S: How fresh can a beer smell, well this says it all. Fresh apricots, slome light funk and sting on the nostrils

T: At first is a subtle tartness, sting with a nice fresh, smooth apricot presence tasting tandem with some a funky horseblanket. The finish is dry, tart, Earthy

M: Lighter bodied, moderate to highly carbonated, very dry with loads of fresh aprioct on the palate

O: Gave me a boner

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 19:13:45 | More by barleywinefiend

kevanb

Illinois

4.8/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2011 Vintage 750ml, poured into a Cantillon tumbler. Review #200.

It pours a lovely apricot-orangey-peach color, very murky, even with a slow pour. Lots of bubbles racing around the glass. A nice offwhite head races up the glass but recedes just as quickly leaving no lacing or head retention. The aroma is fantastic, tons of fresh juicy apricot, peach fuzz, vinegar, funk and yeast. The fruit character of the aroma is just outstanding and perfectly inviting. The flavors are superb, the apricot flavors are super nice and juicy, tart, not overly sour. A little more acidic than I'd like with a high presence of vinegar and funk than the nose suggested. Some woodiness is definitely present as well. The body is good, a bit sharp, but nice and playful on the tongue. Carbonation is high yet the beer remains juicy.

Verdict: Fantastic lambic from Cantillon. Probably my favorite lambic they make. I've had older vintages, which are very special, but something about the fresh fruit is just so perfect.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2012 21:06:34 | More by kevanb

RuckusDu

Colorado

4/5  rDev -13%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Almost no head and whatever was there was gone immediately. Body is very orange and slightly cloudy. No lacing.

S - A lot of funk. Very delicate all around with only slight apricot and the sourness of lemon.

T - A well balanced sour funk with strong lemon. Only the slightest apricot sweetness.

M - Lots of carbonation with medium body. Very drying.

O - A good sour but nothing spectacular. The flavors and aromas are just so light and delicate to almost non-existent. This bottle was maybe 4 months old, so maybe something a little fresher would help?

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2012 21:25:05 | More by RuckusDu

dbrauneis

New Jersey

4.48/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served on tap at Brouwerij Lane in Brooklyn, NY

A: Pours a hazy light golden yellow in color with moderate to heavy amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a thin white head that reduces rather quickly to a tiny patch of very thin film and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Light amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Light to moderate aromas of apricot with some light amounts of mild sourness.

T: Similar to the smell but a little more intense in the flavor, very tart with strong sour flavors. Light presence of apricot.

M: Light to medium bodied with moderate to heavy amounts of carbonation. Slightly prickly on the tongue.

O: Very refreshing on a hot summer afternoon. Easy to drink and extremely enjoyable (I could happily have a couple of these but that seems unlikely with how difficult to find and expensive this beer is). Not overly sour but quite tart.

Serving type: on-tap

07-16-2012 12:34:52 | More by dbrauneis

metter98

New York

4.38/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Brouwerij Lane, Brooklyn, NY

A: The beer is light yellow in color and has a light to moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a thin white head that left patches of bubbles covering the surface.
S: There are moderately strong aromas of apricots in the nose.
T: The overall taste is rather sour but has flavors of apricots.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: For a sour beer, this is quite pleasant and very easy to drink because the fruity flavors of the apricots help to balance out the sourness.

Serving type: on-tap

07-16-2012 00:09:49 | More by metter98

schmoopsbeer

California

4.78/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

2008 vintage
poured at cellar temp into bruery tulip
750 ml bottle

Color: A hazy, but yet bright golden/orange. White 1 1/2f finger head that reduces to a thin bubbly cap after awhile. No lacing with light retention

Nose: Apricots what else, but the fruit has definitely faded compared to the fresher batches. Nice funk aroma with hints of wood, hay, and light lemon peel.

Palate: Wow! simply amazing. A perfect amount of carbonation making this beer very drinkable. The apricots hit the tongue first followed the an enjoyable wave of sourness and funk. This beer is dry, but yet it contains a good amount of spritz. At the end you begin to taste the oak/woody textures of this beer.

Finish: Long and dry with a good amount of texture. Mellow fruit which balances the light acidity at the end. An incredible beer that can be consumed fresh and aged.

Rating 98/100

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 21:26:40 | More by schmoopsbeer

SkiBum22

New York

4.15/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2011 Vintage

A - Pours a hazy golden orange with two fingers of white head. Head has good retention but leaves no lacing.

S - Soft apricot with light sourness. Slightly funky.

T - Subtle apricot flesh with a funky, barnyard like flavor. There is a mild tartness that is coupled with an oak and vanilla like sweetness on the finish.

M - Medium-bodied, extremely dry, and supple. Carbonation is much more active than I expected it to be.

O - Definitely a great beer but it was a little bit of a let down for me. I thought the apricot was going to stand out a lot more then it did. Still another nice offering from Cantillon and glad I finally got to try it.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 00:45:16 | More by SkiBum22