Beer Review: Blåbær

Reviewing the infamous Blåbær from Brasserie Cantillon out of Belgium.

Score: 96

2012 vintage bottle served in a GLASS and enjoyed on 05/07/13. Review is from iPhone notes

Appearance: Pours a lovely Byzantium/blueberry color with a thin layer of thistle colored head. The color of the head looks like what you'd expect on the label of a fancy bath product. Average lacing, excellent retention. I adore the color on this brew! 4.5/5

Smell: Sweet and jammy blueberries mixed with that classic "Cantillon dust" aroma you get with all their other beers. Not very sour-apparent on the nose. Hint of vinegar too. Not very complex, but extremely appealing. Maybe I am just a sucker for blueberries? 4.5/5
Taste: Sweet/jammy and slightly acidic blueberries with a nice light tartnesses towards the finish. Some of that "Cantillon dust" flavor throughout as well. Drying tartness, makes for a very interesting mouthfeel. Like the nose, the taste is not very complex, but what it delivers is quite delicious! 4.75/5

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, good carbonation. Sweet fruitiness and mildly acidic. Dry finish. 4.5/5

Overall: I found this brew to be absolutely delicious (albeit not overly complex), but as many have pointed out before me, this is not Cantillon's best beer (let alone their best lambic). I would absolutely love to try this one again, but it us not worth jumping through all the hoops one has to jump through in order to obtain a bottle when Fou Foune, St. Lamvinus, Vigneronne and Lou Pepe Kriek are at least as good, cheaper and easier to obtain. I'd recommend folks who have not had this beer before give it a try, as I found this beer to be world class; however, I would likewise recommend that such folks seek out a bottle with a group of friends so as to share the burden of the premium it'll take to obtain.

Cost: 46€ (approximately $60 USD) for a 750 ml bottle, 23€ (approximately $30 USD) for a 375ml bottle.