Cantillon Don Quijote - Brasserie Cantillon

BOLTZ7555

Arizona

4.85/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle acquired via trade with daknole and shared @ RBWG...Dak you ROCK!!! Honestly, I love sours but have never seen/appreciated the wizardry of Cantillon. All prior brews were so jaw-locking that I didn’t really enjoy them. This one has made me reconsider and has opened my eyes to what this brewery can do. Popped the cork on this one and immediately noticed the fragrant aroma. I was awe-struck...this is the best smelling sour I have ever had the pleasure of inhaling. Incredible grape, tart cherry skin, lemon pith, and balsamic vinegar make their way to the nose. Extremely bright fruit presence, minimal funk in the aroma. Visually, this one was watermelon in color with a nice wispy white head. Solid carbonation. Beautiful. Flavor is vastly different that the aroma (and reading the ratings, it appears that everyone’s perception was skewed based on where in the bottle you got a sample). Tons of funk, horse blanket, and lemon Jolly Rancher accompany raspberry, grape, and wild cherry. Extremely acidic. Could drink this all day, every day. Truly incredible.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2011 06:11:47 | More by BOLTZ7555

hopburster

Washington

5/5  rDev +11.1%

03-06-2013 05:28:40 | More by hopburster

jbuddle

New York

5/5  rDev +11.1%

01-16-2013 21:32:51 | More by jbuddle

ChrisPro

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +5.6%

01-16-2013 00:07:17 | More by ChrisPro

spycow

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev 0%

01-10-2013 03:27:07 | More by spycow

jerz

California

4.5/5  rDev 0%

12-29-2012 03:55:36 | More by jerz

GrumpyOldTroll

New Jersey

4.75/5  rDev +5.6%

12-10-2012 01:10:32 | More by GrumpyOldTroll

Pete27lax

New York

5/5  rDev +11.1%

11-20-2012 03:29:40 | More by Pete27lax

MikeyMikee

New York

5/5  rDev +11.1%

11-19-2012 23:15:12 | More by MikeyMikee

BdubleEdubleRUN

California

4.5/5  rDev 0%

10-31-2012 22:10:16 | More by BdubleEdubleRUN

DoubleJ

California

4.25/5  rDev -5.6%

10-29-2012 22:26:08 | More by DoubleJ

scottfrie

California

4.88/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

A very special thanks to colonelforbin for opening The Don.

A: Pours a deep murky iced tea amber with a very thin bubbly white head.
S: Super sweet smelling with dominating notes of sugary grapes. There is a decent amount of funk beneath the sweetness that reminds me of Pez candy mixed with cheese and used baby diaper.
T: Heavy grape mouth. The grapes really do taste similar to Concord, and I can’t help but be reminded of grape jelly or grape juice. Light funk, cranberry juice, drying tannins and a little bit of grease come through alongside a bit of lemony citrus acid. Not as much baby poop as the nose. This is one of the best combination of sweet and funky flavors I’ve had the pleasure of drinking.
M: Extremely dry and extremely smooth. Sweet fruit balanced the dryness, and the acid is smooth and mellow.
O: A delight to be savored. All that were present can attest to how long it took me to drink my glass. I’ve never tasted a beer with this unique grape flavor profile. Definitely lives up to the hype.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2012 17:06:01 | More by scottfrie

tarheels86

California

4.13/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

750mL thanks to Travlr. Given to me on my 24th birthday and shared at Sour Epic Part 2. Thank you Gene! The pour is quite hysterical- sort of a clear, neon purple with deep sunset highlights. A short lived pink head fizzes. Dregs at the end look opaque fuschia. Nose is at first a lot of white grape juice moving to sweet strawberry and tangy rhubarb. Very bright aroma and sweet grape juice and even hints of cinnamon and clove. Taste is straight geuze all the way with big tanginess, white pepper, mild berry character, and ruby red grapefruit sections and peel. Acidity level is perfect- juicy and tangy. Vibrant and bright. Perfect palate. Very yummy overall though I’m told the grape robustness is falling off and instead gaining more normal geuze complexity like older Blabaer batches. 12/12/2011 8/4/8/5/16=4.1

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2012 19:43:22 | More by tarheels86

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.65/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

HUGE thanks to Umberto for busting out this rare treat during our epic drinking session at The Goblin Pub in Pavullo nel Frignano, Italy. Your generosity knows no limits!

Pours a hazy, bright amber color with golden orange edges and a one finger frothy white head that slowly settles into a lasting ring. Sporadic streaks and spots of soapy lacing left behind.

Sweet vinous aroma with a really strong grape presence countered by a decent amount of musty funk. Nice earthy barnyard character with some horseblanket, lactic funk, cobweb, oak and grape must. Subtle acetic presence but the sweet grape and vinous dark fruit notes keep it in check. Very inviting nose with the vinous fruit and musty funk complimenting each other perfectly.

Tart and puckering with a good amount of sourness but it never becomes harsh or overly acidic. Lots of earthy barnyard funk and sweet, vinous fruit notes balancing things out. Kind of reminds me of fresh St. Lamvinous but just a bit sweeter and more vinous. There's a very prominent grape presence that counters the dry, musty funk and sour acidity nearly perfectly. Surprising how prominent the vinous fruit still is after four years. Some brett and lactic funk contribute to the complexity yet this beer remains delicate and easy to drink with some lingering acetic flavor in the finish that leaves me drooling for more. I could see this being too sweet and not sour enough for some people but I loved the balance of flavors.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2012 00:32:05 | More by corby112

jethrodium

California

4.4/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750 ml bottle generously shared by colonelforbin. Huge thanks to Mike for sharing this rarity. The Don pours cruddy reddish amber with a small white head that settles to a ring and leaves a small amount of lacing on the glass. The musty, earthy grape juice. Lots of grape juice, like Welch's. There is also an aroma that smells like smarties as well as a bit of a mineral note and very light sulfur. The initial taste has a bit of sweetness with lots of musty grape juice. It is fairly tart with lactic acid. The smarties come through in the taste as well. The finish is drying with more grape juice. There as also a slight astringency. Medium body. Medium-low carbonation. This beer is certainly unique and very good. The Don lives up to the hype.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2012 20:48:25 | More by jethrodium

MrFootstones

California

4.75/5  rDev +5.6%

08-25-2012 05:39:53 | More by MrFootstones

durwoodx

Virginia

4.75/5  rDev +5.6%

07-06-2012 22:49:47 | More by durwoodx

Tnudish

Wisconsin

5/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Been waiting a long time for this day. My biggest personal whale for as long as I can remember.

A-Pours a cloudy pinkish brownish red...kinda resembles a grapefruit in color actually. Small white head of tight, white bubbles.

S-Nose is explosive fruit, specifically a mix of welch’s grapes and grapefruit. I don’t know where people were getting the shit/dirty diaper notes on this before, I think this smells amazing. Doesn’t have as much of the Cantillon funk I expected.

T-Flavor is incredibly tart, there is still a good amount of grape present, but I’ve been told its faded quite a bit since the last bottle the group had opened. There is some light lemon, but again, a lot less than a typical Cantillon offering.

M-Light mouthfeel, good acidity, good carbonation, and a long finish.

O-Such a great experience! I was skeptical that it wouldn’t hold up to the hype, but this beer is incredible. I think I need to follow through on getting one for the cellar. Thanks for going after this guy with me Ethan and Chris!

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2012 03:55:45 | More by Tnudish

whartontallboy

New York

5/5  rDev +11.1%

06-24-2012 05:47:45 | More by whartontallboy

hooliganlife

Missouri

4.55/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

never ever thought i would be doing this....

pour was a faint red with some violet. head was white and frothy with a hint of faint color like light red in it. some retention and lacing. pour was from towards the top so it was fairly clear and clean.

scent was interesting. lots of cheese, old sweat, musty, with this light sharpness and intense concord grape. very complex and interesting.

starts out quite sour and intense, then starts to fade out with a just amazing combination of subtle oak, mustiness, and straight grape in the finish. the grape just sits on the tongue. yes.

nice and dry with some help from the oak. nice mild carbonation, slight sweetness.

this was amazing, lots of interesting characteristics all over it.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 16:06:36 | More by hooliganlife

bsuedekum

Missouri

5/5  rDev +11.1%

01-08-2012 15:40:25 | More by bsuedekum

rvdoorn

Netherlands

4.83/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Opened during an EPIC sour tasting with PapaEugene and others! For me, this was the 2nd time I had this beer. Thnx Nerd
Look: the beer pours a red-amber color with a purple hue in it and a nice fluffy head
Smell: Very funky barnyard with sour grapes, hay, grapefruit, lemon and musty oak
Taste: Taste is dominated by sour grapes. As the nose predicted, the beer is very funky. Some spicy oak and lemon in the sour, and very dry aftertaste
Mouthfeel: Smooth body with medium carbonation
Overall: What a great beer to try, still improved by age compared to the last time I had it. Try it if you can.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2011 12:26:56 | More by rvdoorn

randomdanger

New Jersey

5/5  rDev +11.1%

11-15-2011 16:06:19 | More by randomdanger

ygtbsm94

Virginia

4/5  rDev -11.1%

11-15-2011 01:48:55 | More by ygtbsm94

westcoastbeerlvr

California

5/5  rDev +11.1%

11-14-2011 18:00:10 | More by westcoastbeerlvr