Rhu the day

Before the whole Jester King thing, UnderDog went through a kegged Cantillon phase. The one of particular interest to this ticker was Nath, a lambic with added rhubarb.

It's a pale pinkish copper colour and smells classically gueuze-y: bricky cellars and saltpetre, though there's a suggestion of jam tartness in the background. The texture is a little thin and there's a slight watery quality reducing the depth of the flavour. Said flavour is great, though. All the lovely lambic characteristics as suggested by the aroma: a lip-smacking mix of old oak and sharp acidity. Very much the Cantillon house style.

The rhubarb is present too, however, in a parallel complimentary fashion. It adds a balancing sweetness to the foretaste; a candy flavour that might overpower a less sour beer but merely adds personality to this one. After a swift brush across the palate it vanishes politely, resuming normal lambic service for the final few moments.

Cantillon has lots of "fun" twists on its basic product, not all of which work. This does though, preserving what was good about the base beer in the first place and bringing to it a genuinely interesting new dimension.