8.8

Appearance - 9 | Aroma - 8.5 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 9 | Overall - 8.5

Bottle shared with dédé. Nice clear ruby to purple. Massive grapes, soft funk, yoghurt, wheat. Jammy and fruity and soft Cantillon light sour lambic. Lovely as always.

8.1

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8.5 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

One of the meanwhile countless variations on grape lambic by Cantillon, the great pioneer in grape lambics, experimenting with the concept since the seventies (though I recall reading somewhere that Timmermans already tried similar things in the sixties but abandoned the idea); apparently there are historical references to grape lambics being produced in the 19th century especially in the Hoeilaart region, which is what Cantillon's original grape lambic, Vigneronne, was inspired by. Anyway, this one uses not entire grapes but pomace, from the renowned Italian Barbera variety, grown primarily in the Piemonte region. Thanks to Bart for putting this on the Proevertjesdag menu! Moussey, pinkish-tinged off-white, thinnish and opening head on a clear vermillion robe with bronze-ish tinge - clearly this is one made with blue grapes. Aroma of indeed lots of blue grapes but sour ones, grape skins and seeds, redcurrant, rosehip, wood sorrel, oxidized old rosé wine, purple gooseberry, kefir, old oak, bergamot oil, dry hay. Lively fruity onset, lots of tart but juicy 'grapeyness', red plum and redcurrant notes, lively carbonated with supple yet full, vinous mouthfeel; grainy core under very fruity lactic acidity paired with actual pomace acidity and fruitiness, against an increasingly tannic background of wood and grape seeds. Red grape flavours abound in the finish, making for a very colourful ending, reminiscent of very dry rosé wine and unsugared red fruit juices - but always with hayish funkiness and tannic woodiness filling the gaps. Balanced, highly sophisticated drink - this is Cantillon at full strength, and as is the case with the Sophia we had the same evening, a demonstration of just how much bright fruitiness can be pulled out of pomace alone. Impressive.

8.3

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Cantillon's amphora-aged grape lambic - or rather, pomace lambic, as only pomace from Greco grapes was used; became an instant classic upon its release and I am absolutely certain that I had it at that time, so I wonder why my rating was not imported from Ratebeer to here like all those others. This is also worrying because who knows what else went lost in the translation from one site to the other... Anyway, thanks to Bart, I got a second chance at rating this one so big cheers to that. Snow white, medium thick, moussey, opening and thinning head on an initially clear, warm yellow-golden blonde robe, turning a bit 'milky' with sediment. Aroma of green apple, unripe green grape and grape skin, wine gums somewhere, sourdough, whitecurrant, baked clay from the amphorae, lemon blossom, lime zest, raw quince, river sand, minerals, pickled apricots and an odd touch of entirely green banana. Tart onset packed with fruitiness, very refined in every respect, bringing associations with green apple slices and sour whitecurrants but also hard pear and white grape; medium carb, yoghurty lactic acidity running through a wheaty, supple grain core, vinous in mouthfeel with a pronounced underlying minerality - again that clay-like amphora thing returning. Minerally, tart-fruity, very vinous, complex finish - no wood indeed, but still every bit as layered as any 'normal' wood-aged fruit lambic. Utterly fruity in a supposedly restrained way - paradoxically perhaps, but Cantillon knows how to bring out tons of fruitiness from just pomace, a talent I have praised Tilquin for on certain occasions as well. I think I still prefer the warmth and 'organic' feel of wood, but the amphora effect could not have been more sophisticated than in this beautiful gem.

8

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Clear golden with a white head. Floral, lightly funky, peppery, rosemary, thyme, and some barnyard bites. Some citrus pops in the finish along with lingering herbs. Bright throughout. Really lovely pour. (Bottled June 2024)

9

Bottle 2023 vintage @ Café Pardaf. Amazingly smooth lambic with mild funk, perfectly balanced acidity, slightly sweet and some pepper in perfect balance with the beer itself. Fine balanced body as well, with a long lasting, smooth and pleasant aftertaste. This was really nice and quite original.

8

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Orange body, with a medium head.
Aroma of citrus, stone fruits, rustic, almost sweaty funk. Tastes similar, with more fruits.
Medium mouthfeel, with an average carbonation. Finishes smooth, funky, moderate acidic, citric.

Lovely, while not my favourite vintage, missing a bit more complexity. Still really interesting, with very rustic funk notes that I like a lot.

7.4

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7.5

Bottle, 2025. Bottled 17th of June 20125. Color: Clear golden, white head. Aroma: Earthy, funky, fruity rhubarb. Taste: Moderate tart, earthy, a little sweetness. Earthy, fruity rhubarb. Subtle funk, fruity rhubarb, notes of tart and sweet grapes and berries. Earthy, minerals. A bit thin, still too young? Below average carbonation. Far less complex than previous years I've had. Ok overall. Note to myself: Keep the second bottle in the cellar as long as possible...

7.1

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7

750mL bottle, pours a clear bright dark orange with a small white head. Aroma brings out has lots of leathery funky, light citrus, and some champagne-like effervescence. Flavour has earthy funk, light champagne-like effervescence, some leathery notes, and a touch of sweaty notes. Not the most invigorating of funk characters, but there’s some nice leathery notes. Good—and slightly better than regular GCB, though I don’t see much connection—but far from Cantillon’s best.

7.5

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7.5

0,75l bottle at home. yellow clear color, small white head. smells funky, earthy, oak, spices, bit lactic. Nice to very nice smell. full body, soft carbonation. tastes funky, earthy, citric, herbal, oak, walnuts, peppery. finishes lightly dry and light to medium sour with notes of walnuts, peppery and spices. Nice to very nice one, one the bitter side of things, lacks a bit the bubbly complexity of the first batch. Good, but not in the same league as the first one

8, 7.5, 7.5, 7, 7.5

8.3

Appearance - 9 | Aroma - 8.5 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 8.5

(Bottle, 0.75l - a sample, at Stadin Panimobaari, 20251120) The beer poured deep golden and clear. Its head was tiny and white. Aroma had tartness, honey, fruitiness and grapes. Palate was medium bodied and dry with medium carbonation. Flavours were tartness, sourness, fruitiness, honey, grapes and bitterness. Aftertaste had tartness, sourness and bitterness. A very beautiful beer drinking of which was a pleasant experience.