Cantillon Grand Cru Bruocsella

Description

Cantillon Bruocsella Grand Cru is a vieux lambic frequently released by Cantillon. It is one of the few examples of unadulterated lambic released by any commercial lambic producers. The lambic is matured for three years in oak barrels and bottled. Bruocsella Grand Cru is commonly available in 75cl bottles as well as 37.5cl bottles on occasion. The beer has no carbonation at bottling and will generally remain that way; however, older bottles are known to have exhibited lively carbonation. The brewery aptly compares this vieux lambic to a fine white wine in its appearance and taste.^[1] In fact, early labels for Bruocsella Grand Cru suggest serving it and storing it like a wine.

History / Other Notes

The first documented bottling of Bruocsella Grand Cru for the purposes of [lambic.info lambic.info] is a 1996 vintage with a 1999 cork, though there are surely earlier bottlings. Labels with a 1988 vintage are presented in the label log, making the Bruoscella Grand Cru very old in the Cantillon lineup. The early label states that Bruocsella Grand Cru should be tasted and served in the same manner as a fine white wine. The labeling has changed slightly over time, and there are three main versions presented here. Between at least 1984-1990 a black label was used for the lambic. This version is no longer used and Bruocsella is labeled differently depending on if it is being exported to the United States or being sent to the rest of the world. The Label used in Europe is the Grand Place label, crated by Raymond Goffin for the 1998 vintage. The U.S. imported version features the painting The Peasant Wedding by Flemish Renaissance painter Pieter Bruegel. European-labeled Bruocsella Grand Cru is generally stated with a vintage date that is three years earlier than the cork date; however, many U.S versions do not contain a vintage date. To that end, one can assume that if they have a U.S. bottle with a 2004 cork date, then it is more than likely to be a circa 2001 brew date. The three year rule is only a general time-frame, as bottles of Bruocsella can show as few as two years or as many as four years between vintage date and cork date.

It should be pointed out that there is no difference between the U.S and European versions. The labeling differences stem from different requirements by the United States versus the European Union in calling something organic. Cantillon currently does not meet U.S standards, but notes on their website that they have used 100% organically grown grain for their lambics since 1999.

Unsubstantiated Stories

Fill me in

Bottle Log

Bottle date (mm/dd/yyyy)	Cork Date	Vintage	Bottle Size	Label / Notes	Image Link
N/A	1999	1996	750mL	Black/White Euro Label	N/A
N/A	2001	1998	750mL	U.S. label with Pieter Brueghel painting of people celebrating	N/A
N/A	2004	N/A	750mL	U.S. label with Pieter Brueghel painting of people celebrating	N/A
N/A	2005	2002	750mL	Euro label with illustration of Grand Place	N/A
08/22/2006	2006	2003	750mL	Euro label with illustration of Grand Place	N/A
01/07/2007	2007	2003	750mL	Euro label with illustration of Grand Place	N/A
09/05/2007	2007	2005	750mL	Euro label with illustration of Grand Place	N/A
09/05/2007	2007	N/A	750mL	U.S. label with Pieter Brueghel painting of people celebrating	N/A
10/17/2008	2008	N/A	750mL	U.S. label with Pieter Brueghel painting of people celebrating	N/A
03/30/2009	2009	N/A	750mL	U.S. label with Pieter Brueghel painting of people celebrating	N/A
08/28/2009	2009	N/A	750mL	U.S. label with Pieter Brueghel painting of people celebrating	N/A
11/16/2009	2009	N/A	750mL	U.S. label with Pieter Brueghel painting of people celebrating	N/A
11/16/2009	2009	2006	375mL	Euro label with illustration of Grand Place	N/A
11/16/2009	2009	2006	750mL	Euro label with illustration of Grand Place, cork/year same	N/A
11/16/2009	2010	2006	750mL	Euro label with illustration of Grand Place, bottled on year and cork year are different	N/A
04/30/2010	2010	2007	750mL	Euro label with illustration of Grand Place	N/A
08/26/2010	2010	2007	750mL	Euro label with illustration of Grand Place	N/A
08/28/2010	2010	2007	750mL	Euro label with illustration of Grand Place
01/27/2011	2011	2007	750mL	Euro label with illustration of Grand Place	N/A
10/20/2011	2011	2008	750mL	Euro label with illustration of Grand Place	N/A
10/20/2012	2012	2008	750mL	Euro label with illustration of Grand Place	N/A
10/12/2012	2012	2009	750mL	Euro label with illustration of Grand Place	N/A
09/07/2012	2012	2009	750mL	Euro label with illustration of Grand Place	N/A
03/04/2013	2013	2010	750mL	Euro label with illustration of Grand Place	N/A
03/05/2013	2013	2010	750mL	Euro label with illustration of Grand Place	N/A
09/04/2013	2013	2010	750mL	Euro label with illustration of Grand Place	N/A
11/25/2013	2013	2010	750mL	Euro label with illustration of Grand Place	N/A
03/11/2014	2013	2010	750mL	Euro label with illustration of Grand Place	N/A