Cantillon Lou Pepe Pure Kriek

Brewed by Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Brussels, Belgium

deep Burgandy red ... big fruity cherry nose ... sweet sweet fruit ... lots of cherry ... low sourness ... refreshing.

Dark purple body leaves no lacing, a brief creamy pink head. Aroma is tart cherry, sweet sugary with a slight earthy dusty funk. Flavor has strong fruity tartness, a dry puckering sour, cherry, and deliciousness. Palate is a strong dry sour. Awesome.

BPW #10 Sampled from 750 mL bottle of the 2004 vintage (bottled in 2006) courtesy of Andy. This elixir poured a strawberry red tone with some nice retreating bubbles. Nose is full of Brett funk, barnyard, and some barrel notes. Flavors follow the nose closely with the barnyard intensity growing every sip and puckering the mouth. The mouth is well carbonated and becomes chalky at times. A real nice brew, although it wrecked havoc on my stomach in the morning.

Have had this a few times over the years but this rating is for a particular 2003. bottle shared by JB I think, thanks. So this was bottled in 2005 and thus 4 years old in the bottle. Pours a beautiful deep ruby red color, small and bubbly but long lasting head. Thick beer, cannot see through it. This Lou Pepe is very different from most of the Cantillon lineup. Its just not so "Cantillon" with the crazy sourness and lemony bretty. Instead there is a spicy cherry with a cherry pie crust thickness. And of course lambic cobwebs are abound on the nose. Its is nice to have these two characters in harmony. The cherry is a lot more tart in the flavor. This allows the barnyard and cobweb characteristics to really shine as well. All this sits on your palate for a long time. I mean I feel like it would sit around for an hour.
750mL, Duvel tasting glass.

Dan’s Bachelor Party Extended Weekend Rating #9 of 90. Brewed 2004, bottled 2006, shared with Dan and friends. Pours into wine glass a brownish red. Strong sour funk leaps from the glass along with some red fruits (honorable mention to JT and Nolan for saying this smells like cat food...do you smell it?). From the first sip to the last this has a sharp sour bite, funk, and piercing bite on the tongue. Either you dig it or you don’t...I dig it! Leaves your mouth wanting more.

2003 750 ml bottle I bought a couple years ago from Plaza Liquors - Pours a hazy reddish-brown color with a 3/4 finger thick light pink head. Nice lacing. Aroma is tart esters. Flavor is tart cherries and lemon. The sourness really lingers. Medium body. A decent beer. Just wish I didn’t have to drink the whole bottle myself.

’06 bottle pours very minor pink ring for a head atop an unbelievable ruby color, just bursting and vibrant to the eye. Loads of leather and hay along with strong cherry, confirms the unbelievable eye. It would actually benefit from turning the brett down a notch as it ends up imparting a latex note. Tart flavor, singularly driven from on high with cherry so deep that you can dive into it. Odd finish, rather watery but also with hints of lactic lemon that linger. Love the cherry. The rest is hit or miss.

Few vintages sampled. I seem to like them all. Lots of nice cherry and sour funk. Tons of acidity and very puckering. Prickly on the tongue and really quite sour. A little wood and sour cherry finish this one. Fun.