Cantillon Bruocsella 1900 Grand Cru

Brewed by Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Unblended
Brussels, Belgium

Bottle (750ml). Shared with blankboy, GregClow and Hogtown Harry, courtesy of Harry. My first unblended Lambic I think. Dark yellow, with a bubbly little head - almost looks like it was poured from a cask. Intense sourness in aroma, with some burnt rubber thrown in (thanks Harry for articulating that). Nice sour taste - very citrus, even banana like. Not tartness, all citrus and very dry. Really nice to sip, but not overly complex. Thanks Harry, a real treat.

Appearance: Pours a hazy, still golden body with a thin, white head. Smell: The cold hard fact that this smells exactly like TheBeerCellar’s 1978 "Gas Line" Lemonade is totally indisputable. Taste: A slight upfront sweetness layered with lemons and hay. Hints of wood and salt. Plenty of vinegary acidity on the dry, pucker-inducing finish. Mouthfeel: Thin-bodied. Very little carbonation to speak of. Just the slightest bit oily in the mouthfeel. Drinkability: I’m tellin’ ya, "Gas Line Lemonade".

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.

Pours to a flat looking hazy golden body. The aroma is sour cornflakes, but it smells really good. The flavor is sour like a geuze but not nearly as complex. The flavor is nicely sour. Funky wood and sour apples. So delicate and complex. Perfect mouthfeel. Tart, sour, smooth.

Sampled at the RBPG; bottle courtesy of mtoast. Terrific lactic sour nose, winey, with oak and lactic funkiness. That hits the spot! Golden crystal clear body with no head. Medium light body with very little carbonation. Bottled in 2003? Nice sour taste, winey with oak. Absolutely delicious and sour, sour, sour. Ozone electric and notes of sulfur. I wish that this style was more prevalent and cheaper in this area; really miss the Cantillon brews.

No head at all. Wow! Can we say horse blanket on this aroma?!? I think so. One crazy beer, good in moderation only.

Strong pungent nose that is at the same time fruity and dusty. Light hazy orange color and no head or carbonation at all in our sample we bought directly at the brewery in Brussels. Not surprisingly this has a very tart taste that recalls grapefruit. The lack of carbonation left the overall texture flat and was more juice-like than beer.

750 ml bottle, 2004 vintage, via rudolf. Pours a clear bright gold with a thin film and small ring of white foam. Completely still carbonation visually. Aroma is lightly tart with a powdery sugar overtone. Lots of cellar funkiness in the form of musty dampness and alot of oak/woody notes. Flavor is very funky with a light tartness, almost like a light cider vinegar. A very clean and distinct oak flavor. Very approachable and alot less tart and funky than I was expecting. Finish is dry and refreshing with lots of brett. Not really sure how to "score" the mouthfeel on this. Any other beer and this would be terrible, but if you try to rate to style I can only assume that this is perfect. Completely still and somewhat thin in texture. My first, and possibly my only, taste of an Unblended Lambic. I really enjoyed this alot, and didn’t and a bit of a problem downing the whole 750 by myself. Pretty awesome, I’d love the chance to try another example.