Cantillon Bruocsella 1900 Grand Cru

Brewed by Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Unblended
Brussels, Belgium

Poured from a 750 ml bottle, vintage 2003. Thanks John! A still, rusty orange pour. Lemon curd and custard aroma; lavender, goat cheese, and funk laid low and quiet, subject to its refined characters of sweetness and delicate earth, with a touch of puckering fresh grapefruit acidity.

A dull grassy sourness, strawlike and quite plain, in the flavor, lacking even a hint of traditional confrontational funkiness right away; rather, it’s mostly a briny saltwater with a distant hint of fruit skins and leafiness. Late hints of white pepper, cinnamon, and cellar stink as it approaches room warmth.

Light-medium palate, watery and dusty; finishes with some gruyere rind, earthy salts, and maybe seaweed; certainly quite green and still salty, whatever it is. Though it’s quite tranquil, its calmness is not hard to appreciate; a lambic with plenty of funkiness and less sourness, and that’s fine.

Cork says 2004. Pours an apple juice sort of color with an apple juice sized head. First thing I smelled was apples too. Well, I smelled unripe green apples like the ones that grew on the little tree at the old man’s house up the street. Except this beer has a rather funky smell that I would have been horrified by in my youth. Nowadays I tremble with excitement when I smell something that funky. Nice solid sour apple front that explodes on the tastebuds before leaving a neat scuppernong wine finish that manages to be nowhere near as sweet as the actual scuppernong wine. A fine beer to split with someone. As much as a I love it, I couldn’t drink the whole 750mL by myself. Luckily I have a lambic loving roomate.

Ever-so-slightly hazed bright gold, a scotch color that is deeper. No real carbonation... just some big bubbles. Aroma is abusive dry horseblanket, sour wood that would take the paint off a building. But at the same time, there is some hidden complexity as it warms that is hard to see. Some light fruit and honey. Very unique lambic taste. It has a bit of a stale wood component, quickly followed by a moderately sour taste. If you let it drift over your tongue, it gets very sour and woody. Pretty good. Trying not to get to jizzy on it... but it is good and mellow.

Bottle, pours hazy pale orange with no head. Nose is soft and tart fruit, as is the flavor. Very light and delicate on the palate. Smooth and refreshing.

Blondn golden colour, without head. Typical lambic-aroma: sour, fruity ... Although it is called an unblended lambic, it is 'finished' in contrast of a young lambic. It has a little sour, little sweet fruit flavour. It is very pleasant drinkable.

2000: Acidic champagne taste, with an intense end. 1997: Light yellow. Much more complex than its newer brother.

75cl, brew Anno 2005, from De Hopduvel Gent, complex, balanced, hazy, nearly no head, nice lambic

Pour was hazy like a lambic should be. Nose was yeast. Taste was bitter and woody.