Cantillon Fou’Foune is one of the more sought after beers from the Brussels brewery, which is quite the feet if you consider that they’re one of the most sought after Lambic breweries in the world. Only 3,000 liters are brewed every year, made from 1,200 kg of apricots. To my knowledge, Fou’Foune is the only apricot Lambic being made.

As the story goes, Jean Van Roy was visiting a wine make friend in the French Rhone. While having dinner and wine with several friends, including an apricot grower affectionately nicknamed “Foufoune.” During the dinner, he lovingly rhapsodize about his Bergeron Apricots. Jean made an offhanded comment about brewing him a beer that was quickly forgotten over the course of the evening.

Franscois “Foufoune” Daronnat, however, didn’t forget about the statement. One day not long after the fortuitous dinner, Van Roy showed up to the brewery and found 300 kg of ripe Bergeron Apricots. And what do you know, the beer turned out fantastic. Every year Cantillon uses 1,200 kg of Bergeron apricots to create 3,000 (about 792 gallons) liters of beer. The apricots are hand stoned and then placed into 2 year old Lambic where the wild yeast eagerly chew up the new sugar source. After two more months, the beer is bottled. The majority of the production is sent back to the region from whence the apricots come.

On a side note, our French apricot growing friend has an interesting nickname. According to reliable sources, Foufoune is a French slang word for part of the female anatomy. Look it up on Google Translate…

Appearance: Cloudy blonde with peachy highlights, off white head, great retention.

Aroma: Funky, lemon, peaches, apricots, sweaty notes, grapefruit, almonds.

Taste: Lemon peel, stone pits, grapefruit rind, grapefruit juice.

Overall Impression: Nicely tart but with a creamy mouthfeel, Fou’Foune is another exceptional Lambic from Cantillon. As a fan of apricots, I really liked this beer. They provide a nice complement and contrast to the Cantillon Lambic. Balanced and flavorful, this is an outstanding beer.

Availability: Extremely limited and hunted. Imported by Shelton Brothers.

5% ABV

Note: Special Thanks to Kevin of Belgian Beer Geek for this bottle!

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