Soirée Cantillon. AmmutsØn, May 8, 2018
During the course of the evening, a new keg of these five Cantillons was tapped every full hour.
- Classic Gueuze
- Grand Cru Bruocsella. A 3 years barrel aged Lambic
- Kriek. A cherry Lambic
- Rosé de Gambrinus. A raspberry Lambic.
- Nath 2017. A rhubarb Lambic
By the time we arrived it was still a solid one and a half hours until the first Cantillon was to be tapped, but there were already quite some people at the bar. The closer it came to 6 o’clock, the more people arrived and by the time the event officially started, the place was completely packed. There was even a filmmaker present who is currently shooting a documentary about the Austrian craft beer scene and who would not let an opportunity like the Soirée Cantillon go by unnoticed (I am really looking forward to seeing this movie, btw).
And then the big moment finally arrived and the first keg was officially released. Robby and Misho were standing behind the bar with a glass of Gueuze in their hands and an expression in their faces that was pure of honest joy and excitement. Robby gave a little speech about the evening, the brewery and the beers that were tapped. Every time a new keg was tapped, he explained the beer and the brewing process behind it in detail in order to give a better insight on the treasures people would be holding in their hands soon. It was super informative and extremely interesting. It definitely made me understand the beers and their characters more. But watch the video below yourself. The Gueuze was absolutely mind blowing and it would turn out to one of my two favorite beers that evening. This blend of three different lambics was rather dry and had a moderate, yet very subtle sourness. I most certainly was not the only one who really loved this beer, since the Gueuze keg was emptied before the third beer was tapped. I do not know when I will have the chance to have it again, so I am stoked that I could purchase a bottle of it at the bar, as well. The second beer was the 3 years oak aged Grand Cru. It was quite salty and tasted kind of like a dry white wine. Very interesting. One and two hours later, it was time for the fruit. Both the Kriek and the Rosé de Gambrinus are brewed with 200g of cherry and raspberry, respectively per 1 liter of beer. The last beer was my other favorite. The Nath 2017 was extraordinary. Since it is brewed with rhubarb, it had two different sources of sourness. One from the lambic and one from the rhubarb, which is very sour already. It was definitely possible to taste these two kinds of sourness. An absolutely outstanding beer and this one is even harder to get than any of the other ones.
Soirée Cantillon was a unique evening and a full success. Apart from the great lambics, they also released a new keg. The Hornswoggler is a coconut chocolate milk stout by the American brewery The Veil from Richmond, VA. Misho got this keg directly from the brewers at a festival in Rome and AmmutsØn is the only bar in Central Europe to sell this particular beer. The elite of the Austrian craft and home brewers was present as well, such as Bierol, Next Level Brewing or Wappler Brewing. I have mentioned a couple of times already, but I am always fascinated by what a big community this craft beer scene is making. Not even a huge thunderstorm outside could disturb the evening. In some way, it just fitted perfectly. Brussels weather for Brussels beer!
Should you have missed Soirée Cantillon for whatever reason, I can only highly recommend to head over to AmmutsØn as fast as possible. They still have a two Cantillons on tap, but probably not for much longer. I reckon that they will be sold out today already.