Cantillon Cuvée des Champions

Brewed by Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Gueuze
Brussels, Belgium

750 ml bottle, courtesy of the kind and generous golubj. 2008 vintage. Clear gold color with a thin, white head. Tart aroma, with hints of hay, citrus, and light hops. Clean, dry, tart mouthfeel. Mildly sour, with nice fruity undertones. Finish is dry and astringent. Very nice. Thanks again golubj.

rbesg07 grand tasting, bottled. massively sour aroma - garbage juice, acid drops, apple vinegar and sherbet. slightly milder flavour than aroma - hints of rexona, lemon barley lollies, oak. delicious, rasping stuff

Bottled 2008 version. Clear dark gold with a thin but persistent head. Funky tart aromas of cherry, lemon with dry hay and dried drift wood. Mildly tart sour with a prickly mouthfeel throughout. Nice dry wood, tart wheat malt flavors with dry lemon and cherry. Has just a mild aspirin burn in the finish. Very good gueuze.

Bottle. Pours clear dark yellow with a small, fizzy, white head, mostly diminishing with spare lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (hay, straw, meal), average hops (herbs, grass), heavy yeast (horse blanket, barnyard, earth, musty) with notes of grape, green apple, and wood. Light bodied, mineral texture, soft carbonation, and a sour finish. Long duration, light sweetness, heavy acidity and sourness.

Review 500. Brewed in 2005, bottled in January 2008. Poured into a Duvel tulip. Gorgeous translucent gold with a touch of amber. One finger of dense, compact, snow-white head that fades into a partial cap and halo. Thin but solid sheets of lacing. Aroma consists of lemon juice, crabapple, and grapefruit rind. Sour but not really funky. Flavor is similar. Citric acid, big sourness, vinous/chardonnay notes, and an earthy finish that must be from the dry hopping. This beer is medium on the palate with great carbonation. A little sticky but still a pretty good mouthfeel overall.

Bottle, brought by cquiroga to the 2008 Lost Abbey Barrel Tasting Night. Earthy, soily aroma with plenty of oak and lemon citrus. Flavor is tart and citric with less funk than a traditional gueuze due to the lack of the young lambic addition. Bitter, hoppy finish with a grainy and earthy aftertaste, similar to that achieved with Saaz hops in some Belgian ales. Unexpected to taste it here in a gueuze. Smooth oak flavors blend well in the finish as well. Very unique.

Bottle, 75cl corked, at Plan B in Copenhagen. A slightly hazy golden beer with an orange tint. Some carbonation and a minimal white head. Funky, barnyardish nose wth citrusy acidity and some orange. Funky, barnyardish and citric flavor too, with some lemon and orange and an orange peel-like bitterness. Astringent and sour in the mouth with some carbonation. Medium full. Fine bitterness to compete with the sourness in the finish. Really easy to drink, especially considering it’s a Cantillon beer. Quenching and moreish. (080913)

Available on draught at the Bier Circus in Brussels as their house beer. Cloudy yellow/orange appearance with scant white head. Aroma of grapefruit and wet horseblanket. Typical Cantillon sour taste, but with more with lemon and grapefruit. Nice dry finish. This and the Girardin Faro are two good reasons to try this bar if you’re in Brussels.