L'Eclat
Brasserie Cantillon in Brussels, Brussels Capital Region, Belgium π§πͺ
Lambic Style - Gueuze Regular|
Score
7.25
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In October 2020, just after the first COVID lockdown, Alexandre from The Vine, started a new wine bar in a Hotel in Brussels 'zoom'. He wanted to have his own beer over there. He bought some Timorasso grapes from "I Carpini" and started to do Fermentation and Maceration in his own kitchen. He selected grapes berry by berry, because they got damaged during transport and some were too far gone for proper fermentation. He had to throw away 2/3rd of the grapes. But what remained was beautiful.
10 days maceration with 3 times daily gentle punchdowns, the alcohol had about 8% Alc. He will pressed the grapes at Dappersveld / Bruut winery and talked with Jean from "Brasserie Cantillon" if he would be interested to help him to make a beer with his lambic. The plan was to do this tiny project and use a few dame-jeanes, but when he arrived early in the morning with a little hangover from the night before, Jean told him to go and look if there is a barrel that was empty. His joy was so immense when he saw a barrel of 400L and Jean agreed to fill that barrel with 2yo Lambic, the skins, the lies and the still fermenting grape must of the Timorasso.
A week or so later, Brussels government decided that Brussels had to go in a 2nd COVID Lockdown a few weeks before it became national. The wine bar project was canceled and the beer aged further at Cantillon's cellar until the end of the lockdown in 2021. They decided to keep the beers and aged them for a while, till they find beer is ok.
10 days maceration with 3 times daily gentle punchdowns, the alcohol had about 8% Alc. He will pressed the grapes at Dappersveld / Bruut winery and talked with Jean from "Brasserie Cantillon" if he would be interested to help him to make a beer with his lambic. The plan was to do this tiny project and use a few dame-jeanes, but when he arrived early in the morning with a little hangover from the night before, Jean told him to go and look if there is a barrel that was empty. His joy was so immense when he saw a barrel of 400L and Jean agreed to fill that barrel with 2yo Lambic, the skins, the lies and the still fermenting grape must of the Timorasso.
A week or so later, Brussels government decided that Brussels had to go in a 2nd COVID Lockdown a few weeks before it became national. The wine bar project was canceled and the beer aged further at Cantillon's cellar until the end of the lockdown in 2021. They decided to keep the beers and aged them for a while, till they find beer is ok.
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7.9/10
β
Appearance 9
Aroma 8
Flavor 7.5
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle enjoyed at Schloss Von Bishop. Clear golden pour with a white head. Cork blew out big time. Copious amounts of apple cider vinegar wafting from the bottle. Hints of apricot in the background. . Itβs a sour bomb with loads of acidity. Taste is overwhelmingly apple sifter vinegar and stone fruits. The expected barrel, and vinous notes are nowhere to be found. Itβs tasty but a bit unbalanced and lacking depth and structure. Perhaps a few years in the bottle will help. Side note, it did the tartness and acidity did mellow after some time in the glass. Also, the stone fruit and apricot notes started to come through more.
Tried
from Bottle
on 26 Jul 2026
at 13:50
8.3/10
β
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8.5
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle thanks to Billy T. It pours hazy pale orange with a thick, fluffy white head. The aroma is musty, funky, barnyard, sweaty, damp cloth, vinous, white wine, sherbet, lemon - lime, sweaty, piss and damp oak. The taste is crisp, dry, snappy, puckering, zingy, minerality, sweet - sour, white wine, gooseberry, sherbet, zingy, sherbet, white wine, lemon - lime, nip of acidity and dry oak with drying finish. Medium body and moderate carbonation. Lovely stuff. Bright.
Tried
from Bottle
on 13 Jun 2026
at 15:44