View source for Cantillon Grand Cru Bruocsella

[[File:CantillonBruocsellaBottles-1.jpg|right|300px|Cantillon Bruocsella Grand Cru]]
[[Brasserie Cantillon#Beers|← Cantillon]]
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== 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.<ref name=CantillonBruocsella>http://www.cantillon.be/br/3_104 Cantillon - Bruocsella Grand Cru</ref>  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.

==Origin of the Name Bruocsella==
In [[Books#Gueuze.2C_Faro_et_Kriek|''Gueuze, Faro, et Kriek'']], author Raymond Buren discusses the origin of the word "Bruoc-Sela".  He notes that the village of Bruoc-Sela was founded in 979 when Charles of France, Duke of Lower Lorraine established a fort on a small island in the Senne River. Indeed, the city of Brussels officially held its first millennial celebration in 1979. However, the name appears over 200 years earlier in the historical record when Saint Vindicien, Bishop of Arras and Cambai passed away in the village of Bruc-selle in 706.<ref name=GeuzeFaroEtKriek>Raymond Buren, [[Books#Gueuze.2C_Faro_et_Kriek|Gueuze, Faro, et Kriek]], 1992</ref> Sociolinguist Michel de Coster notes that the word ''bruoc'' most likely derives from the Celtic word meaning a swampy or marshy place, while the word ''cella'' comes from the Latin term meaning temple, owning to the various Roman ruins in the area at the time.<ref name=BrusselsLanguage>Michel de Coster, Les Enjeux du Conflit Linguistique : Le Français à l’Epreuve des Modèles Belge, Suisse et Canadien, 2007</ref> Thus the area around present-day Brussels became known as Bruoc-selle or Bruoc-sella, depending on the year or text, eventually evolving into the French Bruxelles. This is further evidenced by two other etymological developments in old Dutch wherein the word ''broek'' at one time meant brook or marsh and ''zele'' meant settlement. In the Flemish-Dutch dialect, Broekzele still exists as a rare word to refer to the Belgian capital of Brussels.  In the end, Bruocsella Grand Gru is the Brussels Grand Cru.

==Bottle Log==
<center>
{| class="wikitable" border="1" style="text-align: center; "
|-
! 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
|-
|-
| 08/05/2007
| 2007
| 2005
| 750mL
| Euro label with illustration of Grand Place
|[[File:Label Cantillon Bruocsella2005.jpg|frameless|50px]]
|-
| 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
|-
|}
</center>

==Label Log==
<gallery>
File:Label Cantillon Bruocsella1983.jpg
File:Label-Cantillon-Bruocsella1984.jpg
File:Label Cantillon Bruocsella1985.jpg|
File:Label-Cantillon-Bruocsella1900-375.jpg
File:Label Cantillon BruocsellaShelton750ml.jpg
File:Label-Cantillon-Bruocsella1996.jpg
File:Label Cantillon Bruocsella1999.jpg
File:Label-Cantillon-Bruocsella2001.jpg
File:Label Cantillon Bruocsella2001.jpg
File:Label Cantillon Bruocsella2002.jpg
File:Label-Cantillon-Bruocsella-6.jpg
File:Label-Cantillon-Bruocsella-7.jpg
File:Label-Cantillon-Bruocsella-8.jpg
File:Label-Cantillon-Bruocsella-9.jpg
File:CantillonBruocsellaLabel-10.jpg
File:Label Cantillon BruocsellaSheltonNC750ml.jpg
File:Label-Cantillon-Bruocsella750-1.jpg
</gallery>

<u>1996 Label Text (Translated)</u>

Cantillon Grand Cru is a still, uncarbonated beer aged three years in oak barrels and selected for its exceptional color, aroma, and taste. Ageable beer. It is advised to serve the Grand Cru in a wine glass. Beer of changing taste. Store and serve at cellar temperature (12-15deg)

== References ==
<references />


== Photos ==
<gallery>
File:Cantillon-Bruocsella-All.jpg
File:CantillonBruocsella-1.jpg
File:CantillonBruocsella-2.jpg
</gallery>




[[Brasserie Cantillon#Beers|← Cantillon]]