Brasserie Cantillon - Rosé de Gambrinus

I've been wanting to try a beer from Cantillon for a very, very long time. They have a reputation of being one of the best breweries in the world and the standard when it comes to geuzes and lambics. There's only one problem: People know that their beers are bomb so everyone snatches them up the second they hit shelves. I started asking around and finally found a bottle at Texas Liquor, right down the street from where I live. I didn't know a ton about the bottle he had, but I knew it was a Cantillon, so that was more than enough to convince me to buy it. Yesterday, I tried it with Beau.

Cantillon Rosé de Gambrinus pours an incredible dark pink color (likely from all the raspberries used during fermentation) with a foamy light pink head that settles to a modest cap over the beer. The smell is absolutely incredible: Huge notes of sour raspberry and red currant with a healthy dose of funk/wet horse blanket and a hint of oak. Funk is an easy smell to overdo, but this one had just enough.

The taste was, well, amazing. I expected good things from this beer, but nothing like this. There's a big hit of sourness and tartness that hits the second you take a sip, followed by some nice funk. A bit of the raspberry flavor pokes it's head through towards the finish alongside a bit of red wine vinegar. The mouthfeel is nice and light, making this beer very, very drinkable. On a hot day, I can't think of a better beer to have. Hopefully I'll be able to find more of this. Very, very soon.

Final Grade: A

Top 100 Beers Tasted: 26

Just a heads up on what to expect in the very near future. The next five (5!) reviews on this blog will be Top 100 Beers. Can...you...dig it!