Cantillon Goldackerl Gueuze

Pours a hazy orange color with no head. Weird aroma of sulphur, fruits, wild yeast and candle wax. The flavor is very citric, it’s also sour and lactic, the alcohol is well hidden.

This is a weird beast for which expectations could only be very high. Headless golden, veiled and opaque. Either in a weird phase of its evolution or a less extraordinary bottle, but you could not say that this smelled nice. A most phenolic and sulphury offering proposing a strong wax component in the nose while the nobly rotted grapes procure little sensation besides a mild honeyed and juicy touch that is only perceived once the beer is in mouth. Some apple skin and lime wedge can also be noticed in the nose, but nothing too charming. In mouth, it becomes more interesting as the complementary nature of the strong, but mellow for Cantillon sourness manages to balance the initial sweetness. Rather full-bodied. Becoming drier and woodier towards the finish, but altogether not as complex as most lambics worthy of the name.

In short: Smelly, rough and dry bizarre lambic. Overpriced.
How: Montreal-crew sour-beer tasting. Bottle ($$$) shipped from Europe ($$$) by Rastacouere and shared with 4 other disappointed suckers that will remain nameless.
The look: Cloudy dark blonde body with almost no head.
In long: Nasty nose of cigarette butch mixed in with dried tropical fruits. Taste offers some sourness and a lot of dryness. Highly mouth-drying but not very tart. Rough sandy acidity. Lime and sand paper. Sometimes I was reminded of a good old tequila-lime-salt trio. Light fruity notes of dried apples and grapefruits. Alcohol is very well hidden. Me and four friends paid almost $200 for that bottle (including shipping from Europe). Ouch! Talk about a letdown. And to think I paid $40 for little glass of this stuff… For that price I could have both a 750ml bottle of the excellent regular Cantillon Gueuze and 15 pairs of oven mitts. Then I could have slowly enjoyed my 750ml of Gueuze while wondering what the fuck I was thinking when I bought 15 pairs of oven mitts.

My Bottom Line:
An offputting, heavily waxy nose takes away most of the enjoyment from the otherwise complex interplay of pink grapefruit, white grapes, flowers and honeydew in the flavor profile. Its sour trail is long and satisfying, but sometimes reaches vinegar.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A ring of foam circles the misty beige.
-Salted crackers appear within the wax; unscented candles smell better.
-Alcohol is very well hidden.
-Its body is plump, but of course its ending sourness eases you into the next sip.
-Needless to say, paying that much for an off bottle is disappointing.

Bottle; 2005 vintage; thx for all your trouble, David!!

i am grateful to have been introduced to this wonderful brew by a new aquaintance.it cleary is an interesting quaf that i will honor by developing my sensitivity. so classic with fruit and an interestingly sour taste and quality sweetness. also a quality carbonation and mouthfeel that transcends the normal legacy of beer. the PUNGENT sourness is a contrast that invokes thought. are we not fortunate that it is not -just drinking beer?!!