effervescent refractions

After only a small sample of Sebastian’s (DerDoppelbock) begging powers, Jean at Cantillon was generous enough to offer a bottle of his sea buckthorn lambic destined for Helsinki. We made it our final tasting of the evening after a rather remarkable suite of lambics highlighted by ancient De Trochs and Belle-Vue Sélection. Poured, its lurid yellow color was shrouded as a witbier, and topped of a generous white lather. The scent had a classic touch of Cantillon, that sour must that permeates their range. There’s a distinctly bitter aroma I can only attribute to the sea buckthorn berries, a fruit I am unfamiliar with and unique in a quality I can’t quite describe. Added to the nose is a complex and arid mix of Gruyère, hazelnuts and manure. The flavor was again dominated by the enigmatic fruit, a bitter sensation reminiscent of red currant added to the puckering explosion of lemon in oak. Overall an interesting experiment, but one that I may have enjoyed more out of the context of our fabulous tasting and definitely would have had I a stronger connection with the fruit.