Lambic Discussion Thread

[SeaWatchman]

So I was reorganizing my beer collection today and impulsively decided to put some 375s in the fridge. I then almost immediately began to drink my way through all of them. Yes, I have a problem. But also, this was a lot of fun! I didn’t keep too much detail on each beer and am going from memory, which is now impaired, but this made for a fun evening after an unpleasant day at work.

Started off with an old faithful. 2015 bottling that was tasting great yet not as good as it’s 2016 counterpart. A higher level of perceived graininess accompanied the classic Tilquin funk, which deterred it from the god-tier aforementioned ‘16 vintages I’ve had recently.

Still waiting to have a good bottle of this. I’ve had it 3 times now and I’m 0/3 On enjoyable experiences. Endol and plastic phenols overcome what would be a very nice beer, I’m hoping the 750s are sitting differently, will report back when I open one next week.

Poured flat, but quite tasty and not overly acidic. Wasn’t as complex as I would hope for an almost 3-year old lambic but I’m glad I have a few more to try again down the line.

17/18 batch still drinking well (beautifully, even) right out of the gate. Low carb but nice fruitiness complementing the funky base.

Old faithful. I picked up 2 cases of these and will probably revisit once every 3 months or so to see how it develops. After drinking 4 Tilquin beers, it was refreshing to drink this and see how familiar it’s profile was. Very good.

Assemblage no. 21. I didn’t really enjoy this. It had this weird character that made it feel much older than it was, not dissimilar in taste and aroma to the last time I had Zomer, which doesn’t really make sense. Sweeter, maltier, and more out of balance than the Season, and the sum of the parts didn’t add up to what I hoped. I last drank this 6 months ago and thought it was a much better beer at that time.

This was only a small notch above No. 21. I didn’t mind the still pour but the beer just doesn’t come together. Malty, some acid, and then a muddled finish. I have one more bottle of this that I might just forget about and revisit in 3+ years.

This beer has been and continues to be a treat. This one’s carbonated and has a beautiful flavor of ripe cherries, pits, baking spices, some cinnamon and vanilla, maybe nutmeg. I’m halfway through the glass and savoring. Really delicious beer, might be one of my favorites of the evening!



Here’s the kill shot for the solo mission. A noble endeavor that had to be done once I was in a few bottles. Next time I’ll have to take more detailed notes so that I’m not trying to comment on each bottle from memory after drinking 3 liters of lambic in one sitting. Cheers gang.

You did all of that in a day? Dayum.

 

[CSO]

So I was reorganizing my beer collection today and impulsively decided to put some 375s in the fridge. I then almost immediately began to drink my way through all of them. Yes, I have a problem. But also, this was a lot of fun! I didn’t keep too much detail on each beer and am going from memory, which is now impaired, but this made for a fun evening after an unpleasant day at work.

Started off with an old faithful. 2015 bottling that was tasting great yet not as good as it’s 2016 counterpart. A higher level of perceived graininess accompanied the classic Tilquin funk, which deterred it from the god-tier aforementioned ‘16 vintages I’ve had recently.

Still waiting to have a good bottle of this. I’ve had it 3 times now and I’m 0/3 On enjoyable experiences. Endol and plastic phenols overcome what would be a very nice beer, I’m hoping the 750s are sitting differently, will report back when I open one next week.

Poured flat, but quite tasty and not overly acidic. Wasn’t as complex as I would hope for an almost 3-year old lambic but I’m glad I have a few more to try again down the line.

17/18 batch still drinking well (beautifully, even) right out of the gate. Low carb but nice fruitiness complementing the funky base.

Old faithful. I picked up 2 cases of these and will probably revisit once every 3 months or so to see how it develops. After drinking 4 Tilquin beers, it was refreshing to drink this and see how familiar it’s profile was. Very good.

Assemblage no. 21. I didn’t really enjoy this. It had this weird character that made it feel much older than it was, not dissimilar in taste and aroma to the last time I had Zomer, which doesn’t really make sense. Sweeter, maltier, and more out of balance than the Season, and the sum of the parts didn’t add up to what I hoped. I last drank this 6 months ago and thought it was a much better beer at that time.

This was only a small notch above No. 21. I didn’t mind the still pour but the beer just doesn’t come together. Malty, some acid, and then a muddled finish. I have one more bottle of this that I might just forget about and revisit in 3+ years.

This beer has been and continues to be a treat. This one’s carbonated and has a beautiful flavor of ripe cherries, pits, baking spices, some cinnamon and vanilla, maybe nutmeg. I’m halfway through the glass and savoring. Really delicious beer, might be one of my favorites of the evening!



Here’s the kill shot for the solo mission. A noble endeavor that had to be done once I was in a few bottles. Next time I’ll have to take more detailed notes so that I’m not trying to comment on each bottle from memory after drinking 3 liters of lambic in one sitting. Cheers gang.

That is some serious work. Kudos!

 

[primebeer]

You did all of that in a day? Dayum.

That is some serious work. Kudos!

It was about 5 hours of drinking, nothing too crazy honestly. And it pales in comparison to the amount of lambic I normally consume in Brussels haha.

 

[Lupulin the 3rd]

So I was reorganizing my beer collection today and impulsively decided to put some 375s in the fridge. I then almost immediately began to drink my way through all of them. Yes, I have a problem. But also, this was a lot of fun! I didn’t keep too much detail on each beer and am going from memory, which is now impaired, but this made for a fun evening after an unpleasant day at work.

Started off with an old faithful. 2015 bottling that was tasting great yet not as good as it’s 2016 counterpart. A higher level of perceived graininess accompanied the classic Tilquin funk, which deterred it from the god-tier aforementioned ‘16 vintages I’ve had recently.

Still waiting to have a good bottle of this. I’ve had it 3 times now and I’m 0/3 On enjoyable experiences. Endol and plastic phenols overcome what would be a very nice beer, I’m hoping the 750s are sitting differently, will report back when I open one next week.

Poured flat, but quite tasty and not overly acidic. Wasn’t as complex as I would hope for an almost 3-year old lambic but I’m glad I have a few more to try again down the line.

17/18 batch still drinking well (beautifully, even) right out of the gate. Low carb but nice fruitiness complementing the funky base.

Old faithful. I picked up 2 cases of these and will probably revisit once every 3 months or so to see how it develops. After drinking 4 Tilquin beers, it was refreshing to drink this and see how familiar it’s profile was. Very good.

Assemblage no. 21. I didn’t really enjoy this. It had this weird character that made it feel much older than it was, not dissimilar in taste and aroma to the last time I had Zomer, which doesn’t really make sense. Sweeter, maltier, and more out of balance than the Season, and the sum of the parts didn’t add up to what I hoped. I last drank this 6 months ago and thought it was a much better beer at that time.

This was only a small notch above No. 21. I didn’t mind the still pour but the beer just doesn’t come together. Malty, some acid, and then a muddled finish. I have one more bottle of this that I might just forget about and revisit in 3+ years.

This beer has been and continues to be a treat. This one’s carbonated and has a beautiful flavor of ripe cherries, pits, baking spices, some cinnamon and vanilla, maybe nutmeg. I’m halfway through the glass and savoring. Really delicious beer, might be one of my favorites of the evening!



Here’s the kill shot for the solo mission. A noble endeavor that had to be done once I was in a few bottles. Next time I’ll have to take more detailed notes so that I’m not trying to comment on each bottle from memory after drinking 3 liters of lambic in one sitting. Cheers gang.

Much respect for soloing so much lambic. Got one question though—did you eat any Tums?

 

[primebeer]

Much respect for soloing so much lambic. Got one question though—did you eat any Tums?

Nope. Though I do expect some strange trips to the toilet tomorrow..

 

[iong516]

Agree on your tasting notes for b21 A&G honing. Was so impressive fresh, hoping its in a slump.

 

[NClambicguy]

Agree on your tasting notes for b21 A&G honing. Was so impressive fresh, hoping its in a slump.

B21 isn’t the honing batch

 

[SeaWatchman]

B21 isn’t the honing batch

It’s the batch with honey added to the koelschip during cooling.

 

[NClambicguy]

It’s the batch with honey added to the koelschip during cooling.

Ahh my bad. I was thinking the discussion was about the batch with the bee on the label

 

[steinbbr]

it pales in comparison to the amount of lambic I normally consume in Brussels haha.

I can verify this #truth

 

[roodie]

Delicious! Freshest I’ve ever had; 2018 cork.

 

[reverseapachemaster1]

View attachment 3612
Delicious! Freshest I’ve ever had; 2018 cork.

ISO that basket

 

[shanrath]

ISO that basket

Looks like you can get a pretty good deal on lambic baskets of that make right here.

 

[iong516]

I wonder if 2017 3F OG will taste this good in 2023...


(Link to media)

 

[stakem1]

Currently drinking a rose de gambrinus that arrived at my door this afternoon care of etre.

It was bottled last month which im pretty sure makes this my freshest experience with this beer. I now understand why some love this beer. Drinking it this fresh, its dripping with fresh raspberry character that ive never smelled/tasted in bottles that were months/years old.

 

[NClambicguy]

Currently drinking a rose de gambrinus that arrived at my door this afternoon care of etre.

It was bottled last month which im pretty sure makes this my freshest experience with this beer. I now understand why some love this beer. Drinking it this fresh, its dripping with fresh raspberry character that ive never smelled/tasted in bottles that were months/years old.

I’m drinking a bottle from June 5 2018 and really have a strong preference for it fresh as well. Did your bottle date happen to be 11/07?

 

[stakem1]

I’m drinking a bottle from June 5 2018 and really have a strong preference for it fresh as well. Did your bottle date happen to be 11/07?

View attachment 3649

11/22/2018

 

[NClambicguy]

11/22/2018

That is some amazingly fast turnaround

 

[SeaWatchman]

That is some amazingly fast turnaround

Too fast IMO, but even as easy as this fall Jean was running dangerously low on beer to sell at the brewery for the year.

 

[stakem1]

Too fast IMO, but even as easy as this fall Jean was running dangerously low on beer to sell at the brewery for the year.

Care to elaborate on why you consider this too fast?

If it wasnt for etre, the freshest ive ever had a bottle of fruited lambic was 12-16 months via shelton distro unless Cantillon bottled and shipped things out with their kegs for zwanze day.

I understand your standpoint on saving offerings for those who are willing/able to visit the brewery itself but if he needs to move product to make revenue, etre is doing an amazing job.

 

[stakem1]

Continuing with the theme of drinking fresh, I just opened a Cantillion bio geuze bottled Oct 23, 2018 and it tastes like straight grapefruit juice. Again, care of etre this arrived today and is probably the freshest geuze ive ever consumed. Loving this even moreso than the month old rose.

 

[SeaWatchman]

Care to elaborate on why you consider this too fast?

If it wasnt for etre, the freshest ive ever had a bottle of fruited lambic was 12-16 months via shelton distro unless Cantillon bottled and shipped things out with their kegs for zwanze day.

I understand your standpoint on saving offerings for those who are willing/able to visit the brewery itself but if he needs to move product to make revenue, etre is doing an amazing job.

Continuing with the theme of drinking fresh, I just opened a Cantillion bio geuze bottled Oct 23, 2018 and it tastes like straight grapefruit juice. Again, care of etre this arrived today and is probably the freshest geuze ive ever consumed. Loving this even moreso than the month old rose.

They’re just not fully developed at that point, especially the Gueuze (which I’m not the biggest fan of in the first place). CNtillon is in a bit of a catch 22 though needing to bottle and sell quickly to keep up with demand versus giving them the proper time to develop in the bottle. If the principal characteristic of a Gueuze is that it referments in the bottle, then sending it out in distro after just a couple months isn’t giving it nearly the proper amount of time. The fruited lambic doesn’t need as much time, but I still think they’re very young and very fruit juice like without enough time for the lambic to do its thing. It’s a presence thing, but I don’t think geuze should taste like straight grapefruit juice.

 

[nathanmiller]

I adore RdG at nearly every age.

 

[stakem1]

They’re just not fully developed at that point, especially the Gueuze (which I’m not the biggest fan of in the first place). CNtillon is in a bit of a catch 22 though needing to bottle and sell quickly to keep up with demand versus giving them the proper time to develop in the bottle. If the principal characteristic of a Gueuze is that it referments in the bottle, then sending it out in distro after just a couple months isn’t giving it nearly the proper amount of time. The fruited lambic doesn’t need as much time, but I still think they’re very young and very fruit juice like without enough time for the lambic to do its thing. It’s a presence thing, but I don’t think geuze should taste like straight grapefruit juice.

I appreciate reading your thought process on this one but from a personal taste/opinion standpoint I think I gotta disagree.

Yes, geuze needs time in a bottle to referment but like any other beer, that conditioning time is simply for the residual sugar to metabolize into co2 to make the bubbles. Whether that takes 2 days, weeks, months or years is irrelevalnt so long as the residual sugar is gone and the bubbles are there. No? If Cantillon is priming these bottles with actively fermenting wort and the carbonation is right, why do they need to sit any longer? The flavor/complexity is already developed from the other, older lambics that comprise the blend, no?

Perhaps my description of “grapefruit juice” was too simplistic but this is a characteristic ive tasted in other lambic as young as 1 year old and faintly in lambic at 12+ years old. Its a unique flavor for sure. Wish I had more of this bottling to open up every 6 months to a year to taste its evolution but thats not the case anymore.

Please know that ive been drinking and im not trying to start an argument. This is just a hard pill for me to swallow as historically I have always weened to the side of “aged/vintage” is better and these recent samplings of trying fresh and enjoying it have really opened my eyes/changed my opinion.

 

[SeaWatchman]

I appreciate reading your thought process on this one but from a personal taste/opinion standpoint I think I gotta disagree.

Yes, geuze needs time in a bottle to referment but like any other beer, that conditioning time is simply for the residual sugar to metabolize into co2 to make the bubbles. Whether that takes 2 days, weeks, months or years is irrelevalnt so long as the residual sugar is gone and the bubbles are there. No? If Cantillon is priming these bottles with actively fermenting wort and the carbonation is right, why do they need to sit any longer? The flavor/complexity is already developed from the other, older lambics that comprise the blend, no?

Perhaps my description of “grapefruit juice” was too simplistic but this is a characteristic ive tasted in other lambic as young as 1 year old and faintly in lambic at 12+ years old. Its a unique flavor for sure. Wish I had more of this bottling to open up every 6 months to a year to taste its evolution but thats not the case anymore.

Please know that ive been drinking and im not trying to start an argument. This is just a hard pill for me to swallow as historically I have always weened to the side of “aged/vintage” is better and these recent samplings of trying fresh and enjoying it have really opened my eyes/changed my opinion.

Fair points all around, but I do think fhst of you’re looking at results and opinions of a lot of blind Gueuze tastings, cantillon is generally lagging behind some of the other peicses at a young age. 3F, Tilquin, and Girardin are all keeping their blends in the cellar much longer to mature. I know that 3F also envisions a time when they are able to hold back a geuze for several years before release and they’re stockpiling for it now. There’s a lot of logistical issues going on, no doubt. Cantillon in particular is a bit hemmed in as if pertains to brewing capacity and brewing days, whereas 3F has the space and ability to crank out more and Pierre still has plenty of space to receive just about as much wort as he can handle.

Cantillon Gueuze is a totally different beast with some age on it though, and to me really stands out from the rest of the pack after a year or two. Even with your thoughts on his long it may take for the residual sugars to get processed, I’m still willing to bet that If you managed to grab a case of the same bottling and tasted it out over a few years you might start to see a bit of what I’m talking about. I don’t know **** about chemistry, but they’re not priming with wort at all. I’m very curious about Jean’s blending process though for Gueuze. Building that complexity has got to be more than just the old lambic going in. I hope to see it someday. I’ve always thought Jean’s grape lambics have been great out of the date, but the fram/kriek/foo always seem a bit youghurty to me early on.

To be perfectly honest, it’s rare that I open a bottle of any lambic (but especially cantillon) without it already being in the bottle for 2-3 years, and longer for LPG and GCB. 3F OG is simply amazing after a few years as well as Tilquin. Girardin is kind of a crapshoot though.

 

[stupac2]

Fair points all around, but I do think fhst of you’re looking at results and opinions of a lot of blind Gueuze tastings, cantillon is generally lagging behind some of the other peicses at a young age. 3F, Tilquin, and Girardin are all keeping their blends in the cellar much longer to mature. I know that 3F also envisions a time when they are able to hold back a geuze for several years before release and they’re stockpiling for it now. There’s a lot of logistical issues going on, no doubt. Cantillon in particular is a bit hemmed in as if pertains to brewing capacity and brewing days, whereas 3F has the space and ability to crank out more and Pierre still has plenty of space to receive just about as much wort as he can handle.

Cantillon Gueuze is a totally different beast with some age on it though, and to me really stands out from the rest of the pack after a year or two. Even with your thoughts on his long it may take for the residual sugars to get processed, I’m still willing to bet that If you managed to grab a case of the same bottling and tasted it out over a few years you might start to see a bit of what I’m talking about. I don’t know **** about chemistry, but they’re not priming with wort at all. I’m very curious about Jean’s blending process though for Gueuze. Building that complexity has got to be more than just the old lambic going in. I hope to see it someday. I’ve always thought Jean’s grape lambics have been great out of the date, but the fram/kriek/foo always seem a bit youghurty to me early on.

To be perfectly honest, it’s rare that I open a bottle of any lambic (but especially cantillon) without it already being in the bottle for 2-3 years, and longer for LPG and GCB. 3F OG is simply amazing after a few years as well as Tilquin. Girardin is kind of a crapshoot though.

I've been opening some aged Cantillon Gueuze lately and generally been disappointed compared to comparably aged JPVR beers (so like a 2005 in 2013 vs a 2010 this year). I'm not sure if it's just me (it seems like I've been less tolerant of acidity in beer lately) or if it's a real thing, but it's definitely been a bummer given how much old-ass Bio Gueuze I have.

 

[Lupulin the 3rd]

I'm not sure if it's just me (it seems like I've been less tolerant of acidity in beer lately) or if it's a real thing, but it's definitely been a bummer given how much old-ass Bio Gueuze I have.

If you need to unload any Bio Gueuze locally, let me know.

 

[stupac2]

If you need to unload any Bio Gueuze locally, let me know.

I was toying with the idea of offering some up for new seasonals. Think an 8-year age difference makes up the rarity difference? **** if I know.

 

[matedog]

but even as easy as this fall Jean was running dangerously low on beer to sell at the brewery for the year.

Even with the expansion? I’m assuming that is contributing a lot to production by now.

 

[bostonvert]

Even with the expansion? I’m assuming that is contributing a lot to production by now.

He also decided not to sel fou at the brewery this season so no 2018 for me and BelgianChris

and I don't really like fresh cantillon gueuze either, needs at least 3 years in the bottle