Actually, pretty much everything that Cantillon produces is gold. Sorry Kanye. However, it definitely feels appropriate to start a Cantillon-themed post with Family Business given that it literally is one. Founded in 1900 by Paul Cantillon in Brussels, the Brasserie-Brouwerij remains in the family and is currently owned and operated by fourth-generation brewer Jean-Pierre Van Roy. Cantillon is the king of the lambic style. In a later piece, I'll discuss Cantillon and what makes it so special in depth, but here I'd like to briefly discuss the phenomenon known as Zwanze Day.
The Zwanze tradition started in 2008 when Cantillon released a special lambic with rhubarb added. Every year since, Cantillon has released an 'experimental' beer under the Zwanze name. Starting in 2011, the release of the Zwanze series has come along with a celebration known as "Zwanze Day" which is meant to bring lambic enthusiasts together. On October 1st, the 6th Zwanze Day took place at 56 locations around the world (27 locations in the USA). I attended the celebration at Spuyten Duyvil in Williamsburg (one of the original locations) and had a fantastic time. Several of the beers I tried that day appear on my weekly round up list below.
 |
| Brasserie Cantillon in Brussels courtesy of their Facebook page |
Because of the celebration, I had a few more beers this week than usual (sorry Mom). So, on to the top ten (!) beers of the week -
Just missed : Trillium Citra Cutting Tiles, LIC Beer Project Backjump, The Veil / Monkish Joooseee Boizzz
These are three beers I was really expecting a lot out of and in turn I was pretty disappointed. They're not necessarily bad per se, but not as good as I imagined them being.
First up is Citra Cutting Tiles, part of the exploratory Cutting Tiles series of double IPAs brewed with raw wildflower honey . Trillium's Cutting Tiles (formally Artaic) is great in my opinion, it's 100% Mosaic hops and well balanced. The subsequent version, Galaxy Cutting Tiles, was pretty damn good in my opinion, though I am partial to Galaxy hops. I was disappointed by the 100% Citra version, it was a bit soft and thin, and didn't have much citrus character or really much else in my opinion. A good, drinkable beer, but just nothing really noteworthy.
While picking up Breathe bottles from LIC last weekend, I tried their newest IPA (their second canning run after Pile of Crowns) Backjump. Double dry hopped with Citra, Columbus and Simcoe, Backjump is a hazy, melon-y IPA with a touch of bitterness. I tried it on tap at the brewery, not from the can (which could be better, or worse!) and was whelmed. It's pretty good, but wasn't good enough to justify a 4-pack in addition to the 4 fruited Berliner Weisse bottles I just purchased.
On to the biggest disappointment of the week - Jooosee Boizzz. This beer was super hyped, as both Veil and Monkish are two of the most hyped IPA producers in the country right now. It's an 11% triple IPA hopped with Wai-iti, Nelson, Motueka and Galaxy (all southern hemisphere hops) with raspbyerry purée added). I was expecting a lot, especially since the last triple IPA I had from Veil (Daddy's Home) was fantastic and everything I've tried from Monkish has been great as well. Unfortunately, I couldn't bring myself to like this one. Was it too boozy? A touch. Was it the raspberry purée? Maybe, I'm not sure. The beer had an odd lingering aftertaste, not unlike the Veil's last Wai-iti hopped beer, THat Part, which I also didn't like from them. Too bad.
10. Cellarmaker Brewing Company - Tiny Dankster
A simple, bright, and refreshing pale ale from Cellarmaker. One of my favorite West Coast breweries right now. Hopped with Mosaic, Citra and Nelson Sauvin, the Nelson really shines and it's a crushable, sessionable pale at 5.7%.
9. Brasserie Cantillon - Mamouche
Originally Zwanze 2009, Mamouche has become a regular release for Cantillon. It's a lambic brewed with elderflowers. It's straight-forward, floral and a nice lambic but pales in comparison to Cantillon's other offerings.
8. Brasserie Cantillon - Iris Grand Cru (2014)
A version of Cantillon's Iris aged for 3 years instead of 2 and not dry-hopped. It's really nice but I prefer the regular Iris which is a bit less tart and dry than this.
7. Wicked Weed Brewing - Medora (2015)
Medora is the best beer I've had from Wicked Weed. It's a blonde sour ale aged in red wine barrels with blackberries and raspberries. This beer has a lovely tartness and color. I love anything aged with blackberries, it's a bright, tart fruit that can add a lot of character. I may be biased but this one is worth seeking out. This is the second time I've had Medora (previously had in April as pictured below).
6. Brasserie Cantillon - Classic Gueuze
Cantillon's flagship beer. 100% lambic. Nuff said.
 |
| 6oz pour on right. First beer of the day! |
5. Brasserie Cantillon - Zwanze 2016
What we were all waiting for on 10/1. This is a lovely Framboise lambic. Hints of vanilla that appeared as it warmed, lovely color. Would love to revisit this one in a year or two, need to visit Cantillon for that!
 |
| Bonus Zwanze Keg picture! |
4. Brasserie Cantillon - Kriek
I'm not the biggest Kriek guy, I prefer other fruits. This is the gold standard, and it's beautiful.
3. Brasserie Cantillon - Cuvée Saint-Gilloise (2014)
The only bottle my friends and I managed to grab (struck out on St. Lam, LPK, LPG, regular Iris..). This vintage CSG, a dry-hopped lambic, was absolutely lovely and funky.
2. OEC Brewing - Artista Zynergia: Oudilis Cerasus
C-c-c-combo breaker! Due to Spuyten's generic draft list naming, I believe this is the correct version, as opposed to the Oudilis Blend #1 which I coincidentally also enjoyed (but at Edmund's Oast in Charleston, SC). This blended sour saison is aged on fresh hand-picked sour cherries and then blended with a three-year old Hanssens Kriek with Schaarbeekse cheeries. Another kriek surprise! Subtle cherries, tart, complex.
|
| 12oz pour on left |
1. Brasserie Cantillon - Rosé de Gambrinus
Wow. A traditional raspberry (framboise) lambic, this beer is absolutely lovely. I (luckily) had three pours of this on tap, I couldn't get enough. The best beer of Zwanze Day for me, and probably the best Cantillon I've had. Unfortunately, didn't get a good picture so I'll borrow this one from @thirstyhungrylife
Bonus: Modern Times Black House Blend Cold Brew Coffee. This bad boy is delicious and helped wake me up while standing in line for Zwanze day.
No comments:
Post a Comment