Hello everyone. For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be trying a Cantillon Vigneronne (2011) produced by the Brasserie Cantillon located in Brussels, Belgium.
I very rarely am able to find anything by Cantillon, so I’m super excited about trying this beer.
The website, cantillon.be, has a very lengthy description of this brew, so I’m just going to post a small excerpt.
Vigneronne is a blending muscat grapes and lambic, the brewers and beer merchants produced the “druivenlambik” (grapes lambic). White grapes soaked in lambic. The fructose, which abounds in these fruits, enables us to make a beer which is more mellow than the Gueuze or the other fruit beers. The spontaneous fermentation, the ageing in the barrels for several years and the addition of grapes make it a distant cousin of certain white wines. Changed name from Druivenlambik in 1987.
Let’s enjoy this fine brew, shall we?
This beverage comes in a 25.4 oz. bottle and it has an ABV of 5.0%.
It poured quite clear with a orange color. The crown was barley off white and kind of fizzy. The size was somewhat small, which surprised me because I gave it a fairly aggressive pour. The retention time was slight and it hardly left any lacing behind as the head settled.
The nose was very nice. A lot of grassy notes combined with a (good kind of) mustiness. Hints of acidic lemon citrus, white grapes and sour green apples. It also smelled a little bit tart with a light barnyard funk. The nose wasn’t extremely loud, however it was very well balanced and defined. The overall bouquet was very pleasing to say the least.
The taste was outstanding!!! It started with a very pleasing and manageable sourness, which moved to a kind of lemon “sweet tart” flavor. Savors of white grapes and yeast stepped up during the middle and the musty funk really seemed to ascend even more than it did in the aroma. Phenomenal, I must say.
The mouthfeel was medium bodied. Very dry, crisp and a touch sharp and bitey. The carbonation was great and a lot of flavor was left covering the entire palate after each intake.
Yep… this is an excellent beer. The appearance wasn’t all that impressive, but the nose was great and the taste was “world-class”. The drinkability was spectacular too. I tried to take my time with it, but I found myself taking huge gulps. This Cantillon Vigneronne is easily worth a try if you can obtain a bottle. I think even the most advanced craft beer drinker would be pleased to have this on hand at all times. I know I would. Have you guys ever tried this beer? Did you like it? Feel free to leave a comment and tell me your opinion of it.
Thanks for reading everyone. I really appreciate it.
Until next time. Cheers.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
Grade: A
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Ryan Mould
December 13, 2012 at 4:10 pm
Excellent review. Are you able to get Cantillon at bottle shops near you, or do you have to trade for them?
Ryan Mould
December 13, 2012 at 4:10 pm
Excellent review. Are you able to get Cantillon at bottle shops near you, or do you have to trade for them?
Scott Shrewsberry
December 13, 2012 at 4:54 pm
Ryan,
Thanks for the compliment on the review my man. I really appreciate that.
I don't see Cantillon very often. If the bottle shop I go to happens to get a few in they will sometimes hold one or two for me if they know I'm coming in. Otherwise, it's just hit or miss when I visit places.
Cheers,
Scott
Scott Shrewsberry
December 13, 2012 at 4:54 pm
Ryan,
Thanks for the compliment on the review my man. I really appreciate that.
I don't see Cantillon very often. If the bottle shop I go to happens to get a few in they will sometimes hold one or two for me if they know I'm coming in. Otherwise, it's just hit or miss when I visit places.
Cheers,
Scott
Unsystematic
December 13, 2012 at 10:15 pm
You are a lucky, lucky guy. It's next to impossible to find Cantillon around here. I've never even seen this beer before, but I really want to try it. Good review!
Walker
Unsystematic
December 13, 2012 at 10:15 pm
You are a lucky, lucky guy. It's next to impossible to find Cantillon around here. I've never even seen this beer before, but I really want to try it. Good review!
Walker
Scott Shrewsberry
December 14, 2012 at 1:20 am
Unsystematic,
Thanks, as always, for the great compliment on the review.
You know, I tend to get a bit frustrated when I read about all of the beers that I see everyone else drinking that I can't get, but then I look back at some of my reviews and I have to remind myself that I've gotten to try some really great and unique beers. I need to count my blessings in that regard. You're right…. I'm a lucky guy.
Cheers,
Scott
Scott Shrewsberry
December 14, 2012 at 1:20 am
Unsystematic,
Thanks, as always, for the great compliment on the review.
You know, I tend to get a bit frustrated when I read about all of the beers that I see everyone else drinking that I can't get, but then I look back at some of my reviews and I have to remind myself that I've gotten to try some really great and unique beers. I need to count my blessings in that regard. You're right…. I'm a lucky guy.
Cheers,
Scott
Unsystematic
December 14, 2012 at 7:06 am
You make a pretty good point. I feel like I'm in the same boat. I definitely get pretty jealous when I see some of the beers you and some of the other people I follow are trying, but I've had some pretty good luck over the years stumbling on things I probably had no business trying. Gotta love this hobby of ours.
Unsystematic
December 14, 2012 at 7:06 am
You make a pretty good point. I feel like I'm in the same boat. I definitely get pretty jealous when I see some of the beers you and some of the other people I follow are trying, but I've had some pretty good luck over the years stumbling on things I probably had no business trying. Gotta love this hobby of ours.
Scott Shrewsberry
December 14, 2012 at 6:50 pm
Unsystematic,
This is an outstanding hobby isn't it? Just somewhat expensive!!!
I love taking a chance and picking up a bottle that I know nothing about only to find out that it's a great beer. Of course, every now and then I find one that's not so great. Oh well.
Cheers,
Scott
Scott Shrewsberry
December 14, 2012 at 6:50 pm
Unsystematic,
This is an outstanding hobby isn't it? Just somewhat expensive!!!
I love taking a chance and picking up a bottle that I know nothing about only to find out that it's a great beer. Of course, every now and then I find one that's not so great. Oh well.
Cheers,
Scott