Cantillon Bruocsella 1900 Grand Cru

Brewed by Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Unblended
Brussels, Belgium

I was not as impressed with this as I was expecting to be. It was not as tart and complex as other lambics, even the regular Cantillon. It may have had a bad cork. When I pulled the bottle cap off that was over the cork, I could see beer bubbling out from around the cork. But I am not sure if this would affect it, as it also had the bottle cap sealing it. And it had lots of carbonation and a good head. Anyway, how the heck do you tell if a lambic is bad???

Cloudy golden-orange body with small white head. Aroma is sour and very white-winish. Taste is lightly sweet and quite sour, fruity (mostly white grape but also some orange). Comparable to a slightly carbonated, quite dry white wine.

On tap at Max’s. The unltimate blonde. Great creaminess with a vanilla accent. Very light carbonation. Sourness is wonderful with a glimpse of apricots. All of this wrapped up in a slightly woody package. Grerat beer!

Sometimes, when Belgians disappoint, we don’t like to admit it. But, then maybe the the expectations are just too darn high. Mine for this beer were sky high, I was then disappointed, then when I sat back and thought, I realized it was still a good beer. Very, very soft with soft oak and soft grapefruit. This Belgian was still. But overall, it had a very good flavor with very light sour notes. For a Grand Cru aged 3 years in oak..... I would rather have bought a Rodenbach for 5 bucks cheaper.

Pours hazy orange with no head to speak of. Aroma is sour oak and lemon. Flavor is sour, but not overpowering. There is a nice woody flavor in the background.

Bottle. [Courtesy of Thomas_E, quality tasting @ Papsoe] Real unblended stuff, expecting some raw Lambic, but was surprised over its sophisticated and soft complex bouquet. Spare fizzy white head that mostly diminished. Cloudy orange like color. Aroma was of course the well know Cantillon and as I perceive it with notes of perfume, barnyard, leather. Underlying wheat, caramel and fresh apple and sour berries. Medium to full bodied with a soft carbonation. Moderated sour notes with good counter sweetness. Sour finish. 28-09-2007

Pours out like clear apple juice, with no head, just a small white ring of foam around clinging to the glass. Aroma of horseblanket, lemon zest, and cheese all culminating together in that classic funk. Not nearly as complex as the gueuze, but nice. Tartness and sour up front, with a sweet, candy finish that lingers for a short while, moving into acetic acid. Earthy lemongrass and the imrpression of white reisling grapes is there, too. The carbonation is so soft, it’s almost not there. A nice salty flavour overlays the rest of the flavours. The acidity is intense, but not puckering. The finish is tart, sour and bone dry. A crisp, refreshing, funky beer.

Bottle at Stone Sourfest 09. Hazy golden pour. Aroma is tart and sour. Flavor is band aid, tart, plastic, and lemon zest.