Cantillon Don Quijote

Description

Cantillon Don Quijote is a grape lambic made with italian table grapes.

History / Other Notes

This beer was produced for Franco Fratoni (Livingstone Club, Florence, IT) and Umberto Xebeche Santi (Goblin Pub, Pavullo Nel Frignano, Italy). The label indicates that 120 bottles were made for each location, however most of the bottles are unlabeled, and many of those that are labeled are unnumbered. The numbered bottles include either a letter after the number (e.g. "70L" or "70G"). The L/G indicates whether it was for the Goblin Pub or Livingstone Club.

Unsubstantiated Stories

There are a variety of unknowns related to this beer:

Online beer sites often indicate that this beer is made with Vitis Labrusca (Fox or Concorde) Grapes. This is an American grape variety and while they do grow in Europe, it's not clear if that is the grape that was actually used).
A second Don Quijote batch of this is purportedly in barrels at Cantillon. No details about this batch are currently known, including what grape variety was used.
Table grape must, such as what was provided to Cantillon for use in Don Quijote, is not permitted for use in wine and cannot be exported from Italy. While this story cannot be confirmed, similar stories of issues do exist ^[1]
There is a photograph of a different, white label Don Quijote bottle that is occasionally posted. All photos of this label appear to come from the same bottle and the legitimacy of this label cannot be confirmed. It is possibly something homemade or produced in small quantities, particularly since Umberto's Don Quijote bottles were apparently never labeled.

If you have any additional information about this beer, please contact Bill or Adam.