1001 Beers

Beer No: 4/1001
Page No: 864
Category: Specialty

Yesterday was the big Belgian Beer Festival at Pizza Port, Carlsbad.  It featured two sessions - one from 10am to 4pm and another from 5pm to 11pm.  I joined 7 of my friends on the 8:08 am train from Santa Ana to Oceanside, took a cab from Oceanside to Carlsbad, and arrived at Pizza Port at 9:30 am.  It was perfect timing - we had about 4 people ahead of us, which meant we would get a table for sure.  In previous years, they had a couple of low, plastic tables set up with chairs around them, but this year, they went with all high, standing tables, which worked perfectly for us.  We quickly grabbed two high chairs for the table, and the 8 of us proceeded to rotate through them whenever we needed a rest.

Besides buying extra tasting tickets and heading straight for the beers on tap, we had to place an order first thing with Pizza Port.  We quickly ordered two beer buddies (one regular, one cajun flavor) and began perusing the massive list of beers.  This year's beer list featured 39 beers on tap - from AleSmith Grand Cru to Victory Abbey 9 with all sorts of amazing and rare beers in the middle.  The 77 bottles available ranged from Achel Extra to Het Anker Lucifer all the way to Westmalle Tripel.  It was a daunting list, but the 8 of us were determined to make our way through it.

I quickly pulled out my list of the 1001 Beers and worked my way through the full beer listing.  I unfortunately able to find only 4 beers that matched, however, I know there were more (and I hope they were among the ones I sampled and took notes on).  But the problem I have currently is that most breweries in the U.S. are identified as something like "Cantillon" - however, in the listing I have from the book, it is listed as "Brasserie Cantillon."  So even though I had a listing of 116 beers, it was taking too long to try and match up the brewers from the different lists, so I ended up with just 4 that I knew I would taste, rate, and then discuss later.  Those were: Cantillon Iris (2006), Cantillon Lou Pepe Kriek (2007), De Dolle Oerbier, and De Dolle Still Nacht.

So today, we start with the Cantillon Iris (2006).  Originally brewed for the brewery museum's twentieth anniversary, this beer has all the markings of a lambic, but, is not.  1001 Beers points out that to be a true lambic, it must contain 30% unmalted wheat and the Iris is a full-malt beer, and, therefore, legally not a lambic.  Legalities aside, this beer has all the markings of a lambic.  It is spontaneously fermented, it features aged hops, and is matured for two years in wooden barrels.  But for every part of it that would qualify it for a lambic, it has a brewing technique that sets it apart.  It uses fresh hops along with the aged hops and is also dry hopped - another feature that would disqualify it from being a true lambic.

Either way, to me this was a great beer.  It was one of the first beers I had on the day as it took them a few minutes to get the bottles all set up, so my first few tastes were on tap.  But, with my recent appreciation for sour beers having reached new heights, I really enjoyed the Iris.  It wasn't too sour as the sweetness balanced the beer nicely.  The finish was a bit acidic and bitter, but that is to be expected for many spontaneously fermenting beers.  While this wasn't my favorite beer of the day, it's one of Cantillon's great line of ales, lambics, and gueuzes.  Highly recommended.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Cantillon Iris from Cantillon

Aroma: 8/10
Appearance: 4/5
Flavor: 8/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 16/20

Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

#51 on the program, this was the 2006 vintage of Cantillon Iris. This was my first bottle of the day, and as such, one of the first ones opened. It was still cold, and uncorked for my tasting. It pours a brown/amber color with a spare, fizzy head and good lacing. The Iris is clear throughout with no particles. The nose is both sweet and sour. Aromas of flowers, hops, yeast, and fruits. A very complex, yet satisfying nose. Flavors are similarly complex, tasting slightly bitter with citrus dominating the flavors and an acidic finish. The Iris is very drinkable and finishes well. A fine start to my morning/afternoon festivities.

As I will probably find many times throughout my journey through 1001 Beers, I had previously rated this beer.  This original rating comes from 2003 - back then, the Belgian Beer Party didn't have two sessions and was known as the 12 Hour Belgian Beer Party.  It was tons of fun back then, with special beers being opened every hour on the hour, and other random ones throughout the day whenever the organizers felt like they wanted to open a magnum.  My original rating had this beer at a 3.6, which I felt was way too low after re-rating it today.  I bumped up the aroma from a 7 to an 8 and the Overall from a 13/20 to 16/20.  This is a very fine beer and I really enjoyed everything about it yesterday.  Hence the new 4.0 rating.

Anyways, here's my original Ratebeer rating from March 8, 2003:

#47 on the program. After sampling the Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus just a few beers prior, I had hoped for something a bit sweeter than what I got. Luckily I got some of the last bottle...but my taste buds were not ready. The beer hits you hard with a strong vinegar/acetic taste. The aroma is similar - a bit sour with a hint of alcohol. A very complex beer with a chalky finish and a soft carbonation. Not my favorite of the Cantillon family.