Brasserie Cantillon - Rosé de Gambrinus

Purchased From: Bierkraft 
Serving Type: 12 oz. bottle, corked and capped, poured into a plastic cup

Through a multiyear process of fermentation and blending Cantillon produces fruit beers that boast massive fruit favors, but keep a definitive dry edge. As a result, this Framboise stands out from the pack of other raspberry or fruit beers. The body is a hazy brownish pink with a mild copper glow. The head is a thick light pink foam, creamy and dense. The head retention is excellent in the plastic cup and leaves tons of lace.

The nose is strong and bitingly tart. The sweet and fruity nose seems to burst with raspberries and offers up a sublime cellary funk. The beer is cheek-pinching and puckers up the face immediately on the first sip. The beer is sweet with huge fruit, but not overly toothsome. The sour Lambic base provides combination of earthiness and light malt, but the grain seems completely overpowered. The textured carbonation is bristling and bright with a Champagne-like consistency.

The beer is delicious and sweet. It is a fruit beer on the world class level. The finish is just as tart as the foretaste and the sweet fruitiness lingers with a hint of sugar.

Final Verdict: A

Call Back Review: Brouwerij Lindemans - Faro

The second call back in my Lambic series is to the Faro Lambic from Lindemans. Faro is perhaps the least common of the general categories of Lambics in the United States. Traditionally Faro was a cheaper beer, traditional Lambic, cut down with another beer, or water, with added sugar for sweetness. Today most Faros are not cut with non-Lambic beer, but still feature the addition of unfermented sugars. Typically lighter in alcohol, these beers match some features of Lambics, but depart slightly.

In my review, I gave Lindemans Faro a "B," which I am still comfortable with, although, if anything I would consider bringing it down half a point to "B-" because, while enjoyable, it is not a beer that I would readily reach for. I mentioned that the beer features a "classic Lambic funk, but it is attenuated by the addition of Candi Sugar, which adds a prominent sweetness." The beer is perhaps an entry point for new Lambic drinkers, as it introduces the palate to the very diverse world of wild yeast, but it is not a world-class example, so I am a bit hesitant to recommend it fully. Perhaps the fruit Lambics provide another entry place to sour beers, albeit very different given the extreme fruitiness, which masks, at least partially, the underlying Lambic flavors. Click through below to read the full review from February 2012.

Review: Brouwerij Lindemans - Faro

Brouwerij Lindemans - Cuvée René

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 750ml bottle, corked, capped, and foiled, poured into a fluted glass


While Lindemans is most famous in the United States for their fruit Lambics, they also produce Faro, a lower-alcohol Lambic, and their grand cru, Cuvée René Gueuze.

Cuvée René pours a tall yellowy amber body with free-floating yeast. A careful pour leaves just a fine suspension of particles from this unfiltered beer. The head is a medium-sized yellowed white. The lightly textured foam dissipates slowly, leaved layers of chunky lace behind. The nose is incredibly tart with a dry spiciness and lightly floral hints. Dusty aromatics evoke the age and cellaring of the beer. Sugary sweetness underlies the darker tones and is matched by light sour apple notes.

Cheek-pinching tartness up front is paired with customary Champagne-like bubbles cascading in layers of strong carbonation. The beer is slightly spicy, but features a smooth malt backbone. Heaps of fruity sweetness evoke mild apricot flavors, a dash of grape juice and the bite of a tart apple cider. Metallic notes on the finish tie together the beer's diverse palate for a sparkling and clean feel.


Final Verdict: A

Call Back Review: Hanssens Artisanaal - Oude Gueuze

As part of this developing series on Lambic ales, and later a few additional sours, I thought it would be relevant to call back to a few previous reviews. First on the retrospective list is the Oude Gueuze from Hanssens Artisanaal.

Hanssens is a veritable 'mom and pop' operation running in Dworp, Belgium blending excellent Lambic ales using vintage equipment on a part-time basis. Their Gueuze, and their other Lambics as well, have a reputation for extreme tartness, and my experience has been no exception. Looking back on my review, where I called the beer "extremely fruity and considerably tart," I think I could possibly switch those adverbs around. While attending Zwanze Day 2012 (a celebration of Lambics featuring Cantillon beers, but others as well) I had the pleasure of drinking Hanssens Gueuze from a cask. The experience was not for the feint of heart, or the unitiatied Lambic drinker. In short, I had never had such an overwhelmingly tart beer.

I continue to recommend Hanssens Gueuze as an excellent beer at a great, affordable price. Well deserving of my highest "A" rating. While not found everywhere, specialty beer stores often stock it. I would also recommend Hanssesns Experimental Lambics, which feature fruit blends both common and uncommon. These, however, can be much pricier than their Oude Gueuze. Click through below to read the full review from September 2011.

Review: Hanssens Artisanaal - Oude Gueuze

Brouwerij Boon - Oude Gueuze Boon

Purchased From: Wallingford Wine & Spirits
Serving Type: 375ml bottle, corked and caged, poured into a fluted glass


The Boon Brewery, based in Lambeek, Belgium produces a number of Lambic beers through spontaneous fermantation. Among their beers is Oude Gueuze Boon, a traditional Gueuze produced using wild yeast and the blending of variously aged Lambics. The beer pours a cloudy straw body with rapidly rising carbonation. The pour produces a large, frothy, off-white head with excellent retention. As the foam fades it leaves swathes of white lace on the glass. Sour funkiness great the nose. The aroma is very tart with sweet grapes and a moderately spicy edge that hints at malted wheat.

This highly carbonated beer dances on the tongue with effervescent Champagne bubbles. The beer is earthy up front with farmhouse flavors of turf and straw. A big cellary funk puckers the palate as it reaches the back of the tongue. The sweet juice of grapes and golden pears round out the mid-palate. A light metallic edge comes in as the initial wave of funk subsides. The finish is very dry with a sour apple juice flavor that lasts on the aftertaste.


Final Verdict: A-

Brasserie Cantillon - Gueuze 100% Lambic Bio (2012)

Purchased From: Brasserie Cantillon, Brussels, Belgium
Serving Type: 750ml bottle, corked and capped, poured into a Champagne flute

Happy New Year 2013! In celebration I'm posting my review of the true Champagne of Beers, Gueuze, and specifically, the world-class Gueuze from Cantillon.

The signature beer from Cantillon, their Gueuze, pours a medium-straw body with a honey golden glow. A small stream of bubbles rise gently in the glass for the entire life of the beer. The natural carbonation from bottle refermentation creates a smallish off-white head of foam. After a short period of head retention, a thin layer of foam remains. No substantial lacing forms while drinking this Lambic beer.

This Gueuze's nose is supremely funky. The leading sour edge features heaps of grapes and tight tartness. Light barnyard aromatics bring in hints of earthiness and turf. A sweetness couples with dusty cellar aromas that show off both the aged Lambic and the young Lambic involved in this artisinal blend. A light metallic sheen hits on the end and a mineral water hardness rounds out the nose.

Cheek-pinching sourness enteres up front, but it does not overwhelm the palate. As the beer hits the back of the tongue it delivers a funky sour punch. Light grapes and moderate fruitiness are featured prominently on the mid-palate. Dry sweetness with a light sugary edge are pervasive, but the beer's seche character dominates. The tart, highly carbonated beer is reminiscent of a Champagne and delivers a refreshing balance that at once seems to quench thirst, but leaves the mouth dry, inviting another sip. This beer exudes both subtlty and refinement and bold outstanding flavor. A true craft worthy of highest praise.

Final Verdict: A

Brouwerij Lindemans - Faro

Brewed In: Vlezenbeek, Belgium
Serving Type: 330 mL bottle, poured into a fluted glass

Faro is a Lambic beer with added Candi Sugar, which adds a distinctive sweetness and cuts down a significant portion of the tart flavors common to other Lambics. This Faro, brewed by Lindemans pours a clear full amber body with a medium-sized light tan head. The retention is mild and the foam fades to space lacing on the glass. The nose is candy sweet with a hint of maltiness and a touch of vinegar. There's a sour funk, but it is reserved.

The carbonation is crisp and tight, like a freshly opened sparkling wine. Malted barley paired with unmalted wheat make for a silky body with a smooth flavor combination and a mild spice. Spontaneous fermentation give the beer its classic Lambic funk, but it is attenuated by the addition of Candi Sugar, which adds a prominent sweetness. The back end is slightly grapey and the sweetness persists for a candy-coated, but crisp finish.

Final Verdict: B

Brasserie Cantillon - St. Lamvinus

Brewed in: Brussels, Belgium
Serving Type: 750 mL bottle, poured into a snifter

Saint Lamvinus is a classic Gueuze, a blend of young and old Lambics, aged with French wine grapes, from the Bordeaux wine region in the cask. The beer pours a pinkish maroon body with darkish brown undertones. The thin white foam of the beer has a minor pink hue. The foam is wispy and leaves elegant, yet thin, traces of lace on the glass and clings slightly to the surface of the beer. The nose is very tart and sour with a definite cellary funk. Rich juicy red grapes enhance the tart character and offer a refined sweetness. The nose also carries a slight medicinal aroma, a bit like a medicated cough drop.

Like most excellent Lambics St. Lamvinus is highly carbonated with dancing Champagne-like bubbles. Lambic beers are the true "Champagne of Beers," Miller High Life, on the other hand, is a true joke. The grapes are fresh and fruity and give both hints of fruit and lend a remarkable meatiness to the beer. Hints of raspberry and other tart fruit show as well. The aged, cellary funk is pervasive, at once adding to the tart mouthfeel and lending an aged dustiness. The finish is tight and tart. The light medicinal edge returns, but is not off-putting. As the beer fades, a dry and vaguely sugary feeling remains.

This beer is a one of a kind and a true treat. Cantillon is a world renowned brewer and at the absolute height of the, very few remaining, Lambic producers. If you can find this beer, get it! While most Lambics are suitable for extended cellaring, I would not recommend cellaring this beer for any significant length of time. The delicate grape infusion is sure to lose its potency and its true contribution if left in the cellar for too long. If you find this, not only should you get it(!), you should enjoy it soon!

Final Verdict: A

Hanssens Artisanaal - Oude Gueuze

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 12.7 oz. corked and caged bottle, poured into a fluted glass

Oude Gueuze is an entry from Hanssens Artisanaal into the singular and classic style of Lambic beers from which it takes its name (Gueuze or Geuze). The beer pours a chill hazed orange body clouded with yeast and dotted with specks of floating sediment. The moderately-sized nearly white head is also speckled with orange flecks of yeast. The retention on the head is modest and the foam leaves a light layer of lace at the top of the glass.

The nose has an aroma of sweet sugary grapes and a mild fitting mustiness. The slight cellar funk comes from the spontaneous fermentation that the beer goes through, and the 2+ years in the cellar. Gueuze beers are a mixture of "young" (one year old) and "old" (two to three year old) Lambics that are subsequently cellared for an additional year.

The beer is extremely fruity and considerably tart. The tightness of the beer almost pinches the cheeks while you enjoy the beer. Carbonation in this Oude Gueuze is high and has pronounced Champagne-like qualities. Sweet and complex without being sugary or cloying the beer's tart funk and grape-like qualities make the style unlike any other. It's delicious and refreshing and worth checking out. Gueuze beers aren't very common in the United States, and are certainly not a popular style, but are well worth being explored. If you can find any authentic Lambic Gueze I'd recommend it. I'd especially recommend Oude Gueuze from Hanssens, especially for the price.

Final Verdict: A

Brouwerij Lindemans - Cassis

Purchased From: Beltway Fine Wine
Serving Type: 750 mL corked, capped, and foiled bottle, poured into a fluted glass

This black currant-flavored beer is another fruit-infused Lambic from Brouwerij Lindemans of Belgium. The beer pours a rich purply-maroon, very reminiscent of a red wine. The deep beet-like color is eye-catching and extremely consistent. The frothy head is pink and massive in size. The beer retains its head for sometime and the wispy lacing is elegant.

There's a definite cellary must to the nose with a prevalent dryness. The sweet fruitiness comes through extremely strong on the nose. A clear indication of what's to come. The black currants are extremely prominent and tasteful. The carbonation is way on the high-end, almost champagne like in texture. The sweetness is very strong, but not cloying. The finish is sweet, with a tart edge and very crisp. Like its Kriek cousin, this beer leaves your teeth feeling a big sugary. Another solid fruit beer with great potential  for non-beer drinkers.

Final Verdict: B+

Lindemans - Kriek

Purchased From: Harvest Fine Wines & Spirits
Serving Type: 12 oz. corked, capped, foiled, green glass bottle, poured into a fluted glass

After essentially panning two flavored beers (Long Trail's Blackbeary Wheat and Abita's Pecan Harvest) I decided I needed to prove to myself, and my readers, that I wasn't irreversibly biased against flavored beers. So, I turned to a place I was confident I would be happy. I've had fruit-flavored Lambics in the past and enjoyed them, so that's where I went.

Kriek is a specific style of Lambic beer that is flavored with sour Morello cherries. Lambics themselves are a breed of beer all their own, brewed exclusively in Belgium. The beer has a glowing purplish-red body reminiscent of beet juice. The pink foam head is fluffy with great retention and leave tons of lacing in clearly delineated layers. The nose has a potent cherry scent like black cherry soda. There's also a sugary sweetness that reminds me of Luden's cherry cough drops (a/k/a candy).

The flavor is intense with tons of sweet cherry flavor. The carbonation is extremely strong with Champagne-like bubbles. The beer rounds off with a tinge of sour, grape-like crispness on the finish. Like other fruit beers, this also, unfortunately, leaves a sugar-coated feeling on your teeth after you're finished. But it's an understandable price to pay for this unique and delicious fruit-infused beer.

Final Verdict: B+

Bonus anecdotal content: On my visit to Belgium (the day before my trip to Chimay) we took a walk from the train station, where we arrived, to visit the Cantillon Brewery. Cantillon is one of the few famous breweries producing Lambic beers. The style utilized spontaneous fermentation, which relies on free-floating yeast to turn wort into beer. While there, we sampled their Gueuze (a re-fermented blend of young and old Lambics) and a variety of their flavored beers, including a Kriek and a Framboise (a raspberry-flavored variety). I took a few pictures at the brewery, which I'll look into posting in the next week or so.