Detta kunde jag inte låta bli att köpa för 234:- (!!!):

Från höger...
Cantillon Kriek
Nils Oscar Rökporter
North Coast Brother Thelonius
2st Bintang (mest av nostalgisjäl, nästan den enda ölen som gick att köpa på Bali)
Oppigårds Starkporter
Samual Adams Honey Porter
Oud Beersel Geuze Vieille

Jag ser fram emot att prova alla, frågan är bara vilka man ska köpa dubletter av att lagra, Oud Beersel har ju trots allt bästföredatum 2028 och Cantillon Kriek 2015...

Palle tilføjer, at Lou Pepe er en helt særlig lambic. Normalt blander man lambic fra de forskellige tønder i et bryg for at sikre en hvis harmoni. Lou Pepe øllene der findes i flere varinter er altid fra samme tønde. Så helt fra lambic'en kommer ned fra loftet og senere bliver tilsat hindbær og til sidst tappet på flaske, har den hygget sig i den samme tønde. Tønderne er i øvrigt altid fra Bordeaux.

Cantillon Lou Pepe Framboise 2003 er et udmærket bud på en spontangæret øl til de middelhærdede spontandrikkere. Der er folk i vennekredsen, som vil være klar til denne øl næste gang de er med på Plan B - også selvom den kun kommer i store flasker.

Karakter (0-6): 4

Bare holde glasset op og se den utrolig smukke røde farve var en oplevelse.

Denne drik er utrolig velafblanceret. Det er nok et af de steder, hvor hardcore lambic drikkerne og nybegynderne kan mødes. Vi er tæt på at være over i en frugtagtig rødvin.

Jeg glæder mig over at have lagret to flasker derhjemme og ærgrer mig over, at det kun er to.

Den findes (men er udsolgt) også i en 2005 udgave.

Karakter (0-6): 5

Allerede når man løfter glasset mod munden rammes man af advarsler om den syrlighed, der venter forude. I glasset ser man en let, tåget nærmest roselignende vædske. Der er let skum. I modsætning til den helt rene lambic er der noget let perlende over den.  Man fornemmer de kirsebær, som er tilsat. Men sødmen er helt på nulpunktet. Det er som regel ikke almindelige kirsebær, man tilsætter, men nogle små syrlige sataner.

Jeg er totalt solgt. For mig den helt perfekte øl på en varm sommerdag.

Karakter (0-6): 6

Som øl ligger den i toppen af den ikke særlig tæt besatte anden divison af rigtig god lambic. Den mangler efter min mening lidt kant i forhold til de fleste andre sublime spontangærede fra Cantillon.  Den bliver lidt sødlig, men ligger da klart med i opløbet til at rykke op i første division.  Så fire stars med en raising undervejs. Det er især interessant at smage efter en grapeagtig smag, jeg ikke helt har fundet ved andre spontangærede.

De par flasker, vi har prøvesmagt, har været åbnet på Plan B . Som absolut bonus oplysning kan vi oplyse, at en af bartenderne fra cafeen ind imellem går med en t-shirt fra det fodboldhold, hvis oprykning var årsag til øllet (St Gilles).

Aural: cork opening, but uneventful, beautiful, continuous carbonation, quiet, luscious pour

Aroma 10 out of 10

Intensity: strong

Balance: sharp

Impression: nice

Malt Aroma: sour
Hops Aroma: wholly floral, rose, cinnamon, clove,
Other Aroma: orange, cherry, lemon

Notes: You have to be able to enjoy sour to get into a cherry behemoth like this. While it's not my favorite style, I genuinely appreciate it when it's done well. It's done perfectly.

Appearance 5 out of 5

Color: ruby

Clarity: nearly opaque

Head Retention: poor

Lace: poor

Notes: Very much like a sparkling wine, with great visual effects.

Flavor 10 out of 10

Intensity: strong

Balance: bitter

Impression: nice

Malt Flavor: sour
Hops Flavor: rose, lemon, rind
Other: cherry, plum, dates, raisin

Notes: An absolutely overwhelming sourness and bitterness. Done with finesse and great care.

Palate 5 out of 5

Mouthfeel

Sensation: drying

Body: full

Carbonation: heavy

Finish

Length: long

Intensity: strong

Balance: bitter

Notes: A dark, oaky, bitter finish and a very dry bite. delicious.

General Impression: 19 out of 20

Craftmanship: excellent

Freshness: fresh

Personal Taste: liked very much.

Notes: As I said, while this is not my go to style (luckily, since I couldn't afford it) I definitely appreciate when it's done well, and this is very well crafted. It demands to be sipped.

As a brewer and, um, frequent taster of beer, lambics hold a special place in my cellar. The kumquat-like tartness mixed with the vinegary sourness that hits right in the back of the tongue, slowly coating the mouth before dissipating, the balanced nuance of the wheat and barley, the almost complete lack of discernable hop flavor, the complex and acidic aroma that varies from white wine to hay to sweat, and the delicate combination of “wild” yeasts and bacteria all make me stop what I'm doing and just say "wow."

Lambic truly embodies its terroir. Taking a sip of Cantillon Kriek Lambic takes me straight to the Senne River Valley, surrounded by cherry orchards, drinking from a jug...   

Like a number of traditional Belgian beers, over the last several decades lambic has been a victim of changing tastes and industrialization. While the traditional version of the style is being revived by a number of brewers scattered across the US and Europe, it will never truly be the same as when it is produced in the Senne Valley. And even there, lambic is changing along with the local geography. 

Lambic is considered to be the "mother of all beers." Brewing in Brussels began sometime in the 1200s, and the first written documents about lambics date to around 1320, making it the oldest existing beer style in the world. The first lambics, or "yellow beers," were originally brewed in Lembeek, a village in the Senne Valley where at one point there were 600 inhabitants and 43 breweries. 

By Belgian law, lambic must be made from at least 30% (it is often more like 40%) unmalted wheat with malted barley (the dominant grain in most beers) making up the difference, and at some point in the process the unfermented beer (or wort) must be exposed to airborne yeasts. In this post-Pasteur era, exposing wort to airborne yeasts epitomizes this traditional style. Once all beer was “spontaneously fermented” with airborne yeasts. Now there is only lambic. While all brewing yeasts originated from fruit, the strains (ranging from 80-120) of yeast found in lambic are most likely a result of the breweries’ proximity to the vast cherry orchards that once covered the entire Senne Valley region. These local yeasts and bacteria have been residing in the casks, woodwork, walls, and ceilings of breweries like Cantillon since 1900, so are fully integrated into the infrastructure for now. The brewery cat, an essential part of any good lambic production facility, helps keep the yeasts airborne. Unlike in other beer styles, only aged hops (they’re ready when they start to smell like cheese) are used. The reasons are twofold: 1) the bitterness of fresh hops does not combine well with the natural sourness of a lambic; 2) the antimicrobial powers in fresh hops will kill off too much of the bacteria needed for proper fermentation, but are still potent enough to keep the acetobacter in check, giving a nice balance to a beer that would otherwise turn into malt vinegar.    

If procuring the necessary ingredients doesn’t seem onerous enough, the actual process of making lambic is itself an arduous process. A Dutch law introduced in 1822 (and maintained when Belgium became independent) taxed the size of the mash tun -- the vessel where water and grain are mixed to turn the starches into sugars -- forcing brewers to save money by creating a very dense and cloudy, or "turbid," mash. I'll spare you the details of this type of mashing (if anyone is interested, I will be happy to explain) but will say that extracting starches with this type of mashing is much more labor intensive and time consuming than the English style of using a single infusion. (Think several hours compared to one.) Traditional lambic brewers swear by this turbid mash method and still use it today. After all the sugars are extracted from the grain, the wort is boiled for at least three hours, sometimes all day (a “regular” boil for non-Belgian beers is more like 90 min), and then transferred to a coolship, a shallow vessel in a drafty part of the brewery, where it is allowed to cool overnight and enjoy its first exposure to yeasts and bacteria. When it has cooled sufficiently, the wort is transferred to casks, also home to a variety of yeasts, where it is allowed to age for 6 months to several years. 

Most lambics are blended before drinking, as the aging process greatly affects the taste. A young lambic (6 months -- 1 year old), which you will rarely find to drink straight, is considerably sweet and slightly carbonated, and is generally blended into a gueuze (a blend of 1, 2, and 3 year old lambics) or with other older vintages. Older lambics tend to be dry with less carbonation, having cider or wine notes and various levels of sourness. Faro, aged three years, is one of the few lambics available unblended, usually on draft, and is often sweetened with sugar to taste.  

Only a handful of traditional Belgian lambic brewers still exist. The ones with distribution in the US include Cantillon, 3Fonteinen, Girardin, Boon/Oud Beersel, and Timmermans.  Cantillon is of special importance because of the public stance for traditional production methods that brewer Jean-Pierre Van Roy promotes. After he married into the family run brewery in 1978, he set into motion the public argument for traditional lambic brewing by forgoing newer brewing practices, such as trading in wooden vessels for stainless steel and adding syrups or saccharin for sweetening. He also advocates the use of organic and local ingredients when possible. Most of the current large purveyors of sweetened lambic (such as the easy to find Lindemann’s or De Keersmaker lines) still use saccharin and syrups, while Cantillon prefers to use real fruit, letting the yeasts devour the sugars to create a dry beverage.  

Industrialization is not the only change in lambic country. While Cantillon was once able to buy all of the fruit they use in their beers from local farmers, they can now only purchase cherries locally. And the traditional brewing year of October to May now ends in March, at least at Cantillon, where Jean-Pierre cites global warming as the malefactor. 

Traditional lambic is not your run of the mill beer. It embodies time-honored practices and is truly a product of its place. While certain production methods can be replicated, the complex combination of yeasts and bacteria in each bottle cannot. Because of this, no two bottles or vintages are alike. Next time you open a bottle of traditional lambic, take great pleasure in your experience. It will not be repeated. 

Beers for this event were, understandably, a little harder to track down than those for the prior beer tasting, which focused on exemplary beers from a variety of common beer styles.  My first destination was Healthy Spirits, which has fast become my favorite beer purveyor as (A) it's close enough that even with a backpack full of beer I can still walk home, and (B) I can't think of a better use than a few freezer cases than filling it with their beer selection.  From there, it was a short zip over the City Beer Store to round out the line-up.  CBS makes up for their distance from The Monkeyhouse with an even larger selection that never fails to entice me into buying far more than I intended upon entering. 

The final tasting list was:

Flemish-style Red Ales

• Duchesse de Bourgogne
• Rodenbach Grand Cru
• Panil Barriquee

Flemish-style Oud Bruins

• Ichtegem's Grand Cru
• Monk's Café Flemish Sour Ale*

Fruited Wild Ales

• Russian River Supplication
• Birrifico Montegioco's Quarta Runa**

Gueuze

• Cantillon Classic Gueuze
• Russian River Beatification

Other

• The Monkeyhouse Grains of Wrath IPA***

*Not served because I lost it in my fridge.  With most of my usual beer-accommodating space taken up, this bottle went into the butter compartment on the door, and wasn't discovered until the next day. 

**A suggestion from CBC, this was not actually sour and it's not clear if it is wild, so it didn't really fit the theme of the event, which I didn't discover until we opened it that night.

***This obviously did not fit the bill of the event either, but was an exciting public debut for The Monkeyhouse's first brew

In the Flemish-style red ales, the Rodenbach Grand Cru was the clear winner in my mind.  It and the Duchesse de Bourgognewere similar and both very full flavored, but the Rodenbach was a little less sweet and a little more tart, which I thought provided a better balance of flavors.  The Panil Barriquee stood out clearly from the other two, with a much smoother and more subtle.  The tastes in the Barriquee were integrated together in a more cohesive way than in the first two, whose tastes seem to pop out of nowhere mid-sip to surprise the drinker.  I preferred the latter profile for probably the same reason I prefer California cabernets to French Bordeaux - I like getting a full wallop of flavor, even if it means sacrificing a little subtlety.

I had the Jolly Pumpkin La Rojalast night at Bar Crudo's April beer dinner and thought it would have been a nice addition to the line-up above if I had known about it.

In the oud bruins, well, we only had one due to the butter compartment mix-up mentioned above.  It was cool to taste how a beer that seems so similar to a Flanders red relative to the full range of beer styles, and even is identified as one on its own label, actually tastes quite different when sampled back-to-back with reds.  I liked it, but preferred the red ales as a style, given that they were both more sweet and more tart than the mellower Ichtegem's Grand Cru. 

In the fruited wild ales, we had my other favorite of the night, the Russian River Supplication, and a bit of a surprise in that the Quarta Runa.  The Quarta Runa wasn't really a sour ale, and so far as I can tell was not wild either.  This is a shame because I think it would have been better sampled alongside more comparable beers.  With all the sour beers we had tasted so far, the non-sour beer fell a little flat on palates expecting some pucker. 

The Supplication, on the other hand, is a beer that I will probably never be able to get enough of, quite literally, since there are only a limited number of bottles out there to be bought.  The Supplication has so much going on between the sour cherries in the brew, the Brettanomyces yeast and the Lactobacillus and Pediococcus bacteria that fermented it, and the oak and Pinot Noir flavors from the barrel aging process.  It is quite tart, but the interplay of all these flavors together gives it a complexity that the other beers couldn't quite match, much as I loved them.  The Brett flavor was mild, although it was awesome that even the first time drinkers of craft beer noticed it.  Before I got a chance to explain it someone asked, "Why does the cherry one smell like gym socks?"  After telling the group that they had horse-y smelling wild yeast in their beer, not to mention bacteria, a few were skeptical that this was really a coveted beer.  However, I don't think there were any skeptics left once everyone had given it a taste. 

The gueuze round really knocked home the point about Brett.  As we were passing around the Beatification and the Cantillon I told everyone to give them a sniff and the point was settled once and for all that, yup, good beer really can smell like a saddle blanket.  I also got a chance to put my new theory out there:

•           American beer fad on its way out - extreme hops
•           American beer fad reaching its peak - barrel aging
•           American beer fad just ramping up - spontaneous fermentation
•           American beer fad yet to be - low/no hop beers: bocks & gruits?

Extreme hops: Everyone has done the super-hopped thing by now, and I think it would have died down already if it hadn't been for the shortage, which tempted rebellious-by-nature brewers across the country to spit in the eye of prudence and market dynamics.  It may sound like I'm not a fan, but that's not true, I just think it's been overdone and genuinely delicious high hop beers (see: pretty much the entire Stone portfolio) have given way to some hops-for-the-sake-of-hops beers.  

Barrel aging: I love this trend and am so happy that it seems like everyone has one now.  The barrels are a whole new dimension for brewers to play with, in addition to the old standards of malt, hops, and yeast.  Not only is there a question of which wood to use (most go with Oak but Dogfish Head's new brown uses Palo Santo), there is the issue of what prior experience the barrels have.  Brewers right now are playing with a variety of wine barrels (as with the pinot barrels used in the Supplication above), bourbon barrels (as with those used in the Allagash Curieux or the Lost Abbey Angel's Share or Firestone's Velvet Merkin), and brandy barrels (as with North Coast's Old Stock). 

Spontaneous fermentation: So far, Russian River (Beatification) and Allagash (TBD) are the only American brewers I know of with 100% spontaneously fermented beers, but where they go, I'm sure others will soon follow.  Be on the look out for more of these to come.

Minimal hops: Now that the realities of the hops situation have hit home and Imperial IPAs are getting a little overexposed, I'm hoping some people see it as an opportunity to introduce malt-driven styles like bocks that have gotten little attention before, or herb bittered gruits that are virtually unknown to-date.  I haven't seen much evidence of this yet, except for the gruit at Magnolia (see upcoming post), but I'm expecting it. 

.I've got a new rating style for starters. I had grown tired of listening to myself blather on about various reticent aromatics and how many shades of straw can be fit into one glass and it became rather a chore to rate everything that way. So I stopped. Now I aim to accurately portray the whole experience in as few words as possible. Currently that means one sentence each for appearance, aroma, flavour, mouthfeel and overall impressions. ...Yes, that is an entire paragraph, I know. But it's short, for me. Here, look, this one's from last night:

Charred brown, scantily topped by an eggshell crema. Sturdy roast and toffee malts take the forefront against oloroso sherry, fennel and grassy hops. Succulent sweets brace against coffee bitterness, fading into a lengthy roast and mineral finish. A creamy texture melds well with the delicate carbonation.

Rich and roasty in a svelte package. (Hepworth's Bad King John, 72 points.)

See, not too painful. To go along with this new rating method I've compiled a list of beers to span the rating spectrum from top to bottom. That is, I've sorted through all of my ratings --by score, then by date-- and pulled the ones I felt were most definitive for each score. For example, on the Ratebeer scale of 4.5 through 4.8 I've used the following:

4.8: Orval.
4.7: 3 Fonteinen Schaerbeekse Kriek, Great Divide Hercules Double IPA.
4.6: Apis Póltorak Jadwiga, Haandbryggeriet Norwegian Wood.
4.5: Stone Ruination IPA, Rochefort Trappistes 10.

Now, after I'm done with my pencil wagging at the description of a beer, I simply look at my definitive score list and figure out where the beer goes. It's as easy as comparing my current level of enjoyment to those beers I remember so well. Of course, I will have to update my definitive score list every so often as my memory fails me through continued imbibing, but I don't think my personal definition of what a "4.5" is will change much in the future. I intend to only keep one to three definitive beers in each scoring slot. And it only took some 1200 ratings to accomplish that feat.

Sorting through all of those beers to create my definitive score list gave me the additional opportunity to come up with a few neat statistics about the beers I've tried. Or rather, statistics about my personal preferences in the beers that I've tried. First and foremost, my Real Top Ten. Sure, I could just let the numbers sort it all out, but that doesn't take into account palate development and changes in my usage of the rating scale. So I picked my thirteen top beers (there were ties) by score and confidence that if I were given a bottle today (please?) it would still end up in my Real Top Ten. I'll say no more:

1a. Orval, 96 pts.
1b. New Glarus Belgian Red, 96 pts.
3a. 3 Fonteinen Schaerbeekse Kriek, 94 pts.
3b. Great Divide Hercules Double IPA, 94 pts.
5a. Apis Póltorak Jadwiga, 92 pts.
5b. Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza, 92 pts.
5c. Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel, 92 pts.
5d. Haandbryggeriet Norwegian Wood, 92 pts.
9a. Pizza Port Cuvee de Tomme, 90 pts.
9b. Stone Ruination IPA, 90 pts.
9c. 3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze, 90 pts.
9d. Rochefort Trappistes 10, 90 pts.
9e. St. Bernardus Tripel, 90 pts.

Okay, that's pretty subjective for a "stat", I'll admit. But wait, there's more! Having downloaded my ratings into MS Excel, I decided to make a few pivot tables in order to answer a few questions. First up, who are my favourite brewers? Setting the minimum number of ratings for inclusion at five (sorry Trappists), I get the following:

Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Hair of the Dog Brewing Company
AleSmith Brewing Company
Cantillon
Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs

It's not much of a surprise, especially with regard to JP and Cantillon. I wonder if des Rocs would still make the cut if I retried their line-up? They did seem to have an issue with rather unsightly protein agglomeration a while back, if I recall correctly. Of course, five was a rather arbitrary number. Moving the cut-off up to ten JP, HotD and des Rocs get bumped in favour of Stone Brewing Co., Southampton Publick House and Fantôme. However, the average number of beers I've tried from every brewery I've sampled is three and making that the magic number gives me a top list of 3 Fonteinen, Rochefort, JP, HotD and AleSmith. The Moral? Beer tastes good.

I also took the time to figure out my favourite styles with various cut-offs in place. Ten seemed like a good number so I started there and came up with this:

Lambic - Gueuze
Abt/Quadrupel
Sour Ale
Imperial Stout
Imperial/Double IPA

Giant flavours all, what a terrible person I am for shunning subtlety in my life! Not until the cut-off is lowered to two does that list change, and then it's only to add unblended Lambic at the top. Going the other direction, the average number of beers I've had from each style is 18 and that cut-off results in a top five list including Imperial Stout, Imperial/Double IPA, American Strong Ale, Barley Wine and Saison. I'll cry myself to sleep tonight (wishing that I had some Saison Dupont Vieille Provision).

As of late I've started to get back into semi-seriously reading about beer. A few new forums have been added to my daily web browsing, I've rehashed some old Michael Jackson books and am about to dive back into The Brewmaster's Table (Garrett Oliver) and Dave Miller's Homebrewing Guide. More importantly, some fellow Ratebeerians have helped me put together a really nice list of books to acquire in the near future. On the very science-y side of things I've got these suggestions:

Handbook of Brewing
Principles of Brewing Science

Moving along to more digestible material, these books have all been on my radar for some time, though I'd have had difficulties pulling all of their names out of thin air:

Radical Brewing
Designing Great Beers
Brew Like a Monk
Wild Brews
Farmhouse Ales
New Brewing Lager Beer
Using Hops: The Complete Guide to Hops for the Craftbrewer

After those come some history and style tomes I'd be more than happy to get my hands on:

Man Walks into a Pub
Prost! The Story of German Beer
History of the Brewing Industry and Brewing Science in America
The Essentials of Beer Style: A Catalog of Classic Beer Styles for Brewers and Beer Enthusiasts

All that said and done, I should really get on with and talk about beer. More specifically, what I've enjoyed most since my last discussion about such things. Towards the end of January I enjoyed a fine bottle of Herold Cerny Lezák 13°. Deep brown with a frothy, mocha head it offered a rich aroma of cocoa powder and oily coffee with heavily caramelized notes and a hint of grass. The flavour acted in accord and also drew out some light smoke, finishing with bitterness of roast, grass and white pepper. A silky texture; plentiful yet gentle carbonation and a medium body rounded out the affair. Incredibly clean and straightforward fun. (84 points)

Next up I experienced a wonderful 2002 bottle of Cantillon Tyrnilambic Baie dArgousier, brewed specifically for One Pint Pub in Helsinki and aged on the very delicious sea buckthorn. It began a lightly cloudy straw-yellow hue, an innocent disguise for the massively tart and acidic aroma in the vein of apple cider vinegar and lemon juice. Horse-blanket, lichen and a dozen other Lambic redolences followed. Acids, tannins and sour fruits all swirled swiftly and harmoniously together in the flavour. The light body with moderate carbonation was terrifically slick and refreshing. (80 points)

In February, during the Scandinavian beer week at Plevna, I had the good fortune of trying Amager's Batch One, a deep amber "American strong ale" with massively dank and catty Simcoe hops that exploded in every sniff and sip. Elements resembling cookies and brown sugar did their best to fend off citric bitterness, but it was all about the hops. The body was just as big as the flavour. It was as if I was tasting Stone Brewing Co.'s Arrogant Bastard for the first time all over again. The Amager got 80 points, eerily identical to my five year old Arrogant Bastard rating that never required adjustment.

Sometime in March I started to wonder what a beer would be like if it was brewed to mimic a big red wine with serious legs. I got my answer at the end of the month when a friend shared his bottle of Mikkeller Black Hole. The ruby-black hued beer emitted strong notes of coffee, chocolate and dark fruits, along with vanilla and leather in a stunning impression of a Zinfandel. There were strong hops as well, but they fit complimentary into the overall experience. The flavour contained lots of chocolate, roast and fruit yet remained nimble the entire time. It was a bit on the heavy side, but the silky texture and soft carbonation lightened it up considerably. My precognition made for a great beer. (82 points)

Later into that same evening I was treated to Apis Póltorak Jadwiga, a mead that has long been on my radar screen. A deep, coppery-red hue foretold the gigantic aroma of honey, butterscotch and toffee that would cross paths with almonds, cherries and chocolate. Boldly sweet with raisins and cherries, it gave off a huge oloroso sherry vibe. The full body and creamy texture was simply beautiful. A stunning classic worthy of 92 points.

While this has been a great deal of fun, I'm out of new words for the time being and shall bravely head for this evening's sauna. I hope to return soon, with more beer-y news to share. Cheers.

Meer dan dertig liefhebbers van spontane gistingsbieren en Cantillon in het bijzonder schoven aan voor een proeverij van oude en nieuwe bieren van de brouwerij uit Anderlecht.  Voor de spotprijs van een luttele euro (niet-leden van de Heikantse Bierliefhebbers betaalden slechts € 2,00) kon je genieten van een twintigtal verschillende soorten of jaargangen: Oude Geuze, Oude Kriek, Framboos en andere pareltjes, allen op flessen van 75 cl. en vaak uit de persoonlijke collectie van HBL-voorzitter Fons Minne.  Uit mijn proefnotities blijkt dat de bieren erg verschillend zijn naargelang de generatie (1981, begin jaren 90 en 2007).

Cantillon Geuze, botteldatum 1981
Een helder goudamber bier zonder schuim heeft een wat muffig, zurig aroma met lichte connotaties van caramel, hout en cognac.  De smaak is zuur en een licht wrang.  Hout blijft hangen.  De nasmaak vloeit lang uit, maar nieuwe smaakelementen blijven uit.  Het bier plakt ietwat in de wangen.  Het bier is mooi bewaard, alleen de frisheid is wat weg.

Cantillon Geuze, botteldatum 1993
Donkerblond en troebel met een dun schuim dat in eilandjes samentrekt.  Opmerkelijk fruitig in de neus, maar ook stoffig.  De smaak kunnen we omschrijven als zerp met een beetje tanine en op de tong een mespunt boter.  Het bier trekt de mond droog.  De nasmaak brengt niets nieuws en blijft aardig hangen.  Mooi geëvolueerd tot een mooie, vrij complexe en bovenal interessante ervaring.

Cantillon Geuze, botteldatum 2007
Het bier kleurt geelblond en is licht troebel.  Slechts een zeer weinig, wat wandklevend schuim.  De neus is wat gistig en we ontwaren aroma's van vanille, citrus (pompelmoes) en wat jonge hop.  De smaak is zurig die bruusk uitmondt in een stevig zure nasmaak.  Zelfs wat azijnzurig.  Het bier mist wat harmonie tussen smaak en nasmaak.

Cantillon Framboos, botteldatum 1981
Een overvloedig schuim deemstert vrij vlug weg tot een dun laagje boven een amberkleurig bier.  Framboos en kers in de fruitige neus met een zoetig karakter als van confituur.  Een licht zuurtje komt opzetten.  De smaak is licht zurig, zoetig met impressies van fruit (niet noodzakelijk framboos) en een beetje taninne.  Het bier vloeit uit.  Het bier presenteert nog vrij veel fruit voor die ouderdom.  Sommige flessen van dit jaar hadden een totaal andere gedaante: zuriger, likeur.

Cantillon Framboos, botteldatum 1991
Een licht amber bier draagt een weinig schuim, samengetrokken in eilandjes.  Het fruitige aroma wordt georkestreerd door vanille en een lichte zurigheid.  De smaak is zuur met wat achterliggend fruit, vooreerst moeilijk definieerbaar, maar stilaan wat duidelijker framboos.  Het mondgevoel is opvallend droog.  De smaak blijft hangen, maar brengt niets nieuws.  Een lichte fruitsmaak is in dit bier nog vaag aanwezig, maar het staat dichtbij de roots: bijna geuze-lambik.

Cantillon Framboos, botteldatum 2007
Een weinig schuim boven een oranjerood amberkleurig bier.  Fruitig met impressies van jong rood fruit, hoppige toetsen en citrus (pompelmoes).  De smaak is zacht zoetig en zurig met een beetje tanine op de achtergrond.  Een fris bier dat uitvloeit in een lichte bitterheid.

Cantillon Kriek, botteldatum 1981
Het weinige schuim dat verschijnt, verdwijnt vliegensvlug.  Een amberkleurig bier geurt sterk naar krieken, vanille (kriekenpit) en wat hout.  Als fruitig, zoetig en licht zurig omschrijven we de smaak.  In de nasmaak wordt de zurigheid wat scherper en we ontwaren een lichte wrangheid.  Dit bier is nog heel aangenaam drinkbaar.  De kriekensmaak is nog levendig aanwezig.

Cantillon Kriek, botteldatum 1994
Het bier oogt donker amber tot zelfs licht kastanjebruin. Een matig schuim verdwijnt snel tot een dun laagje en trekt net als zijn generatiegenoten samen tot een eiland.  Een zacht aroma van krieken wordt vergezeld van kriekenpit en vanille.  Een zoetige en zacht zurige smaak evolueert naar zuur om dan weer langzaam uit te doven in de nasmaak.  Mooi evenwichtige Kriek.

Cantillon Kriek, botteldatum 2007
Schuimloos en rood amber geurt deze lambik hoppig en fruitig met een aroma van een weinig krieken en zacht kriekenpit.  Het bier laveert doorheen een beetje zoet, een weinig zuur en een lichte bitterheid om daarna zurigbitterig uit te vloeien.

Vonck, aangekocht juli 1992
Een weinig wandklevend schuim kleeft aan een troebel geelblond bier.  Het aroma is wat muf en zurig met toetsen van hout en hop.  De smaak is zurig tot zuur en vloeit uit in een wrange bitterige nasmaak.  De zuur-bitter balans is erg aangenaam.

De Dolle Proevers Kersen, aangekocht juli 1992
Een donker amber bier met rode gloed draagt een weinig wandklevend schuim.  Een fruitig aroma met licht gebrande kandij.  Doet me wat denken aan het suikerlaagje van crème brûlée.  Kersen zijn nog vaag aanwezig, waarneming van kersenschil.  De smaak is zoetig fruitig en wrangzurig.  De finish is zuur.  Erg interessante ervaring.

Waren o.a. ook nog te proeven: Grand Cru Bruocsella, Vigneronne en Lamvinus in twee jaargangen, Mozart, Brabantia, Cantillon 50°N-4°E, ...

Af en toe verrast de eigenzinnige brouwerij Cantillon ons met een 'specialleke'.  Dit keer liet men lambik rijpen op oude cognacvaten om alzo een zeer interessant en uiterst geraffineerd product te bekomen:

"In maart 2005 heeft de Brouwerij Cantillon tweedehandse vaten gekocht in de regio van Cognac.  Gedurende 15 jaar is het hout doordrongen van cognac.  Nadien heeft onze Lambic daar, tijdens 2 jaar, alle  smaken en aroma's uitgetrokken om er een unieke geuze van te maken.  De naam van het bier heeft als basis de geografische lokalisatie van de brouwerij".

Het bier presenteert zich troebel goudblond in het glas.  Met een wijde boog kan behoorlijk wat wit schuim bekomen worden, al verdwijnt dit snel.  Het aroma is zonder meer complex met een initiële fruitigheid, licht zoetige en vineuze connotaties, een lichte rokerigheid, iets wat me aan droog stro doet denken en houttoetsen.  De smaak is misschien wat zoeter dan wat we van een Cantillon gewoon zijn, maar een aangename zurigheid met heerlijke rinse trekken blijft zeker niet lang achterwege.  Het samenspel aan smaken blijft het gehemelte boeien, amuseren en bedwelmen.  Amper te geloven dat dit bier slechts een alcoholgehalte van 5 volume% heeft.

Deze ware ontdekking is te proeven op het Vilvordia BierProefFestival op 18 mei 2008.

This micro brewery in Brussels also functions as a museum for lambic brewing and has a tasting room for its products.  Both Cantillon and the lambic beers are covered extensively in any guide to the beer styles of the world, so I'll just give you some personal impressions.

The concept is simple - you turn up at the brewery, enter and pay a 4 Euro entrance fee. You then get a leaflet explaining the brewing process, and you are free to wander around as long as you like. The start of the brewing process is like in any brewery, the difference comes at the point where you'd usually add the yeast. The lambic beers use spontaneous fermentation, which means that no yeast is added. Instead they expose the cooling wort to the open air, and yeast spores then, like Tinker Bell, come dancing on the breeze and settle in the beer. Theses spores could be anywhere in the environment, so they have to be extra careful when doing any alterations to the building. And they leave cobwebs and dust in some corner - the food control authorities are not too happy about that!

After the wild yeast has started to do its job, it's time to fill the lambic into oak barrels, which, for the first three or four days, are overflowing with foam. After this has died down, a slow fermentation starts in the barrels, and this can go on for years.

Some of the lambic is bottled as geuze, some has fruit - cherries, raspberries or grapes - added in the process. At the end, a mix of new and old beers (up to three years in the cask) is bottled and sent to the market.

When you walk through this shrine to old fashioned brewing, you have the smell of beer evaporating everywhere, from open vessels and from barrels of various vintages. The strong smells tells you that this is a rather more expensive way of brewing than in large plants where everything is hermetically sealed to make sure you can bottle every drop.

And at the end you get to taste two or three varieties. The Geuze is a blend of 1, 2 and 3 year old lambics. It is more sour than bitter, with a lot of acid. You have no feeling of the malt or hops, it is a cider-like beverage, but extremely dry.

The Lou Pepe Kriek is their premium brand of cherry lambic. It is very smooth, with the cherries adding a new dimension. A little sweetness in the finish, but the sourness lingers, too. Very refreshing.

The last beer I tried was their Faro. This is lambic where they have added caramel and candy sugar. The yeast is still so potent that this will only keep for a few weeks. This was very sweet, had a peach-like fruitiness, but with the sourness underneath. A bit too syrupy for me, more interesting than outstanding. I guess that this was the form they drank much of the lambic in the old days, adding sugar as it suited the customers of a particular cafe.

You can get Cantillon lambics all over the world, and they even make special beers for other countries, with additions like blueberries and cloud berries.

If you want to really explore the world of beers, this is a family of beer styles you need to look into. Be warned, though, the sourness is not to every one's liking.

I raise my glass to the enthusiasts who keep this running, keep it open to the public, and even sell their beers at a very nice price to people dropping by.

Ingrediënten (voor 3 à 4 personen):

- 4 kg mosselen
- 4 groene selderstengels
- 4 stevige uien
- 4 teentjes look
- een paar laurierblaadjes
- enkele takjes verse tijm
- peper
- cayennepeper
- boter
- een half glas water
- een stevig glas Oude Geuze

Bereidingswijze

Smelt een stevig klompje boter in een grote pot (wij zweren bij het materiaal van Demeyere).  Voeg daaraan de grof gesneden selder en de in ringen gesneden uien toe, samen met de fijngehakte look, de laurierblaadjes en de tijm.  Kruid naar believen met peper en cayennepeper voor een licht pikante touch.  Giet een half glas kraantjeswater bij het groenten-kruiden mengsel en laat 5 à 10 minuutjes zachtjes sudderen.  Voeg de goed gekuiste en gewassen mosselen toe en laat even koken (met het deksel er op).  Opschudden en de Oude Geuze toevoegen.  Ik koos voor Cantillon.  Nog eens goed opschudden tijdens het koken.  Als de mosselen zich mooi geopend hebben, ben je klaar.  Ik serveerde de mosseltjes met versgesneden Belgische frietjes.  Het gerecht laten smaken met een goed glas Oude Geuze.  Smakelijk !

En nu naar Bruxellensis Festival voor een nieuw smakenspektakel.  Behalve van dit festival, kan je de komende weken nog verslagen vinden van brouwerijbezoeken aan Sainte-Hélène, Kerkom en De Regenboog.  Ook probeer ik een reisverslag te schrijven van onze trip met de Heikantse Bierliefhebbers naar Darlington van 13 tot 17 september.

Het befaamde Koninklijk Poppentheater Toone, ontstaan in 1830, is pure Brusselse folklore !  Enkele jaren geleden mocht ik met de Putse Bierkliek een voorstelling bijwonen tijdens hun bierweekend in Brussel: onvergetelijk !  Bovendien kan je er in een prachtig kader genieten van een heerlijk glas bier.  Tijd voor een vleugje nostalgie ...

Het weer is niet opperbest en het knusse terrasje op de binnenkoer ligt er verlaten bij.  In het 'stamenei' is het gelukkig wél oppergezellig.  Het samenspel van baksteen, bepleisterde muren, zwartgeblakerde houten balken, oud cafémeubilair, gekunstelde schilderijen en de alom aanwezige marionetten geeft een heel apart karakter.  Op de achtergrond zweeft muziek van Johnny Hallyday en George Benson.  De buitenlandse gasten drinken voornamelijk Kwak (brouwerij Bosteels), hier blijkbaar zeer populair.  Ik kies voor een écht Brussels bier: Cantillon Geuze 100 % Lambik Bio.  Dit heerlijk verfrissend bier is zurig en droog met vineuze toetsen en lichte houtimpressies en gezegend met die typische smaakstempel, eigen aan Cantillon.

De Toone Dynastie met haar woelige geschiedenis heeft een nieuwe held: Nicolas Géal, oudste zoon van José Géal (Toone VII), werd op 10 december 2003 gekroond tot Toone VIII.  De traditionele Brusselse stangpoppen heten 'Poechenellen' of 'Pouchenellen'.  Een bekende komische figuur in het Brusselse stangpoppenspel is 'Woltje', een klein brutaal straatjongetje met lange armen en een knuppel in de hand, waarmee hij met een armzwaai keihard op de kop van een tegenstander kan slaan.

"Les Marionnettes plaisent de plus en plus.
Elles sont l'écologie du monde du spectacle,
le retour au signe, simple et évident."

- Michel de Ghelderode -

Een bezoekje aan Toone is absoluut de moeite.  Het poppentheater herbergt naast een 'stamenei' ook nog het Brussels Marionettenmuseum.  Het jaar rond worden er voorstellingen gegeven in 't 'Bruxellois Français' (andere talen, waaronder Brussels Vloms, op aanvraag).  De programmatie vind je op hun prachtige website.  De prijs bedraagt € 10,00 (reductieprijs: € 7,00). Reserveren is aangewezen.

Klik op het plaatje voor meer foto's (slideshow)

Koninklijk Theater Toone
Schuddeveldgang 6
1000 Brussel
woltjeNOSPAM@skynet.be

Telefonische reservaties op 02 511 71 37 of 02 513 54 86.
Het 'stamenei' is open van 12:00 tot 24:00, gesloten op maandagen en in de maand januari.

Op 3 juli mocht brouwerij Cantillon trouwens 4.500 kilogram krieken verwelkomen.  U leest het hier.