Draught, 6% at L'Ermitage Saint-Gilles. Roasted and citric aroma. Black colour. Small light brown head. The flavour is citric, funky, roasted with a good fruity hoppiness. Works fairly well even though I usually do not like sour black beers.

The first emanation of a new ‘little side project’ by Cantillon’s Jean Van Roy, a project called “Brasserie des 4 Vents”, in which Cantillon lambic is used in combination with wort of other breweries’ beers. There has been a first attempt already with Zinnebîr wort from de la Senne and this is the second, with Noire du Midi wort from Nanobrasserie de l’Ermitage; this blend, containing 20% old Cantillon lambic, has then refermented and matured in wooden casks for 9 months. Tasted from tap at Ermitage’s premises during the launch, not coincidentally on Zwanze Day. Bubbly, open, large-bubbled, yellowish beige ring, disappearing quite quickly, black robe with hazy ochre-brown edges. Aroma of cold black coffee and coffee grounds, caramel, cold tea, old sweat, dry red wine, soaking wet old wood, sweet ripe blackberries, walnut, sherry vinegar, dead tree leaves on a damp forest floor. Fruity-estery onset, blackberry, sour cherry, red apple, fizzy but refined carbonation, full body; nutty maltiness with bitter toasted edge, going into coffeeish roastedness towards the end with an ongoing drying sour effect, lingering ‘dark sour’ fruitiness, woody tannins and lots of yeasty earthiness, a bit ‘dirty’ and tangy in the end with lingering leafy and berry-like impressions. Conceptually comparable with Ermitage’s Chai V.2 but it is very clear that in this case, the wort of Noire du Midi was used and has given the time to ferment and mature together with the lambic; where in Chai V.2 I still had the feeling that it was a blend of two distinct beers that did not match very well, in this one the – very different – basic character of both has become beautifully intertwined; both form one inseparable whole, with much more balance and ‘peace’ within. The flavours are blended here, and blended in a very interesting, tasteful way. Curious to see which other gems this new project will spawn.