Score: 96
Bottled 10/18/11. Served in a Goose Island Chicago flag snifter and enjoyed on 03/04/13. Review is from iPhone notes.
Appearance: Pours a rose color with just under a finger of pink-white (faintly pink) head that totally settles. No lacing or retention, but gorgeous color. 4.25/5
Smell: Funky sweet-but-tart red grape is apparent off the pour. Has plum notes akin Slivovitz without the harsh booziness. Strawy grass, vinegar and a little lemon. Some raspberry towards back of nose as it warms up. Classic "Cantillon dust" too. Tangy acidicty apparent on nose. 4.5/5
Taste: Super tart red grape, raspberry, and sour dark berry flavor. Oak, zesty citrus and a little funky grassiness. There is a prevalent underlying funkiness that grows as the beer warms. That traditional "dusty" Cantillon flavor that is in nearly all of their sours is present too. Some lacto too. This bottle was a little heavier on the lacto character than others I have had, imparting some greek yogurt flavor. Maybe this is storage related? Has a sharp acidity in conjunction with the tartness, but not in a bad way. The acidity really complements the tartness well and gives the beer a little extra bite that dries out the gums. The finish is tart berry/red grape followed by residual lacto funk once the berry flavors fades. Nice and boldly flavorful. 4.5/5
Mouthfeel: Not quite medium bodied with a low level of carbonation. Has a high level of acidity and tartness. Imparts a dry, but not chalky finish. Finishes like consuming a less tart warhead candy. 5/5
Overall: Delectably sour. This is one of Cantillon's better beers. It is as good as Blaeber (although not as good as Fou Foune or Lou Pepe Kriek/Framboise in my opinion), but a fraction as "rare." Seek this one out with confidence. Wine connoisseurs should appreciate this one.
Cost: $35 for a 750 ml bottle.
No comments:
Post a Comment