[Brookline MA, Washington Sq]
Saint Lamvinus, a blend of traditional lambic beer aged with different types of wine grapes and brewed by Cantillon, is now on draught at The Publick House in Brookline.
If you know, you know.
[Brookline MA, Washington Sq]
Saint Lamvinus, a blend of traditional lambic beer aged with different types of wine grapes and brewed by Cantillon, is now on draught at The Publick House in Brookline.
If you know, you know.
thanks for the heads up - how much are they charging per glass? They used to occasionally have Cantillon bottles but they were nearly $80 I believe, which back in the day was worth it but these days, with the craft beer secondary market having more or less collapsed, it’s probably pretty pricey
$19 for 25 cl for a beer I couldn’t get anywhere else in Boston AFAIK.
The Brugse Zot was excellent as well.
$19 is wild but totally tracks with the crisis we live in. And you are correct, not many places have this on tap ![]()
It’s very close to the price of a glass of wine most places these days. And a significantly larger volume (8.5 oz vs typically 5 oz for wine). Given its rarity I find that totally reasonable
Not Boston related but I was able to snag a bottle from the Beermongers (well known portland or taproom) when they moved locations during the pandemic. 75cl bottle for $28 seems like a bargain. Never had it on tap.
Having been a collector for a long time, I have a dozen bottles of Saint Lamv in my pal’s basement, some being a decade plus old. It’s a very special beer (but still not my favorite one from them which would be Vigneronne)
I guess $19 is reasonable-ish. Lets agree to disagree. They’re marking those bottles at a higher value than the secondary beer market
I’ve had the Vigneronne at a friend’s but never bought a bottle. At that same cellar sale, a 10 year old bottle went to the guy in front of me; had to settle for the St Lam.
$13 for deciduous and Sacred Profane??!! Get lost. The kegs don’t cost that much to charge that much to the consumer. And rising tide??!! Come on.
By the way - and you didn’t read this below but a while back (and probably very much still the case), but Walnut Market in Newton Highlands has some behind-the-counter Cantillon for sale at secondary-ish prices
I wanted to resurrect this thread to see if anyone has pointers on finding some C.
I just returned from Brussels and visited Cantillon. It was an amazing tasing experience. The Fou’Foune and the Grueze 125… but there are dozens that I want to try.
I’m also looking to begin a collection to enjoy for posterity.
If you’re interested in some bottles feel free to let me know. I have a few hundred and could probably benefit from unloading some. I won’t be able to get through them all in my lifetime as I drink less than I used to
I’m jealous you got to go there, it’s on my bucketlist
I assume the bottles you have are some especially strong variant? How does it change over time?
A well-made lambic does not need to be strong to age. If stored properly they can be very very drinkable a decade (or much more) after bottling. A fruit-based one would probably lose the fruit character over time but I’d still think that it would good.
Ohh, and you’re just not going to find Cantillon beers on the shelves in Boston. It is extremely rare around here. I hear that it does show up now and then in other areas of the country but you can guarantee that the cost will be exorbitant compared to what you paid for it in Belgium.
There is a lot of 3 Fontainen lambic in town and I like it a lot so you might go in that direction. Also Tilquin and De Cam lambics which I find hit or miss. Boon also. Lindeman’s has a few true geuezes that aren’t sweetened and are excellent, but stay away from their sugary fruit ones (raspberry, peach, apple, etc)
Correct on the above.
I store my bottles very carefully (and horizontally so the cork stays moist and doesn’t dry out and crack). The regular fruitless ones are amazing with age. Some of my bottles are over a decade old. The fruited ones are hit or miss, depending on the fruit. They usually become dryer and the fruit becomes more muted over time. It all depends though.
I second the Drie Fonteinen lambics which are superb as well. Tilquin too. ![]()
Just wanted to also say how much we loved visiting Cantillon when we were in Brussels! Bringing back good memories!
If you do want to unload some of your cellar, I would be interested
I fell in love with Belgian beers in the early 1980’s and took several beer trips with friends to Europe in the latter part of the decade. A buddy and I first visited Cantillon in Brussels in early 1987. At the time their products were a hard sell as they had largely fallen out of fashion in Belgium and had not yet caught on in the States. We did go on the tour they gave (maybe 6 or 8 people on it total), which was given in French of which I was and am illiterate. Luckily I was also homebrewing at the time and understood the method by which lambics are produced so it was still pretty interested.
I do remember that the brewers were very happy to have some Americans visiting and enjoying their beers, of which they gave us many many (free) samples. It was a good afternoon LOL.
At the time we went, it was a self guided tour and involved climbing rickety ladders and being what seemed dangerously close to equipment. We laughed that in the litigious US it would never be allowed. There is so much history there. We had a ton of good beer after.
I’m so happy to find my people here!
After visiting the brewery, I couldn’t stop raving about it in Brussels. I brought a group of co-workers to Moerder Lambic in the city center, and they were not fans. ![]()
Here are some of my pictures from Cantillon.
I cannot put links in this post, so you have to go to
https and then photos.app.goo.gl/WQZzCJQf9JfFN9my5
It is still an authentic place as others have described above. They let you wonder around and talk to the masters there. I visited near the end of the day and witnessed the moment they pump the warm wort into the attic cooling pan to rest overnight (when the magic begins).
– Stiv: I’d love to try the 3 Fontainen. Any hints on where to be looking in Boston? Also, if you want a drinking pal, seems like our palates are aligned.
I’ve tried some of the sours from nightshift and mighty squirrel. For local, and before having tried a lambic, i found them interesting.