Cantillon Crianza Helena

Formerly brewed at Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Gueuze
Brussels, Belgium

Hazy dark peach/apricot pour. full white head stick around for a bit. Oakey aroma with some tart notes, once it warms some earthy hay and tartness come out, lots of complex wood notes and vinous notes as well as some funky gueuze. Flavor is sharp citrus gueuze with a huge amount of complex woodiness. very acidic, bone dry finish. Light peachiness, but overall not a lot of fruit, mostly superbly balanced funk and horse balls that, while balanced well with wood, still manages to be rude and shockingly tart. mellow woodiness is incorporated throughout and it the perfect counterpart to the sharp tartness. incredibley complex, the best Gueuze Ive ever had hands down. Happy Birthday CraftyCarl21!

Big ups to jblauvs and fonefan for this opportunity. This bottle has been on the top of my list for quite some time now. Pour is nectar-peach in color with a lively gueuze-typical white frothy head. Aroma yields powerful notes lemon, farm-funk, grass, hay, earthen pasture, and straw. As Helena warms, sweet cognac grape comes through more powerfully with a subtle background of oak and well proportioned acetic acid. Flavor manifests with unadulterated funky lambic glory. Massively sour notes come through, allowing for a borderline sharp experience, but its really all about the balance. Oak, funk, nectar, straw, grass, horsepen, and a pleasant bone dry acidity come through more powerfully as she warms. A slight vinous character is also noticeable with prolonged quaffs, as is demonstrated by some sweeter grape notes. Palate contains caressing fine bubbled effervescence allowing for a pillowy mouthfeel and a slippery finish that quickly drys out to bone-status.

Obscene birthday present from jblauvs- I couldn’t have better friends. Murky gumwood colored pour with an impressive white head. Aroma started subtle, but it was clearly too cold. As it warmed, the tartness became beautifully prevalent, along with nice oak notes, perceptible hints of cognac, grape, and complex woodiness. Flavor is extraordinary; no fruit necessary, straight gueuze, divinely sharp on the tongue. The vinous hints from the Bordeaux barrels are so nice, and grape and cognac comes back closer to the finish, but the main gist of this beer is still rude and acidic. Palate is excellent; the funk is all encompassing and omnipotent, but it still somehow seems balanced. So glad I got the opportunity to try this brew, and it is phenomenal.

750ml bottle, with a big thanks to kappldav123 for the hookup! Pours a mostly clear yellow golden with a moderate but lively cap of white foam. Aroma is dusty, musty, tart fruit, oak, some wine qualities and nice citrus and peel to round things out. Stellar nose with layers complexity yet nicely blended. Flavor follows along nicely, with great lively carbonation, citrus, moderately acidic, subtle barrel qualities, musty/dusty, and tart and sour fruits. The flavor also provides great complexity in a fantastically balanced and well integrated way. Very, very impressive, thanks again David!

750 ml capped and corked bottle. Shared by mreusch. Marked 23 oktober 2008 on bottle, blend per the description. Pour is a very slight haze golden orange with a one inch white head the fizzles out noisily. Nice upward stream of carbonation bubbles rising from the bottom of the glass. Aroma of funk, lemon citric and wet - but clean earthiness. Really soft, complex and engaging nose. Taste is the citric tart funkiness, very alive, earthy, mineral with layers of flavors and complexity. There is an element of the oak wood are present, as well as a nice bright acetic vinegar character. Just so much going on in this beer, and so beautifully balanced. Finish is quite clean, snappy with brisk sourness. Palate is really alive with natural carbonation, tingly on the tongue and just incredibly satisfying. Certainly a World class beer. Matt, not sure what to say, sharing this with me was just unreal generosity.

Bottle purchased at the Alvinne bottleshop. Pours a cloudy, brownish golden liquid with a white head. Aroma is acidic, fruity and very musty and funky. Taste is rich, acidic, fruity, musty and incredibly well balanced. Some notes of oak and vanilla. A small residual sweetness. A very good and perfectly balanced gueuze.

Tried at PP bottle shop. I think Ryan brought it. Thanks! Cloudy yellow color. Medium lasting, white foamy head. Nice medium sourness. Classic funky Cantillon nose. Mellowed as if aged for some time. Very easy to drink. Very good.

Bottle at PP Carlsbad. Cloudy light orange hue, modest layer of sustaining white head. Nose is full of sweet tartness, light fruits, hints of Bret funk, amazing. Flavor is also solid with tart lactic acid up front with a transition to light fruits, Belgian yeast and Bret in the middle, finishes om the sweet side. Light-med body, medium carbonation, thin texture. A top-line sour with a great acetic-lactic balance, good supporting malts and esters, delicious!!