2015 Cantillon Brewery Gueuze

Community Tasting Notes (1) Avg Score: 97 points

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  11/20/2021 - forceberry wrote: 97 Points

  The base beer is brewed at Cantillon using 100% organically farmed barley and wheat, hence the beer is labeled "Gueuze 100% Lambic Bio, Saison 15/16". The beer is aged in old oak pipes, barriques and pièces sourced from France, Italy and Spain. The Geuze a blend of older and younger lambics. If the youngest batch has fermented to full dryness prior to the blending, an addition of 2-3 g/l of sugar is added to the blended beer. Bottled on 1st of September 2015, best by 1st of September 2035. 5% alcohol. Tasted along with 15 other Gueuzes.
  
  Pale and slightly hazy yellow-amber color. Complex, characterful and subtly sweet-toned nose with layered aromas of ripe apricots, some peppery spice, light evolved notes of dried fruits and sweet caramel, a little bit of smoky phenolic character, a bretty hint of animale and a faint - probably reductive - touch of rubber. The beer feels quite sour, somewhat concentrated and medium-bodied on the palate. Bold flavors of grainy malt, apricot, some pithy lemon, a little bit of leathery funk, light evolved notes of sweet dried fruits, a hint of barnyardy funk and a subtly acetic touch of balsamico. The carbonation feels very soft and mellow. The sourness subsides in the aftertaste a little, so the finish is relatively mellow and modest in acidity, but at the same time remarkably long and complex with flavors of tart pomelo or grapefruit, some evolved dried-fruit sweetness, a little bit of tangy salinity, light bretty notes of leathery funk, an acetic hint of balsamico and a touch of grainy malt.
  
  An exceptional, complex and beautifully evolved Gueuze that doesn't feel like a freshly bottled brew anymore, yet doesn't come across as particularly old either. The beer starts off as quite tart and tangy, but seems to mellow down towards the finish, letting the complex, matured tones take the lead and making every sip evolve differently, in turn making the beer an adventure in itself. I had quite high expectations for Cantillon and it didn't fail - this was my 2nd favorite of the evening and probably the overall crowd favorite among the attendees. Outrageous value at 7,30€ for a 0,375-liter bottle.

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