Lambic is made from a blend of malted barley, raw wheat and debittered (3 year old) hops. The wort is exposed to wild yeasts and natural bacteria by cooling in an open vat. The beer is matured in oakwood or chestnut barrels, (which also harbour the wild yeasts and bacteria), and left to naturally ferment in the brewerys cellar for up to 3 years. The wild bugs cause the beer to ferment natural (spontaneously) - that is without the addition of any commercial yeast strain. The result is a light bodied but intensely sour and complex beer with a tartness reminiscent of a hard cider or white wine.
Lambic brewers often add fruit to the casks mid fermentation. The beer then takes on intense fruit flavours and colours, though interestingly the fruit does not add any sweetness to the beer.
The beer is commonly bottled in 750mL corked champagne bottles- fitting due to the vinous character of this style.
Cantillon does not sweeten or modify their beers in any way. Cantillons beers are sour, funky and unique - they are the traditional style sour beers brewed as they were when the brewery first opened over 100 years ago.
Tasting Notes:
The Lou Pepe Gueuze is a blend of three different 2-year-old lambics. The standard Cantillon Gueuze is a blend of 1,2, and 3-year-olds. The inclusion of the younger lambic (which still has some unfermented sugars in it) sparks a refermentation in the bottle that gives Gueuze its famous champagne-like spritziness. The simple idea behind the special Lou Pepe blend is that it should have much more of the taste of old lambic, which is of course much harder, drier, more sour, and more complex than the young stuff. (Though 3-year-olds are generally more complex than 2-year-olds, it's not necessarily so; the 2-year-olds used in this instance have as much character as most 3-year-olds.)
This being Gueuze, it has to be spritzy, so the brewery opted for the same method used in conditioning champagne: everyday refined sugar is dissolved in water and added to cause a refermentation. The sugar ferments out completely, so there is no residual sweetness, which Cantillon's brewer, Jean-Pierre, infamously detests.
Availability
Note: this beer is currently on MEMBERS SPECIAL (at the price below)
You can buy Cantillon Lou Pepe Gueuze in the following pack sizes:
Pack Description
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Remember, we can usually fit up to 20 beers into each delivery carton. Want to try the above beer but not sure what else to choose? Why not try our special Around the World in Twenty Beers Pack. If you would like some help making your choice, why not contact our friendly and knowledgeable staff who will be happy to make some suggestions.
Note: Product prices displayed on this site may contain occasional errors and are subject to verification. All products are subject to availability confirmation. If you would like to verify a price and availability, please contact us.
Pack designed for beer connoissuers. Our picks of the best beers from 12 classic beer styles. The list below is subject to change depending on availability.
Avec Les Bon Voeux - a 9.5% ABV super-saison in the top 99.4% of saisons according to ratebeer.com. This beer originated in 1970, when Dupont began brewing a special beer as a new years present for their most loyal customers (the name literally translates to "with the best wishes of the brewery Dupont"). The demand for the beer was so large as to necessitate a reservations list - some customers placing their orders months before the new year! Thankfully the beer is now brewed year round, albeit in limited quantities. Having sampled a few of these since their arrival, we can tell you that with each mouthful we fall more in love with this beer.
