Cantillon Rosé De Gambrinus

Brewed by Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Brussels, Belgium

Hazy pour, the deep pink-orange color of ruby red grapefruit juice. Tiny bubbly white head. Complex nose is almost as lemony as raspberry, with barnyard aromas kicking in and some vinegary/metallic hints. Still fruit essence at heart. An eye-opener just from the smell alone. Sourness hits the tongue immediately, then it gets fruity. Lemon, white grapefruit, raspberry and cherry on the tongue as well as the acetic vinegar notes. Quite tart. Crisp finish, and surprisingly flavorful to be so dry. The most sour beer I’ve tasted.

37.5cl bottle at home: Cherry (Kool-Aid) juice red with a thin, and quickly disappearing, Barbie pink head. Nose of light red fruits and berries underneath a nice earthy and barnyardy funk. Some great fresh squeezed lemon juice keeping the fruity notes alive. Everyonce in a while there is just a hint of something almost bubble-gummy. A little bit of acid (somewhat gastric) and some metallic notes round out the funk. The tongue is at first confused whether it picks up citrus, tart red fruits, or vinegar first. Then it settles into a nice citrus blend before moving on into a strangely smooth, but present, vinegar. Never becoming too harsh (unless this is your first Lambic) but clearly staying in the realm of refreshing sour. Finish is of fresh lively lemons with just a drop of red-wine. Very refreshing sour. Would be best on a hot summer day.

it dealt does look like Spanish onion skin. Nice and dry with only the essence of fruit. The halmark sournites are of course pressent. The nose is Raz but under ripe and on the vine. Pinpoint head and matching carb. This is like a bucket of cod water on drunk taste buds.

(Bottle) Poured a pink color with a fizzy white head. Light aroma of raspberry, and even some citrus. Complex taste primarily consisted of under-ripe raspberry, cherry, and dry tart apples. As it warmed, more lambic notes dominated the flavor and the finish. Not quite as sour as their Kriek, but it’s pretty close.

Has a strong, sharp, tart taste. Ruby red grapefruit color, visible fizz, looks great in a flute. Very thin and declining head. The mouthfeel is dominated by the fizz and sharp taste. Vinegary, tart, sour, and very dry, but the finish always cleans off really nicely with raspberries. I’ve generally had it when it’s younger, so it retains the fruit aspects. Would work well before dinner. I think it makes a big difference if you let it sit for 20-30 minutes and let it warm/open up a bit; too cold, it won’t be the same.

Foam Rangers tasting. 2003 bottle. Cloudy red pour. Awesome nose of tart sour cherries with some raspberries. Flavor is just the same, but mix in a wonderful effervescence and great drying finish and you’ve made one hell of a lambic.

Why on earth is there a monkey (?) on the corny label erotique?!! Very well, perhaps the Lambic fumes inspires to such weirdo "artistry", or perhaps my eyes are mistaken... The beer however is bottled 2005 (sampled 2008) an has a hazy dark orange glow with a quickly declining head. It has an acid and sour aroma, like iron, iodine and raspberry. The flavour is extremely sour with absolutely no reminiscents of raspberries to begin with, but instead with an overpowering taste of vinegar, lemon, aronia and grape. It hits you right where it hurts, and only hardcore lambic-fans survive this one. However, when you get over the initial shock, the flavour undfolds beautifully: champagne-like, dry as hell, with a bit of oak, cherry and raspberry-stones. It’s extreme allright, but at the same time wonderfully complex and thrilling!

Non ho moltissima voglia di dilungarmi ed è un peccato; l’ho assaggiata 3 giorni fa e l’avevo comprata al Duca (costa meno che dal beershop un po’ ladro dove mi rifornisco a volte). Straordinaria, comunque, come molti dei prodotti Cantillon; sto cominciando a diventare un po’ un aficionado anche me.