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!

Bottle (crumbling cork)... The aroma is lightly malty and very yeasty. Tons of fuzzy, dried fruits in the nose. A hazy golden hue. Very small, white creamy head. Good lacing. Teh flavor is very very tart up front. Lightly bitter and still very tart on the backside. Lemon, Grapefruit, woodsy and earthy notes. Very dry mouthfeel with fizzy carbonation. Extremely dry and tart finish. I really liked this lambic, but it’s not for everyone. In the dictionary, next to TART and DRY, there is a photo of a bottle of this lambic. Lambic fans must give this beer at least one try.

Sour aroma. Cloutdy gold color with white head. Very tart, bitter, and sour. Looses carbonation quickly.

Bottle. Sourish, earthy aroma. Dark golden colour, almost clear, no head. Totally flat, no carbonation. Sour flavour, no surprise, earthy and nice. Hint of aluminium in the aftertaste, but that wears off.

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.