Brasserie Cantillon in Belgium has, in the last two or so years, become really sought after here in the US. They're known for their deliciously funky open-air lambics, and though many of their offerings do make it across the ocean, they tend to be snapped up really quickly and rarely see the shelves. The beer I'm reviewing today is the organic version of their basic gueze, which is one of their core brews and one of the easiest to acquire.
Appearance: The picture made this look a lot more orange than it really is. In person, it's more of a sunny golden yellow, with a dense, foamy head that fades fairly quickly, but leaves a ring around the edge of the glass and patchwork lacing down the sides.
Smell: Tart and funky! "Barnyard" notes, with sour green apple, lemon, straw. Even with the super strong funkiness, it's bright and refreshing smelling.
Taste: A very aggressive, demanding sour flavor, with lemon, a bit of oak from the barrel aging, a white-wine grape note, and finally some of that rubber tire funk which is so off-putting to describe but really works in a beer like this.
Mouthfeel: Light-medium bodied, extremely crisp. The strong tart acidity and dry, crisp body have a way of making me feel like my head is clearing up (until the next beer, of course.)
Overall: Gueze can be kind of a harsh style to the sour newcomer, but for an introduction to the style, you can't go wrong with Cantillon (and by extension, this beer.) It's about as perfect of a representation of a gueze as I can think of: extremely sour and dry with pleasant funkyness.
5/5
Appearance: The picture made this look a lot more orange than it really is. In person, it's more of a sunny golden yellow, with a dense, foamy head that fades fairly quickly, but leaves a ring around the edge of the glass and patchwork lacing down the sides.
Smell: Tart and funky! "Barnyard" notes, with sour green apple, lemon, straw. Even with the super strong funkiness, it's bright and refreshing smelling.
Taste: A very aggressive, demanding sour flavor, with lemon, a bit of oak from the barrel aging, a white-wine grape note, and finally some of that rubber tire funk which is so off-putting to describe but really works in a beer like this.
Mouthfeel: Light-medium bodied, extremely crisp. The strong tart acidity and dry, crisp body have a way of making me feel like my head is clearing up (until the next beer, of course.)
Overall: Gueze can be kind of a harsh style to the sour newcomer, but for an introduction to the style, you can't go wrong with Cantillon (and by extension, this beer.) It's about as perfect of a representation of a gueze as I can think of: extremely sour and dry with pleasant funkyness.
5/5
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