Category Archives: Belgium

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie Cantillon, Lambic - Gueuze

Cantillon Brabantiæ

Leave a comment

Brewery: Brasserie Cantillon
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Lambic – Gueuze

Brewer Description: (from bottle) The Gueuze Brabantiæ is the result of a blend of three year old Lambics aged in Porto barrels. Best enjoyed within 20 years of the bottling date. The flavor of the beer will evolve over time.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.49
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, 2018 vintage, bottled on 25th November 2018. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A very nice clear golden orange colour with a one finger white head that had good retention, and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Apple skin, funk, dusty, musty, sweet grapes, plum, oak, lemon zest.
Taste: Lightly sour, sweet grapes, raisins, port barrel, oak, funky, dusty, lime, lemon zest.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable flavours with good barrel and funk complexity.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen, Lambic - Gueuze

3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze Cuvée Armand & Gaston Langste Kook

Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7.4%
Style: Lambic – Gueuze
Other Notes: Blend°42, Season 21/22

Brewer Description: (from bottle) For this Langste Kook / Longest Boil – a special version of the Cuvée Armand & Gaston – we brewed a typical lambik wort, but with an extended boiling time. We usually boil for five hours – the highest in the lambik world and about tenfold of modern beer brewing. Now, we boiled a whopping eighteen hours. 18. Hours. After a full year of barrel fermentation and maturation, we blended with a young portion of lambik to assure continued bottle fermentation. With a weighted average age of the blend of almost twelve months upon bottling, this is a rather young geuze, but all lambikken were brewed with Pajottenland grains from our own Cereal Collective.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.24
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, blend°42, season 21/22, bottled on 23rd February 2022. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy copper amber orange colour with a just over one finger beige head, that had good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, bright, lemon zest, citrus rind, green apple, oak, musty, funk.
Taste: Sour, tart, grapefruit, citrus rind, green apple, oak, funk, with hints of berries and caramel.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, medium bodied with moderate to light carbonation.
Overall: An interesting variant, that’s not quite as good as the original, but it’s young, has a great aroma, and drinks easy.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie Cantillon, Lambic - Fruit

Cantillon Menu Pineau

Leave a comment

Brewery: Brasserie Cantillon
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Lambic – Fruit

Brewer Description: (from bottle in French) Assemblage de lambic de un et deux ans d’âge avec du raisin Menu Pineau en provenance du Domaine des Vins Contés en Val de Loire.

(translated to English) Blend of one and two year old lambic with Menu Pineau grapes from the Domaine des Vins Contés in Val de Loire.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.45
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, 2019 vintage, bottled on 18th November 2019. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with a just over one finger white head that slowly dissipated to a ring around the glass while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Tart, grape skin, dusty, musty, funk, leather, oak, lemon zest.
Taste: Sour, tart, grape skin, white wine vinous, lime, oak, damp wood, musty, funk, citrus zest.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium bodied, with soft to moderate carbonation.
Overall: Very enjoyable with great aroma and flavours, and balanced fruit and funk, showing good complexity.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Oud Beersel, Lambic - Fruit

Oud Beersel Sparkling Infused Red Szechuan Pepper Lambiek

Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij Oud Beersel
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: Bottled 10 years before best before date

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Lambic infused with Red Szechuan Pepper.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.75
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.6

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, with a best before date of 10th March 2032. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden orange colour with a two finger white head that had pretty good retention, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, bright, lime, citrus zest, Szechuan pepper, peppermint, coriander, with floral notes.
Taste: Sweet and sour, tart, lime, candied grapefruit zest, Szechuan pepper, mint, coriander, woody, with a very light very nice backend tingly spiciness.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, tingly spice, with moderate to high spritzy carbonation.
Overall: I love Szechuan pepper and I didn’t know what to expect, but I really wanted this to work, and it didn’t disappoint. The peppercorn gives off this enjoyable tingly spice and interesting minty notes, all the while maintaining good balanced aroma and flavours. This just works so well for me.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Oud Beersel, Lambic - Fruit

Oud Beersel Sparkling Infused Lapsang Souchong Lambiek

Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij Oud Beersel
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Other Notes: Bottled 10 years before best before date

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Lambic infused with Lapsang Souchong.

My rating: 4-
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.01
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, with a best before date of 24th September 2030. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden orange colour with an almost two finger white head that had pretty good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Smoky and leather dominate, almost peaty, a touch dusty, funky, with notes of pine, apple and lemon zest.
Taste: Sour, tart, lemon, pine needles, tea, sweet notes, honey, herbal, smoke, peat, leather, funk and wood.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with high spritzy carbonation.
Overall: First impressions was that it was a strange combination, unique for sure. However, it definitely grew on me over time, and the aroma and flavours became interesting and thought provoking.