Belgium: Bruocsella 1900 Grand Cru, Cantillon

cantbrouGold amber ale under large frothier lazy rim and foam that quickly fades then leaves town. The smell is beyond brett. The unripe Annapolis Valley Gravenstein green apple of my Nova Scotian youth gone mad with aspirations of manure pile. Quite plainly watery at the outset then acid and more acid…then one note of poo. Not refreshing to slightly sub-Cromwellian stridency. Annoying. Then at the end a hint of apple cider. Foul. I wonder if this is an example of mass reputation piercing the veil of reality – mob craftism.

I cannot hate it. Yet I am sure it hates me.

One thought on “Belgium: Bruocsella 1900 Grand Cru, Cantillon”

  1. [Original comments…]

    Joel – November 27, 2006 9:42 PM
    I intend no offense, but are you insane? “Beyond brett?” “…watery…?” Have you ever even had lambic before? Do you know how it’s made or that it’s *supposed* to demonstrate the qualities for which you’re chiding it? Admittedly, this is one of the more difficult lambics to enjoy for non-lambic lovers, but still: I should hope that before citing it as an “example of mass reputation” and “mob craftism” and before calling it “annoying,” you’d note for your readers that it is literally the pinnacle of one of the oldest beer styles still being brewed today.

    Alan – November 27, 2006 10:14 PM
    Yes. Yes. Check the archives. Yes. Don’t be foolish and yes.

    And it is intensely sour and tastes a bit like poo smells. It’s flat as well. You have to admit that too if you know anything about them. Why is this beer the pinnacle, when it is really more of an educational product to show what the brewer thinks is the pure thing? Because we are told it is? Because it costs a lot? I don’t say it is a sham, I say it is one of those beers that one has to be careful with due to the snob effect. Because it is intensely sound and tastes a bit like poo smells.

    Alan – November 28, 2006 1:13 PM
    One can read between the lines at the Oxford Bottled Beer Database:

    There is not a lot of sweetness, and the hops are not strongly present — at least not in any form I’ve ever come across. This is a challenging beer, even for those who are used to the flavour of gueuze. The only other unblended lambic I’ve tasted was in the A La Becasse bar in Brussels, but that one was somewhat more challenging and considerably more cidery.

    Note this from a Ratebeerian:

    Aroma is largely musty and barnyard funk. There are some sour apples and oak, and it smells acidic. Very sour with some plain bitterness peaking through towards the end . Otherwise the same as the aroma. I figured the acidity would be much sharper in the taste.This beer has my salivary glands working overtime. There is almost carbonation, medium bodied–I assume this is representative of the style, but it doesn’t work for me. Overall, this isn’t too bad if you don’t have to drink the entire 750 by yourself.

    Not to mention this from a BAer:

    Medium bodied and rather sour. A bit stomach-churning and souring of the belly. A few dry crackers and pretzels resolves that problem. Drinking this beer created a new appreciation for the sweeter beer styles. This one is just a bit too unpleasantly sour for my tastes.

    Alan – September 10, 2007 12:09 PM
    Goaty!

    Scott D. – May 27, 2008 6:16 PM
    I’ve known people who “didn’t like beer” who love lambics, and I’ve known beer people who hate lambics. Sour beers tend to be my favorites, but they’re just not for everyone. And for that reason, when serving a sour beer to guests I always volunteer to finish off their glass.

    Alan – May 27, 2008 7:29 PM
    Good plan! I have undertaken a broad study of sours since this post but I still think I would find this one over the top.

    Jourdan Keillor – October 4, 2010 6:22 PM
    http://thesalvingfont.com
    This is gold. I love it when one tastes a craft beer and knows they have to tear in to it, no matter how violently. There is so much good craft beer in the world, but also a lot of bad.

    Good post 🙂

    Aaron – October 11, 2010 11:20 PM
    I should have read the back of the bottle and realized that I was going to drink a raddler. For those of you who do not know what a raddler is, it is the drink that Germans use to get 15 year olds drunk. It is ale and sprite mixed. Good for that refreshing after lawn mowing drink, wretched if you are expecting a fine ale. This bottle is totally mislabeled. I thought I was drinking a fizzy, fruity, fake champagne rather than something I would order in a pub. Very disappointing. I had to pour the rest of the glass down the drain and left the bottle at my friend’s house for his wife. She may like it, however I doubt it.

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