Cantillon Bruocsella 1900 Grand Cru

Brewed by Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Unblended
Brussels, Belgium

Virtually still, dark lemon body, flat in the center with a thin surrounding rim of white carbonation. Aroma of hay, musty barnyard, and bitter grapefruit. Dry, whole grapefruit flavor with nice strong sourness and some unexpected bitterness for a lambic. Some noticeable musty oxidation with strong wood and cork qualities. Nice, distinct change of pace. This is roots beer.

A apple aroma almost winelike. A medium golden color. No carbonation and a light apple flavor. A different kind of beer but enjoyable.

Beer 1000! Big thanks to all the brewers who contributed to getting me here, as well as to all the folks out there who traded with me and gave me beers as gifts. Actually, this really is beer 1001 due to having two at lunch today, but I’ve held onto this thing for a year and a half now intending it to be beer 1000, heck if I’m not going to enter it as 1000 now! Picked this up at Cantillon, 2003 bottling. Pours still as promised, pale apple juice appearance with lots of tiny floaties. This thing threw quite a sediment in the bottle as well. Aroma was sheer barnyard, tart and aggressive. Flavors revolved around barnyard, mushrooms, very faint cheddar, tart green apples and a bit of wood. Piercingly sour, and dry as a bone on the finish. Pure lambic in nature. My only complaint is that it was a bit thinnish, and the finish was extremely short. Still a marvelous concoction.

Tasted 06/07/2005. 30th present to myself from Rumble’s, Wellington. 375ml 1999 vintage, bottled 2003 - NZ$15!!!! Pours a still, pale, rose-tinted, gold. Beautifully vibrant but not bright, slight haze as well as "bits" of something hanging in the glass (looks like gold dust). No head at all. A suds-like, powdery looking, film sits on top at first but clears away completely within a minute or so. Lime, pollen and apple peel on the nose initially, follwed by a musty "under stair" or "attic" aroma. No sweetness at all left in this liquid after 6 years fermenting and conditioning, a big sourness initially that is followed by a strong, citrus, bitterness through the middle and very complex, dry, leathery, finish. Suck a lime, swallow some grapefruit and chew your belt - you’ll get some impression. Soft, oily, mouthfeel. Some powdery residue the only real negative for myself (a self-confessed lover of sour and bitter!). Wow, an amazingly beer. One, however is enough. As Fritha said "It tastes like it’s good for you". Soon after she complained of stomach churning. If it tastes like vinegar you’ve eithr got a bad bottle or a problem with your palate.

Hazy golden brown headless liquid funk. Sour musty eathy citric funky offering - just what I wanted. Grassy straw funkiness throughout and then that great lingering tart sourness. Mmmm.

vintage 2000. the overpowering aroma was very aour and vinegary. it poured a slightly cloudy gold with no head. it was a very strong flavor, musty like a damp basement. i don’t know what falvors i actually detected. it was very watery in the mouth. not at all desirable, refreshing or enjoyable, stil, i’m glad i tried it. i guess you have to let it grow on you.

woody nose with crazy lambic aromas comming from all over. Beautiful pale color, opens with some straw, orange, and ends so rediculously tart

Bottle: Beer #1000 and my completion of all the beer styles. Aroma is fruity with a much more light tartness and sourness than other Cantillons. Pours a transparent yellowish-orange with a few bubbles in the pour that do not stick around at all. Sour and tart, but not even close to the other Cantillon. A touch of fruit. Lots of woodiness in the finish. Completely flat mouthfeel and a little thin. It’s not bad, but doesn’t compare to most of Cantillon’s other offerings.