Tap. Two Thirds Beer Co. Zwanze Day. Mostly clear deep pinky purple. Solid foam of baby pink froth. Loads of bittersweet fresh cherry. Light lactic, yoghurt like twang. Fresh oak. Soft herb and light savoury notes, no doubt down to the Vermouth ingredients that were blended in. Flavour is also bittersweet with a light fruity acidity. Drinks very well overall. Cherries for days. This one edged it for me but they’re both great beers.

This year's Zwanze day brought not one, but two different Zwanze beers to the world's Cantillon community, both flavoured with a herbal liquor normally used to make vermouth, by a French producer; in congruence with the 'bianco' and 'rosso' variants we all know from actual vermouth (think Martini), a 'blanche' was created from pure lambic and this 'rouge' from kriek. I sadly missed the actual Zwanze event this time but found myself lucky enough to try both these 'vermouth lambics' at Cantillon itself two weeks later. Medium thick, tiny-bubbled, pale pinkish, moussey head, lacing in shreds and slowly dissipating over a lightly misty, deep ruby red beer. Aroma of ripe sour cherries and tons of them, cherry juice, ripe elderberries (strong - but not actually present, unless one of the non-disclosed herbs is elderblossom perhaps?), rose buds I guess (one of the actually disclosed ingredients of the liquor!), unsugared fruit yoghurt in general, wet oak wood, hay, lemon juice, grapefruit zest, vermouth 'à la' Martini Rosso but very subtle - the ripe cherries get to shine here and the vermouth element (herbs and other) is notably less obvious in the nose than was the case in its 'white' equivalent. Very crisp onset, bursting with ripe sour cherries, tart but in a juicy, smooth way, again ripe elderberry and also wild blackberry impressions, medium carb with vinous, supple body. Cereally core deeply buried under huge cherry juiciness, tart but nowhere sharply sour, dry-woody with extra tannins from the cherry pits and skins - but the sheer juiciness of the cherries keeps this in check. Yoghurty, lightly funky (damp hay) and woody flashes colour the finish, while the vermouth creeps up silently, bringing this herbal accent but operating more 'backstage' than in the Blanche version. Generally, this feels like a high quality 'oude kriek' by Cantillon with a subtle extra layer of flavour, something herbal and 'added bitter' shoved underneath, making it all the more intriguing in a blind tasting I imagine. Not Cantillon's most accessible creation perhaps - but a wonderful 'kriek' variant in all respects. Maybe its relative 'mysteriousness' in comparison with the Blanche makes it even more interesting - opinions were divided among the tasters present (with most favouring this one); I myself am still out on that question, but in Cantillon's case, this is probably a meaningless one to begin with.

Purplish, just slightly lighter than st lam. This is more vinous and light herbals. Same on palate. Sangria, vinous, the herbs downplayed until the finish, and some nice bitterness.

On tap at Armsby Abbey on Zwanze Day
Hazy brick red color with a thin bubbly white head that is tinted pink and persists. Earthy spicy funky. The cherry melds nicely with the spice in this one super tasty.

Draught Dark pink head, very fast reduced to rim with very fine lace; deep red-purple beer. The pine (as in La Blanche) goes here towards Badedas; plus a real sour cherry aroma, stones and skins included. Superb, out of this world balance between the bitterish, piney vermouth and the fruity cherries. Other red fruit as redcurrant - and the full cherries. Despite all the acids, it feels rather well bodied. Soft carbonation and going towards a - non disturbing - astringency. This is truly an exceptional fruitbeer, even for Cantillon standards. I want more!

On tap at a Moeder Fontainas. Cloudy garnet pour with a funky nose, wormwood?? Sour and maybe not as well balanced as the Blanche currently but with more depth and complexity. Tasty with more cherry , vinegar, and red grape notes. Good body and mouthfeel.