Last night was a Cantillon tasting at Nikki’s. They were tasting the Classic Gueuze, the Iris, the Vigneronne, the Kriek, and the Saint Lamvinus. Cantillon makes nothing but Lambics and Gueuzes. Needless to say, the beers were all very sour and tart, but that was the fun part. I was a bit surprised to see that they weren’t crowded considering the beers they were tasting, so it was a nice intimate tasting with a bunch of the regulars.
I actually liked all of the beers, though the Iris, the only unblended Lambic of the night, was my least favorite. It was a bit dry and more champagne-like. The others, all fruit Lambics I liked equally for various reasons. The Kriek was very tart cherry flavored with a lot of the mustiness that goes along with the spontaneous fermentation. The Vigneronne is brewed with Italian white grapes and the flavor of those was very present. This was the most sour of all the beers, though that doesn’t mean it was bad. In the case of Lambics, sour is a good thing (or a normal thing). The Saint Lamvinus was nothing like any of the others. It was the least sour and had a very vinous flavor to it. It’s brewed with merlot and cabernet grapes, which account for that wine flavor. It was very smooth and extremely delicious.
Unfortunately, these beers are all on the expensive side ranging from $15 to about $30 for a 750 ml bottle (the Saint Lamvinus is the expensive one as it’s a bit rarer). Check out Cantillon’s website for a good description of each beer and how they’re made.
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