Brasserie Cantillon Gueuze (2019)

**Aroma:** “Citrus and fruity with orange, peach, apricot, and pineapple plus light strawberry and plum. Lactic and *Brett* character comes through on the nose as well. Tartness shines up front from the acidity followed by some notes of lemon zest, pineapple, and dried apricot. You can almost smell the carbonation.” **Flavor:** “Big peach, moderate apricot, citrus notes of lemon, orange, pink grapefruit, and pineapple. Moderately high acidity, slight lemon-zest bitterness, and a long tail of peach. High carbonation gives it a champagne-like character. Acidity and tartness struggle a bit to compete with some of the subtle citrus and pineapple fruit notes. Finish is rather dry.” **Overall:** “A good balance between fruit and acidity. The carbonation really makes this a refreshing beverage. Complexity is evident in the tartness, and the blend of aged and young also shines in the fruitiness, with a nice balance between those components.”

“Aromas of cherry, rose, almonds, lactic acidity. Pleasantly sweet taste delivers same notes as the nose with vanilla-almond flavor edging forward.”

“Brilliant copper color, good foam. Pleasant, mellow dark-bread notes, like pumpernickel drizzled with light honey, with some welcome if subtle herbal hops. Integrated flavor—light sweetness fully melds with a smooth, restrained bitterness, drying out beautifully, getting some lift from ample carbonation. Everything a good Oktoberfest should be.”