Cantillon Lou Pepe Pure Kriek

Brewed by Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Brussels, Belgium

On tap at Spuyten Duyvil at their Cantillon & de la Senne event. Pours a deep garnet/ruby color without any head to speak of, just a couple of soda sized bubbles around the edge of the glass. Smells like cherry pie filling with a touch of acid. Nice clean cooked cherry aromas. Thin bodied, but the flavor follows the nose and is absolutely delicious, a nice sour cherry flavor. Finishes with more cherry flavor and a light citric acid. Delicious.

My thanks to ajm for cracking this one open, despite the comments that follow. Pours an interesting pomegranate color with a foamy pink head. Smells absolutely terrible. My God. I can’t believe I drank this beer knowing how bad it smells. Tastes of ruby red grapefruit juice and underripe strawberries. Sours on the finish with an added note of dry wood. Pepe Le Pew.

2004 Bottle, 2006 cork courtesy of SoLan’s ’guess my dinner’ contest. Thanks Alan! Nose, while very foot-filled, is not deeply funky as much as tart. The whole opening was very acerbic for everyone in nose and flav. Once that goes away, waves of strawberry, tart cherry, green apple and vinegar are evident in the taste. This continues endlessly, making this a beer your mouth cannot ’get used to.’ Color is a nice deep but bright red with no lasting head. Solid ticket to get me into the 700 Club.

2002 vintage. Pours a hazy ruby red grapefruit color with a small, foamy, light pink head. A glassy surface emerges in the center as the foam recedes, while scant, wet spots of lace mark the glass randomly. The nose shows a classic Cantillon profile, dusty horseblanket funk overtones alongside dry, citric acidity, tannic cherry skins, and musty, wet cave stones. Grapefruit and apricot are fully detectable, even though cherry is the primary focus. In short, it smells fantastic. As expected, the flavor is strikingly sour and acidic, notes of aged Balasmic vinegar joining the tart kriek and citrus fruit, with more musty horseblanket and earthy, mineral components. Soured, saturated wood, impart a soft, oaky vanilla taste that pairs well with the cherry. Dry, almost parching, puckering, and tingly on the tongue and the back of the throat, each sip begs the next. Like most things Cantillon, this is a standout. Great stuff.

750mL bottle 2001 vintage poured into a tulip. Pours a hazy cherry red with brown hints and a big fluffy pink head that stays on as a cap for the duration. The aroma is initially funky but as it warms the cherries come out a little bit more, more tart than sweet, but definitely there. There is a bit of sugary sweetness in there as well but the funk and acidic vinegar is pretty strong. The taste has the same acidic funkiness as the aroma with a combined tartness from the cherries up front that puckers the lips from the outset. After the initial kick, the sugary sweetness of the cherries makes an appearance along with a bit of brown sugar. But the finish brings back the sourness and funk. The mouthfeel is dry and puckering with good carbonation and medium bodied. Once again, Cantillon has produced a beer that I enjoy but has really kicked up the vinegar sourness to point that it takes over the cherry presence. Still, very good.

firtst lambic evr tried.shocked by the raspberry colour and aroma.enjoyed very much the raspberry and strawberry tastes and the fantastic notes of red wine,medium body,provides a lot of acidity

woah, very sour and shocking.."i can’t open my left eye"-after the first sip... rasperberry colour, low head ring .. . very bold, with a touch of musk, pretty strong stuff .. .my stomach hurts.. .

Bottle shared with NickTheElder at Boho. Poured a hazy dark ruby color with no head. Aroma is lots of cherries, clean and fruity, barrel starts coming out as it warms with a nice funk and some vanilla. Flavor is very tart and delicious! Barely any sweetness but lot’s of fruity notes with a dry red wine like finish. Prickly on the palate and medium bodied. Way too easy to drink!