Bottled in 2008, brewed in 2005: Pours a slightly hazy straw with 1 finger of head that dissipates rather qucikly but lingers on the sides of the glass. Aroma is wonderfully complex apple cider vinager, tropical fruit, cellar character, and Cantillon funk, (once you’ve walked in the brewery its unforgetable). As you get to the middle of the glass the aroma because more and intensly gueuze, lots of leather and cellar character. flavor is just as complex, apples, citrus and specifically lemon. leather as you draw to the finish as well as mustiness with some funk and horst blanket. Nice presense of dryhopping as well. the floral spiciness of styrians fits in well with the sour flavor on the back of the tongue. lean bodied with excellent cabonation. I love this beer, one of the best I’ve ever had.

On handpump at Bruxellensis beer festival, 9/10/06. How I ended up here, I can’t even describe., let’s just say Jan at Cantillon goes above and beyond. So anyway... poured in my brandy new Bruxellensis tasting glass by someone who speaks English (yay says my ignorant, non French speaking self) and tells me this is a dry hopped Gueuze. I shudder with delight! Big huge earthy hoppy aroma that disintegrates into typical Cantillon funkiness. First taste brings upon an onslaught of green leafy bitterness that holds off the barnyard for a few seconds only to succumb to the sour side. So complex, so delightful. Sitting in the sun at a beer festival somewhere just south of Brussels, drinking this nectar and about to embark on a 6 day beer tour. I wanna go back.

750 ml bottle. Deep golden beer that pours perfectly clear. Light spritzy carbonation. Aroma is pure cantillon, leathery, barnyardy aroma with some light cologne. Very vineous nose with a light earthy character. Lighter acidity than is typical for Cantillon. Some pear/apricot fruitiness. In the mouth, the beer is crisp and bracing with soft lactic acidity, cologne and some earthy/spicy hop flavours as well. Much more restrained than most of their other offerings, but with less acidity the backing complexities are on display for all to see. Earthy dryness, perfumy hops with a great balance of acid, Brett and earthiness. Warming brings out even more peachy fruit and the malts are more prominent than in any other lambic I’ve had. First rate stuff. Cuvee de 89 Bottle shared with random American I met at the bar. Pale golden beer, creamy head. Incredible aroma… classical Cantillon sourness, grapefruit/lemon and heavy funkiness and acidity. Apricot and peach with some strong lemony citrus notes. Fruity and fresh. The hops appear to have diminished somewhat, but they do play off the typical fruitiness that Cantillon has. Assertive sourness. 9 4 8 4 17

On tap at Brasserie Beck. ($14 a glass...envious of the folks getting it for $8 in CA). This is stellar: aroma is funky lambic sourness, but also lots of grassy dry-hop aroma. Flavor is pears, citrus, but then lots of herbal hop funk, with sourness coming in towards the end. One of the best things I’ve had to drink in ages.

Perhaps the finiest gueuze iv ever tried? Spontanious weekend 07. Notes say: Less sour than standard canti gueuze, more balanced than a regular gueuze, hints of apple and lemon, perhaps not the most complex of gueuze, but just stupendous, i was gulping this down like there was no tomorrow, outstanding just an amazing alround brilliance in a glass.