Cantillon Bruocsella 1900 Grand Cru

Brewed by Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Unblended
Brussels, Belgium

No activity in my glass whatsoever, no bubbling, no head, no beading, no FILM for god’s sake. Vinegar again, mildly, and must (yeast). Alcohol fumes, again mild. Very unremarkable upon every level.

Rating #900! and popping the cork on #69 of RB’s 70 beer styles. 750 ml, "Bottled 2005." Well, the only common beer with a "900" in its name is Camo 900, so let’s do this instead. Besides, it’s symmetry: my first rating was Capitol 1900.
Pours light yellowish brown, looking a bit like apple juice. No real head, but some pinprick bubbles clinging to the side of the glass. Smell is pretty nice. I expected lots of sourness, but more cidery notes with a bit of wood. But taste is where the sourness comes in. Real brett sourness, no acid used here. Somehow a bit rubbery, then more of the crabapple cider. What else? Some butterscotch, mown hay that’s actually tripping my allergies. Yep, there are those stale hops, and a big barnyard character. Reminds me of that Berliner Weisse toward the end.So what do I compare this to, if it’s likely the only unblended lambic I’ll find outside of Belgium? It’s certainly a pleasure to have discovered and enjoyed this puzzle, so I’ll count my experience as part of the rating.

Flat entry. I simply didn’t expect this, nor did I care, if this lambic had a head or not. Nice, light orange color. Dry, deep woody notes in the nose with notes of grapefruit, lemon, white grapes, green apple, leather and flei infested horse hair. Much more approchable than I was expecting. Flavor begins with deep wine-like tannins and damp wood. Next comes the superbly woven fruit notes, mainly grapefruit, green apple and orange. The finish is dry, metallic and very acidic. More lingering and sour deep wet wood notes linger on. This lambic is everything and more of what it is trying to be. The gods blessed this barrel well. Phenomenal.

750mL thanks to Dr. Bill. Horsey wild grunge with an almost lemon goat cheese lactic flush. Mexican cilantro floralness kicks in and runs through the nostrils. Pours a clouded pale gold. Crushing sour tannic flavor, with raging earthy mustiness. Sewer notes? Very parching and old, with fresh bandages. Astonishing acidity and finishes with a hop-lavender flutter. Smacks on lemon pith. A little coarse and biting, but somewhat endearing.

Beautiful lambic. Srong vinegar aroma. Pour was a light gold with no head. Taste was amazing. Strong vinegar, lemon and yeast with a heavy acidic aftertaste. There is some woodiness and earthiness to this beer which was unexpected. Man I could drink this everyday!

Hazy gold pour with very light carbonation and head. Tart and sour aromas. Hay. Nothing extreme, all the aromas are nice and mellow and well blended. Very sharp notes in the flavors. Tart, dry, sour and sweet. Very earthy. Very wine like in a way. Lots of grapefruit. Puckers the mouth a bit. I like it.

Bottle 2005 vintage, yellow gold color, with no head at all, no carbonation like a flat beer, the nose is one of dirty, dusty, barnyard, and leathery, notes, hint of oakiness, wet wood, and sour aromas follow through on a medium-bodied tart palate with a green apple sourness character, tartness, acidic accent, but less sharp then the other cantillon, a lemony fruitiness, leading towards a tart and dry finish.

2000 bottling. Aroma is relatively mellow on the stinky cheese...pretty crisp. Got a nice head that stuck around. Sour without some of the intense woodiness, metallicness of others. Just a solid, well-made, not too complex lambic.