Edmontonians don’t know how lucky they are. First, Alberta has recently been blessed with the arrival one of the Seven Wonders of the Beer World. A shipment of 10 different beers from traditional Belgian brewer Cantillon recently hit select liquor store shelves in Edmonton and Calgary, much to the delight of beer lovers in the province.

Cantillon is a family-owned, traditional lambic brewer. Lambic is a spontaneously-fermented beer aged for up to 3 years in oak casks and often blended with fruit to create a tart, complex, refreshing beer unlike any other you will ever taste. And Cantillon is widely considered one of, if not the, best lambic brewers in the world.

Second, Edmontonians are lucky because I will be hosting, in partnership with Sherbrooke Liquor, Gini’s Restaurant a Cantillon Beer Evening where attendees will be able to sample 5 different Cantillon beers, paired with gourmet Belgian and French food. Here are the details:

Cantillon Beer Evening
Thursday June 3, 7:00 pm
Gini’s Restaurant (10706 – 142 Street)
$50 per person
Tickets Available at Sherbrooke Liquore (118 Ave & St. Albert Trail)

Currently Cantillon retails at $24 to $28 for each 750 ml bottle, which means trying to sample an array of their beer would set you back quite a pretty penny. So this event is a perfect opportunity to experience a number of Cantillons in one sitting. Throw in sample-portions of delicious food paired to match Cantillon’s tart and fruity flavours, and it could be quite the lovely evening. I will be your host, offering some history and education about both Cantillon and the style, and lead you through the tastings.

I visited the Cantillon brewery back in 2007 –and it was that visit that turned me into a Lambic disciple. The refreshing, sour, earthy quality of the beer struck my senses like no other beer had ever before. At the time, Alberta had no real lambic available – only ultra-sweet knock-offs. Today there are a few available, such as Lindeman’s, some of which are quite nice, but none have matched that morning (yes, it was morning) at the brewery.

The base beer, called Gueuze, takes many different shapes and forms when blended with different fruits and other ingredients (such as flowers or additional hops). Plus because the beer remains alive, it evolves and changes over time. Due to its high acidity it can be aged for 10-30 years, even though it is only a normal strength beer.

I am excited to assist in opening Alberta eyes to the wonders of lambic. It is not a beer for everyone, but it is one of the most unique and fascinating beer styles in the world (and, I should mention, one of the hardest to make). I find often people will take to one kind of lambic and not others, depending on their fruit preferences. I, for example, salivate over framboise (raspberry), while I am less a kriek (sour cherry) fan. It will be fun trying to find your preference.

But I shouldn’t tell you too much now, or risk having nothing left to say on June 3. You can get your tickets at Sherbrooke Liquor. I hope to see you there!