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11-16-2008
2004 batch, bottled 2006. Served at 55º.

Poured into a Cantillon tasting glass, and a Boon Geuze tumbler simultaneously. In the tumbler there was a creamy cap of white foam, with a nice lively surface. I ended up decanting from the larger glass into the smaller one, producing two fingers of foam. Brilliant amber tone with very high clarity. Visible carbonation trails rise through the liquid.

Let this one breathe a little after pulling the cork. As it comes to room temperature, it has notes of musty oak, wildflower compost, wet hay, lemon zest, and spicy tamarind. Mild citric sourness in the taste, immediately seems much mellower than the Classic Gueuze. Long, dry tannic oak finish. Notes of hay, lemon, orange peel, and cheese. Velvety carbonation that gives it effervescence and incredible lightness.

This was a birthday present, so i'll be savoring the 750 all to myself ;D

Served In: Wine Glass

Bottled 2001, Sampled January 2004
Pours a semi-hazy gold color and is topped by a white head. Sour citrus aromas emanate immediately from my glass. These aromas are accompanied by notes of musty mushrooms and urea. A very tart first sip; my lips pucker and it feels like my cheeks have turned inside out. Ah yes this is going to be a good Cantillon offering.

Fairly low carbonation for a Gueuze, though strictly speaking this is not one, as it only has three year old Lambic in it. This is quite lemony and not as funky as some Lambic derivations. The brettanomyces character is pretty subdued, but there are definite musty-leathery notes here. A bit of vinegar adds to the acidity. The beer finishes with a slight tannic astringency, which seems fairly typical. My only complaint is that perhaps this bottle could have used a bit more complexity. The good/ variable thing about Lambic is that the next bottle is likely to be quite a bit different, so perhaps my complexity is hidden in the next bottle.

Served In: Tulip

preferred the Vigneronne to this, but this was definitely not bad. Hazy golden pour with a small white head. Aroma of citrus with some barnyard characteristics as well. Tart flavor with some light fruit and the citrus again.

Served In: Pint Glass

Originally reviewed 09/19/06

Bought at Blue Max. 2001 vintage. Poured into flute.

A - Poured a hazy apricot color. Two finger white head that stayed for the ride.

S - Yeast dominates the nose. My dad didn't want to try it after smelling it. Sweet and fruity underneath.

T - Man did this one taste different than it smelled. As my dad said, "are you sure that is the same beer I smelled?". Sweet and fruity up front. Lemony citrus flavor that is very nice. Works into a nice tart sourness.

D - Light bodied with tickling carbonation. Just right for the style.

M - I had absolutely no problem knocking out the 750ml bottle and could have had more. Great beer. I am going to have to go pick up another couple bottles of this for the cellar.

Served In: Pint Glass

Overall, this is still a very good sour beer. But it sure as heck has changed in the +/- one year I've cellared it since my first taste of it. First off, the overwhelming almost tongue-coating sourness of the beer has mellowed almost to a whisper. It's still sour, but more of a very mild grapefruit sour than anything else. You know that sour taste that lingers just a little while after you eat a bite of a ruby red grapefruit? That's the sour taste this one has now. Before, the sourness rivaled any RRBC sour beer for tartness. No longer with a few years of age on it. They claim this bottle can age 20+ years on the back label. I have a few more of these, so I might just see if they are correct in that statement. But so far, the taste has changed significantly, and I've aged it in my cellar wine storage fridge. So I know it's been taken care of. This should be one interesting bottle with another few years of age on it.

Served In: Tulip