Cantillon Framboise

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

On tap at Brouwer’s for Sour Fest. Pours a flat but super red color. No head. Acerbic sourness, really puckering. Raspberry is a quite prevalent as well.

1979 vintage found at one of the bars in Belgium, didn’t write down which. Pours a reddish color hints of an almost pink... with a whisp of head, not much left of it anymore. Bitter fruits dominate the aroma still leathers and wood are biggest a bit of wet blanket and a bit of tart apple skin maybe. Full well coated and quite tart palate. Very mellowed and well blended flavor, I’m guessing this came from age.. kept the tart from being to over the top while it was still a kick, I still think bitter green apple skin a definate wood and dry finish on the tongue, notes of leathers and some acidic pieces that make me think this is about to become to old... this stuff was very good though.

On tap @ Hamilton’s Tavern San Diego. Pours a lite pinkish purple color, with a fizzy soda like head. This has a lot of sweet and sour flavors going on, but mostly overly tart and sour, with a little bit of fruit lying just under the surface. Some flower scents in the aroma, with fruity woody notes in the aftertaste.

On tap at Hamiltons. Ruby red color with almost no head. Big raspberry and slightly sour apple aroma. Tart raspberry taste with a crispness to the finish.

Bottle @ Heeren van Liedekercke, Denderleeuw, Belgium. [Vintage 1988]. Clear medium orange color with a small, fizzy, fair lacing, fully diminishing, off-white head. Aroma is moderate to light heavy, wood, sour, vinegar, tart, raspberry, vintage, lovely aroma. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet, light to moderate bitter, sour with a long duration, and a dry finish. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. ;o)) (290208)

Considering the style, Scores ranging from 1 to 5, 5 being the most intense
Appearance:
Body:   Clear(1)->Murky(5) : 3     Pale Yellow(1)->Copper(5) : 4     Still(1)->Volcanic Sparkling(5) : 2
Head:   None(1)->Large(5) : 2     Lasting: 1     Lacing : 2
Aroma:
Intensity : 4  
Yeast : 5   Bread : XX   Dough : XX   Esters : 2   Phenols : XX   Dusty : 4   Spicy : XX   Apple : 2   Banana : XX   Tropical Fruits : XX   Brett : 3   Barnyard : 3   Leather : 4   Wood : 4   Vinous : 5   Cheese : XX   DMS : XX   Diacetyl : XX Sulfur : XX
Malt : 2   Pilsner : XX   Pale : XX   Vienna : XX   Biscuity : XX   Toasty : XX   Hay : XX   Caramel : XX   Honey : XX   Cereals : 1   Grainy : XX   Wheat : 3
Hops : 1   Noble(1)->American(5) : 1   Leafy : 2   Perfume : XX   Orange : XX   Floral : XX   Lemon/Lime : XX   Herbal : XX   Grassy : XX   Piney : XX
Notes : Pepper : XX   Cloves : XX   Coriander : XX   Ginger : XX   Orange : 2   Earth : XX   Vanilla : XX   Oxidation : 2   Bubblegum : XX
Flavor:
Initial Flavor : Dry(1)->Sweet(5) : 2   Finish Dry(1)->Sweet(5) : 1   Sourness : 3   Acetic : 2   Lactic : 3   Bitterness : XX   Farmy : 3   Complex : 3   Length : 4
Palate:
Light(1)->Full(5) : 4   Flat(1)->Fizzy(5) : 3   Clean : XX   Sharp : XX   Watery : XX   Oily : XX   Chalk : XX   Astringent : XX   Alcohol : XX   Mineral : XX

Comments: A 1986 vintage: fully yeasty, musty, cellary lambic with softened fruits, leather and barnyardy tones. Still sharply citric, grapefruity more than anything else and has grown quite oaky which has overtaken the fruit a bit. No juiciness left and assumingly not as lip-smackingly sour as it once was. Still quite fresh though, but more in a vinous way and remarkably full bodied at that. A tender beast.

A Mes rate: 1988 37.5cl bottle at DHVL.
As soon as this landed on the table in its basket and a generous portion poured into a beautiful etched Cantillon flute, I knew this was going to be special. The label was just starting to give way to biodegradation and obviously the bottle was very dusty. Mid afternoon autumn light was peeking through the windows, Ruud was starting to prepare me a steak in Roquefort and Rochefort sauce and once I started sniffing at this stuff, pretty much everything was perfect. This is utterly superb. Obviously quality aged lambic is generally a good thing but this seemed to be hitting the sweet spot right on the button. I watched Joost pour this from the other side of the bar and it looked nothing short of stunning with the light hitting the glass. Dark amber with a beautiful red hue and a thin white rim of bubbles. It’s an easy 5. Heavy, tart, seedy framboise on the nose but dig deeper and there are notes of sherry, strawberry, faint alcohol, wheat and spice. It’s a wonderfully warm and comforting smell. Surprisingly full in the mouth, like a jam roly poly. Sweet, tart, dry, tangy and surprisingly spritely for its age. It really is all over the place. Absolutely amazing. Zips round the mouth and wakes the taste buds banging a wooden spoon on the bottom of a saucepan. Finishes like thick strawberry jam on white bread, topped with fresh, yes still fresh, raspberries. Utterly sublime mouthfeel. Dry and sweet are balanced so perfectly it really is hard to describe. Clearly one of the best beers I have ever or will ever try and a shining example of what an incredible cellar Joost keeps.

Bottled, 750ml, many thanks to Mike on the opening night of our holiday. Brown pink with pinkish head. This was such a surprise and I have to own up to not being a fruit beer fan, it was sharp, acidic, definitely raspberry although with a grapefruit sourness. Enjoyable without being highly drinkable, yeasty background, very mixed raections really.