Cantillon's contribution to the BXL Beerfest 2018 (and 2019) specialty pack, a take on their old and classic Bruocsella Grand Cru (with the original Bruocsella label), which at the time of its release in the eighties was the only bottled unblended lambic around, something I have fond memories of. This one differs in being not just one single unblended (old) lambic like the regular one, but a blend of two old lambics, causing some refermentation in the bottle; I therefore waited to open this bottle for a long time, allowing this refermentation to spontaneously and silently develop further - which turned out to be a good idea... Bottle straight from BXL Beerfest 2019, shared with Goedele. Medium thick, snow white, regularly shaped, mousy head, slowly thinning and eventually dissolving, over a lightly hazy, warm apricot blonde beer with thin and disparate, yet unmistakable 'groups' of sparkles here and there; shifts to an equal peach-hued mistiness as more of the bottle is emptied into the glass. Pungent aroma of unripe green plums, wild apples, dusty 'hayloft', grass silage, bitter berry seeds, sherry vinegar, lemonbalm in an old herbarium, old wooden furniture, hints of Angostura bitter, minerals, old oloroso, pickled lemon, floor polish, bitter orange, farmland, oaky 'vanilla', dandelion, horse chestnut husks. Sour onset, lively lactic acidity from the start with a tangy lemony edge, a bit puckering at first, but 'noble' and well-contained rather than agressive or even frivolous; lots of fruity esters, green gooseberry, bilimbi and unripe grape positioned against strong unripe stonefruit wryness; softly tingling carbonation, pleasant and lifting up the flavours. Supple bread-crusty malt body dried by this firm 'stream' of lactic tartness and sharper green fruit-like acidity, gaining more depth as it goes, towards a rich finish with very pronounced oaky tannins (not unlike actually biting into a piece of oak wood), deep and robust lactic tartness and very old dry sherry-like nobility. A 'deep' but actually quite firm, dark green leaf-like 'old hop' bitterness adds further profundity and complexity. This may have been a hype when it was sold at BXL Beerfest - and in fact the very cause of these specialty packs selling like crazy when released via social media since nobody (wrongfully!) seemed to care about the five other bottles from various breweries included in those packs - but I find it to be well worth it. I would never pay hundreds of dollars or euros on the second hand market to obtain a bottle, but since I got one anyway, I was admittedly a happy man being able to enjoy it: this bottling fully displays the potential of Cantillon's lambic at a more advanced age, with a profound, noble and opulent character 'revived' by the refermentation and resulting effervescence, adding elegance and 'souplesse'. Less effervescent than a geuze, of course, and not intended as such to begin with, but I do think the refermentation did this blend good - resulting in a very radiant lambic, pure, robust and gracious at the same time. What a treat - I sincerely hope this one will be in this year's BXL Beerfest pack again, if the event can of course be held at all, considering the pandemic crisis we are all in right now. Cantillon at its purest, this beats the regular Bruocsella for me.

Bottle at Maakun’s. Clear golden with no head. Sweet cheesy Cantillon funk. Grainy deep sweaty, oak, grapey lambic with light carbonation. Really nice and dense. --- Beer merged from original tick of Grand Cru Bruocsella Brut (2014) on 04 Apr 2020 at 20:57 - Score: 8. Original review text: Clear golden with no head. Sweet cheesy Cantillon funk. Grainy deep sweaty, oak, grapey lambic with light carbonation. Really nice and dense. --- Beer merged from original tick of Grand Cru Bruocsella Brut (2018) on 04 Apr 2020 at 20:57 - Score: 8. Original review text: (2014) --- Beer merged from original tick of Grand Cru Bruocsella Brut (2018) on 04 Apr 2020 at 20:57 - Score: 8. Original review text: (2014)

Bottle shared at bd party at home. Clear golden with fizzy white head that doesn't last long. Light funk, oak, light herbal, lemon, lime, soft yoghurt. Medium sour and under medium sweet. Light bitter. Medium bodied with light carbonation. Really good.

Clear golden with a small white head. Aroma of cellar funk, oak, citrus, yoghurt and mineral notes. Flavour is light moderate sour. Medium bodied with soft carbonation.

Bottle @ OBD post share thanks to Brian! Pours lightly hazy golden with a small tiny head. Notes of cheese, light funk, citrus, oranges, light soapy.

4.4