Saint Lamvinus
Brasserie Cantillon

Saint LamvinusSaint Lamvinus
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From:
Brasserie Cantillon
 
Belgium
Style:
Fruit Lambic
Ranked #4
ABV:
7%
Score:
100
Ranked #122
Avg:
4.54 | pDev: 7.49%
Reviews:
513
Ratings:
2,313
Status:
Active
Rated:
Tuesday at 06:29 PM
Added:
Mar 20, 2003
Wants:
  1,423
Gots:
  467
Everyone knows some of our best friends are wine growers from the Libourne region in France, more specifically those who make Saint Emillion and Pomerol. They respect the tradition and let their wine ferment in a natural way.

Fermentation, origin and vintage are still kept up.

Our collaboration resulted in a product uniting the best of their wine and of our beer : the Saint-Lamvinus.

The grapes, of the merlot and cabernet-franc varieties, are soaked in Bordeaux barrels containing two to three years old lambic. The beer is not blended before the bottling. The foam is caused by the addition of a liquor which starts the fermentation.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by DaPeculierDane:
Photo of DaPeculierDane
Reviewed by DaPeculierDane from Wisconsin

4.85/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
First things first, a beef with the presentation: a beer of this caliber should have a bottling date. From the bottle, purchased at the Map Room for $40, there was absolutely no indication as to whether this was a 2001, 2002, or 2003 vintage. It didn’t reduce my enjoyment of the beer but I would have liked to have known for future reference.

As for the beer itself…Cantillon’s St. Lamvinus is perfect.

Appearance: Pours into a white wine glass with a strong effervescent surge that leaves a ¼ inch, lovely pink head. The head dies off quickly but the body doesn’t disappoint. St. Lamvinus presents a deep, sexy purpled pink body. Color is not dissimilar to New Glarus’s Raspberry tart. St. Lamvinus is much deeper, however, and not particularly cloudy.

Aroma: Barnyard funk and vinegar balance flawlessly by sweet grape juice. Light amounts of cobwebs and dirt, oak tannins, and wet leather are found too but at the end of the day one has more of an impression of absolute cohesiveness then individualy unique attributes. I carry away a sense that is now possible, against the odds, for a beer to offer much, indeed most, of the character of a rabid geuze without offending. Likewise, I now see the possibilities of using grapes as a primary component of beer without creating a concoction that is either cloyingly sweet or overly wine like.

Taste: All of the attributes of a fine Bordeaux blended without defect with the entire range of excellent properties of the best lambics.

Mouthfeel: Spritzy and medium bodied. Astringent front, balanced center, lightly dry finish. Defining of balance.

Drinkability: Undoubtedly one of the most drinkable beers I have consumed to date.

Was it worth it? Yes and no…To try once, it was absolutely worth it. To drink regularly, I would have to say it would not be. For my dollar, I would take Oude Beersel or Hansen’s kriek geuzes on a regular basis over this. Still, I have to admit that a beer so well crafted is most certainly deserving of its high price. God bless Cantillon for this.
Apr 12, 2007
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.5 by rare_bird from Michigan

Tuesday at 06:29 PM
Photo of ThisWangsChung
Reviewed by ThisWangsChung from Maryland

4.29/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
2023 vintage.

4.29/5: The first few sips didn't bowl me over, but it got so much better after half the glass; beautifully nuanced funk, light tartness (at best), and the delicately vinous nature make this an absolute winner
Sunday at 12:00 AM
 
Rated: 4.09 by LunchMoney from Minnesota

Mar 11, 2024
Photo of moysauce
Rated by moysauce from Illinois

4.5/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Only had the 2015 vintage in 2023. Don't know what this tastes like fresh.
Mar 06, 2024
 
Rated: 4.5 by Juggerr from New York

Feb 11, 2024
 
Rated: 4.6 by smi69 from New York

Jan 24, 2024
 
Rated: 4.29 by Ox8840bo from Illinois

Dec 28, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by Rkitchen from Michigan

Dec 28, 2023
 
Rated: 4.68 by pdonovan16 from Massachusetts

Dec 21, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by BSW from California

Dec 14, 2023
 
Rated: 4.78 by notchucknorris from California

Dec 12, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by jschott75 from Illinois

Oct 01, 2023
 
Rated: 4.62 by Jcoleman4 from Ohio

Aug 31, 2023
Photo of joaopmgoncalves
Reviewed by joaopmgoncalves from Portugal

5/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
This was drank almost a week ago, at Vítor Claro's home - the winemaker from Portalegre, behind the Dominó and Claro & Ferreira brands.

Trying to review this from the top of my mind.

Poured from the bottle to a stemmed wine glass.

A: The body is dark purple with a light purple, almost pinkish head. Created a generous foam quantity that lasted quite a while before jumping in.
S: The aroma is actually perfect without any overpowering acidity. It's balanced as it is sweet, savory, and acidic to the right point. It's a great beer only by smelling it.
T: It's the taste of heaven. I think that after Fou'Foune, this might be my favorite Cantillon beer. It's perfectly balanced with the sweet notes from the grain and the grapes embracing quite well the light fruitiness, and very light bitterness of aged hops combined with just the right amount of acidity incoming from Brettanomyces. It's really great with nothing to point to as a downside.
M: Body has just the right feel, being light with the cool effervescence and silky tones from the sweetness you can find in this beer. Bitterness is low. Acidity is mild.
O: As said before, this ranks at the top of my favorite beers. Unbelievably good.
Aug 18, 2023
 
Rated: 4.48 by dan_amdg from Illinois

Aug 11, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by Dgman8053 from New York

Aug 10, 2023
 
Rated: 4.5 by PprBurke from Virginia

Jul 28, 2023
 
Rated: 4.92 by CAcker from California

May 11, 2023
 
Rated: 4.52 by Catalinmunteanu from Romania

May 06, 2023
Saint Lamvinus from Brasserie Cantillon
Beer rating: 100 out of 100 with 2313 ratings