Cantillon Saint Lamvinus

Brewed by Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Brussels, Belgium

Draft at Capone’s. Cloudy red color. Good lacing. Aroma is vinous, musty with some barnyard. Flavor is very vinous. Medium body. Funky good.

Draft, Max’s 3rd Annual Belgian Beer Festival. Hazy, ruby-red color; white head with fine-bubbled lacing. Funky, viscous nose; showing horseblanket and tart red fruits. Medium-to-full, tart mouthfeel: tart cherries, horseblanket; plenty of funk and red fruits. Medium, tart cherry and citrus finish.

Hazey, maroonish-red body with a small pink head. The flavor is horseblanket, cheese, very funky and raspberries. The flavor is raspberries, yogurt, lemon and lots of bright lactic acid. Medium body is soft and round with a long tart finish. Superb.

Bottle. Small and quickly disappearing pink head. Hazy dark red body. Acidic fruity aroma. Flavor first sharp grapefruit later plums and raisin. Long and astonishingly sweet aftertaste. Pleasant surprise.

Very cloudy dark orage with a large head, good lacing and retention. Aroma is lemony with barnyard action, tartness, caramel, wood, some wine characteristis. Medium body with a tart finsih. Enjoyable with a huge complexity.

Saint Lamvinus had long lurked in the shadows of my cellar, creeping out of its lambic corner from time to time, titillating but never convincing as I remained impervious to its charm, waiting for time work its metamorphosing dexterity. Finally on a winter eve, it was uncorked and of its bright cardinal body spewed a bubbly white foam. Cherry appeared strongly upon the nose alongside Cantillon’s classic sourness and a woody complexity. Sweet tonalities of white wine, brown sugar and raisin accompanied the delicate balance of vanilla and raspberry, along with a slightly cheesy note. Flowing organically onto the palate, it seemed the nose was reflected with accented sourness, red currant, white pepper and the slightest hint of grape. The rubbery and somewhat unpleasant acerbity that I often associate with Cantillon was present again, which combined with the surprisingly minimal vinous aspect felt rather underwhelming. The long sticky and fruity sour aftertaste is vaguely redeeming but I found that I would much rather a simple bottle of Cantillon’s Kriek than go through the trouble of acquiring and caring for such an esoteric yet uninspiring bottle.

on tap at maproom. pours red with almost no head. aroma is always tough to get at the smokey maproom but got some vinegar, grape, and some funk. taste is something special. pretty tart but not overly sour, has some mild very pleasant sweetness too, fruity notes of grapes, raspberries, and subtle sour cherries. also has some earthy and funk tones. finishes very dry. amazing stuff.4.2.

2/19/07, on tap at the maproom. this is actually one of the more mellower (sour and acidity wise) cantillon. picked up a bighter winey grape sour nose this time thanks to the anti-smoking law. the grapes and wine notes are integrated wonderfully. i could have used some more sourness because it tends to fall off the palate a little quick. still a wonderful fruit lambic but no blueberry cantillon. 4.1.

[In the summerhouse of Fjerritslev after 180 km on bike in 2005.] This brew was my very fist Cantillon and maybe it was also one of the first I could not drink totally finish. Now times has changed and I’m sure that it will not happen today. But it was so sour that my nose almost turned 100 around its own bone and with the hole family looking at me I had to swallow it, not to loose face. After two hours I only poured a little in the sink....and it was my most expensive beer until that. I have highrated it a little bit, because now Cantillon is one of my favorites. If I should drink it again it will be more than 4.0!!!