Cantillon: Zwanze 2024 (Belgium: Flavoured Lambic: 5.5% ABV)
Visual:Lightly hazy lemon juice yellow. Thin rim of a white head.
Nose: Salty and salty water. Sea weed. Gherkins. Slight peat like smoke.
Body: Gherkin. Lemon. Sour. Saline. Oily fish skin. Salty. Oily fish skin. Crunchy nut cornflakes.
Finish: Smoked Peperoni. Gherkin. Salt. Drying. Oysters. Crunchy nut cornflakes.
Conclusion: This is the most unusual lambic I have had, and that is a high bar to clear!
It is salty, very saline indeed, basically the sea weed saltiness and greenery is very evident. Most interestingly this shows itself when you move past the huge aroma and into sipping the body where the light gherkin from the aroma becomes a very evident note. It is sour, tart, definitely not unpleasant but you have to really like that style or this will be so off-putting. It feels like the Islay of the lambics, not with the huge peat or medicinal, but just the general sea and challenging character.
Over time it mellows, becoming more accessible, with a crunchy nut cornflakes sweetness, but it never stops being very saline led, now with slight smoked meat and oily fish skins in the mix that again make me think of the Islay whiskies. There is even a small amount of peat like smoke note, though by far not the biggest element, and much more of that seaweed is there, though easier going now.
There is some of that more traditional lambic lemon freshness, but this is far more full bodied and oily than most lambics.
Not one that I would have often, but possibly the most fascinating lambic I have had and really shows the joy of the experimentation that comes with Zwanze day.
Background: So , as I mentioned in the last tasting note, I live close enough to the moor taproom to be able to drop over when they have their Zwanze day, a day when they get on tap a one off beer from Cantillon – now a once every two year event. This time was a very unusual Zwanze, being one made with Sea Kelp of all things. I can’t say I wasn’t nervous but I was also very interested. So, after trying a lighter Cantillon to kick off, for my second drink I used up my token and tried this, the 2024 Zwanze! It was a lovely day outside when I had this so was in a great mood chatting with people as we drank and compared notes.