Cantillon Fou' Foune - Brasserie Cantillon

merc7186

New York

4.48/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to SliverX

Bomber into tasting glass

A: Hazy Golden Straw Hue, Passes Some Light, White Head, Mild Lacing

S: Straw, Apricots, Musty

T: Apricots, Grassy, Sour Mash

M: Decent Carbonation, Medium Bodied, Semi Bitter

Overall, pretty nice solid apricot sour beer

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 02:41:41 | More by merc7186

homebrew311

Illinois

4.55/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance is cloudy orange with no head and no lacing. Smell is heavy with fresh peach which integrate nicely with the funky base. Notes of wheat, lemon zest, and tons of acidity. Taste is just like the nose. Heavy fruit, nice fleshy peach character, followed by heavy acidic sourness. Delicious. Mouthfeel is light and highly carbonated. Overall, delicious brew, one of my favorite cantillons.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 01:38:00 | More by homebrew311

yemenmocha

Arizona

4.55/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

With full bottle pour, appearance is hazy brown with golden hues at the edges and generous white head. Nose is quite assertive with tingly candied apricots intermixed with light barnyard that thankfully stays in the background. Gorgeous sourness on the palate with the fruit in there at the same time, and it glides across the palate beautifully like a good Champagne. Loads of pleasing tartness on the finish. Incredibly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 00:20:39 | More by yemenmocha

MattSweatshirt

Texas

4.5/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2012 bottle

Pours a fluffy white head that almost fizzles away. The Foune has a opaque orange body with varying shades throughout the tulip glass.

Lots of apricot aroma and sweetness. Some pear, acidity, funk, hay and cheese.

That first sip hits you in the jaw with a right hook. Sour! Afterwards it lessens quite a bit after shocking the system. Apricots and apricots. Funkiness hangs out in your dry mouth.

Lively bubbles and a light body. Spot on. The mouthfeel on Cantillons always seems to be on point.

Worth the hype? Maybe. Super solid regardless. I would say definitely drink it within a year like the bottle says if not sooner. The apricot is too good. Had a 14 month old bottle and I could easily tell the difference in apricot levels although the older one had a heftier sourness to it.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 09:20:50 | More by MattSweatshirt

kscaldef

Oregon

4.48/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Christmas eve beer, 2012 Vintage

A: Golden-orange with good clarity. Semi-aggressive pour into a Cantillon tulip produces about an inch of dense head that recedes fairly quickly to a layer of foam

S: Pure apricot with minimal funk. Great expression of the fruit.

T: Lots of fruit. Quite tart, but not over the top. As it warms up, a bit of woodiness shows up, but the fruit remains dominant.

M: medium-high carbonation. Fairly light in the mouth. Plenty of acidity to keep things lively.

O: I've never had this beer so fresh and it's quite remarkable to see how much fruit aroma and flavor it packs in. Great beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 01:40:52 | More by kscaldef

larryi86

Delaware

4.98/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

750 mL bottle, 2012, poured into a snifter

A- A hazy golden copper color with a two finger white head.

S- Wow, apricots, barnyard funk, sour.

T- Sour! Apricots and more apricots, lemon, funky finish, touch of oak.

M- Smooth, crisp, light body, dry finish.

O- A fantastic lambic with plenty of apricot and very sour. Pricey but worth every penny, I can't wait until I get to try this again. Could be more complex, but with how fruity and sour this is it work.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 02:27:02 | More by larryi86

wifehatesthebike

Michigan

4.73/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottled 28 August 2012

Appearance is at first fizzy settling into a golden orange with only a wisp of foam.

Smell is dank and deep. Obvious apricot with only a hint of sour if you search for it.

Taste starts bright on the tongue followed by a wave of apricot nectar and then perfectly balances sweet and sour at the end. Somewhat dry, the fruit acidity leaves the mouth watering for more.

Mouthfeel is a bit slicker and chewer than I expected, in a good way.

Overall this is an easy review...two words sum up this beer: well-crafted and delicious.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 23:05:16 | More by wifehatesthebike

Marc_V

4.65/5  rDev +0.9%
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 -0.7%
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 -16.5%
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 +5.9%
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 -6.1%
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 +4.8%
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 -13.2%
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 -2.4%
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 +8.5%
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 +7.6%
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 +0.4%
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 -14.8%
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 +3.3%
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 -6.7%
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 +7.4%
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 +1.5%
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%
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 +5.2%
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