Cantillon Lambic Vin Jaune

Description

Cantillon Lambic Vin Jaune is a current experimental lambic being refined by the brewery through various batches and techniques listed below.

Lambic Jaune (experiment 1)

During the 2011-2012 brewing season, Jean received a freshly emptied and uncleaned Vin Jaune barrel from Stephane Tissot from France. For this initial experiment, Jean placed wort directly into the uncleaned barrel for a maturation period of approximately two years. This experimental batch was bottled but never released, though some bottles were used at a dinner for cooking purposes.

Lambic Jaune / Symbiose (experiment 2)

Lambic Jaune (also known as Symbiose) is the second experiment done with Vin Jaune barrels from Stephane Tissot. For this experiment, lambic that had previously been in oak barrels at Cantillon for approximately two and a half years was finished in a Vin Jaune barrel for a little over four months and bottled in May of 2014. This experiment was served at a charity fundraiser in California labeled as Lambic Jaune and at a restaurant in Lille, France labeled as Symbiose. A bottle of Symbiose was also auctioned for charity in Portland, Oregon for the Brews for New Avenues event.

La Vie est Belge (experiment 3)

La Vie est Belge is the third experiment with Vin Jaune barrels by Cantillon. For this experiment two to three year old lambic that had previously been aging in oak barrels at the brewery was again placed in Vin Jaune barrels from Stephane Tissot and left to mature for another four to five months. This 2015 bottling became La Vie est Belge and was debuted at Cantillon Quintessence in May of 2016, was served and raffled at the 2016 Brews for New Avenues event, and sold for charity at Monk's Cafe in Philadelphia during the 2016 Zwanze Day festivities.

Future Batches

The brewery hopes to continue future experiments with Vin Jaune barrels, but due to the scarcity of the barrels, it is unlikely that larger batches will become a regular release for the brewery.

History /Other Notes

Cantillon Lambic Vin Jaune is aged in Vi Jaune barrels from winemaker Stéphane Tissot. Vin Jaune, French for yellow wine, is a wine made in the Jura region of France. The wine is produced from Savagnin grapes that are harvested late in the season. During the aging process for the wine the barrels are not topped off and a film of yeast forms over what remains. The wine is left to age for six years and three months before traditionally being bottled in 62cl bottles.

The Stéphane Tissot barrel used by Cantillon in the initial experiment was freshly emptied and uncleaned. In the May 30, 2013 Basic Brewing Radio podcast, Jean Van Roy discusses this beer: ^[1]

Normally we clean the barrels completely, but for some special experiments, we use the barrels unclean. And we did it last year with, it’s an old dream I had, was to find good barrels from Vin Jaune. So Vin Jaune is this wonderful oxidized wine coming the from the French area, Jura, so near the Swiss border. And like lambic, those wines perform a pellicle to protect the wine from the air present in the barrel. I keep my beer from 3, sometimes 4 years. To receive the name Vin Jaune, so yellow wine, they have to keep their wine during at least 6 years and 6 months, if I remember or 8 months . So my friend Stephane Tissot, a great Vin Jaune producer, bring last year in February, a barrel, fresh emptied and unclean, with some sediment in the bottom. And we finish the barrel so, without cleaning. And the beer is wonderful.

Bottle Log

Bottle date (mm/dd/yyyy)	Cork Date	Bottle Size	Label / Notes
xx/xx/2013	2013	750mL	Failed experiment, never released
05/26/2014	2014	750mL	Lambic Jaune, sometimes also labeled Symbiose
xx/xx/2015	2015	750mL	La Vie Est Belge - No back label, no bottle date