375mL bottle. 2003 bottling of a 2001 brewing. Bottle number 134. Shared with TAR on 7/8/2005.
Aroma has bits of berry pulp, lightly sour at first, with some cider and green apples, and something like cedar tannins. Just a hint of soft, sweet yellow fruitiness on the end, which excites the nose and prompts more desirous sniffing. To the eye, it appears a pale, copper-gold, with some white grapeskin tints. Small, somewhat foamy white head is moderately to poorly retained. Beer is heavily unfiltered and mildly hazy. After sniffing more, I’m getting brett, woody-wet earth and rotting leaves. Pungent, bacterial and funky. Maybe some pears and apples too. Very fine bubbles continuously rise. Starting out, on the palate, I get some light honeyish malt, though the beer is quite dry other than that. Juicy, tart berries, brett and plenty of sour bacteria á la Cantillon. Juicy on the end and quite bursting with flavor. Sourness of the regular Cantillon gueuze, but it passes more rapidly and dosent strip the enamel quite as easily. Light sulphur is easily detectable, more honey and brett tartness mix amongst each other. Mouthfeel begins with very fine, pleasurable bubbles, almost peppery, but easing out and ending somewhat thicker and with decent malt body to it. Overall, the berries provide some flavor, but as the lambic ages, thus the fruit fades and so it is here, though it is by no means gone. Medium to medium-full body overall, relative to style, but it does have a little looseness in the middle. Some wood-like character lingers on with the juicy tartness. Darn good. Thanks again, Juha, this was a real treat!