Krekling
HaandBryggeriet

500 ml bottle, batch #552, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.0%. Pink colour, large and lasting pinkish off-white head. Aroma of ripe crowberries (which seem to be the only actual berry ingredient), lingonberries and raspberries. Also notes of yeast and farmhouse. Soft mouthfeel. The flavour is fruity and pleasant, not sour nor very sweet, with distinct notes of crowberries. Some hops in the finish. Enjoyable.

The bottle says it was brewed in 2012, and its now just turned 2018, so I was worried about how it had held up. I needn't have worried. This is a light, refreshing beer. As such, it has a very clean (but not watery) feel, and a very light smell. The look is a gorgeous light purple. As for the taste, I'm not sure I know enough of the Krekling berry to say how faithful the beer's taste is to that of the berry, but I'm not terribly concerned about this, because I like the taste regardless. It has a light, subtle, grapey sourness to it, at the same time that it has a very soft smokiness to it. A really interesting and unique taste combination. This is the same smokiness, though perhaps a bit lighter, than this brewery's Hesjeol beer. Anyway, this is a very subtle but unique beer.

i know nothing at all about crowberries, maybe never even heard of them before this beer, but for some reason i had higher hopes. i mean, all of the beer these guys make is amazing, i just wanted this to be something more than it is, a little old now i know, but it seemed to be missing the magic their other beers have. deep pink to almost purple in color, with a very rich saturation and tall lasting off white head, thick and heavy, some visible sediment. pretty flat aroma, in that the berries dont really seem to have a whole lot unique about them, at least in this beer, a touch tart maybe, and sort of grapey, but little else. it smells a little old ad oxidized, and there is a ton of yeast character to it, a little sloppy really, and the taste matches that. the berries dont do a whole lot for me, generic fruit but nothing specific for me, they must have faded some over time. the grain tastes wheaty but sort of stale, and the yeast tastes tired, like this would have been better a year ago. some bready notes, soft pepper, and some residual sweetness from the fruit, elderberry without the astringency, not bad at all, even sort of rich and desserty with red wine notes with the grain, but less compelling than anticipated, especially after being blown away recently by the wild thing they did with cranberries and currants, i expected this to be similar, and its entirely different. wishing i drank this one sooner, im sure it was better awhile ago. still cool, full bodied, and a bit different, but the berries do not contribute anything beyond the ordinary, especially for being such an uncommon ingredient...

 

Meh. Aroma's the best part with the crowberries, toffee, malt. Berry flavor clashes somewhat with the other flavor components. Body is a touch thin.

 

No idea on the age of this bottle. Thanks MasterOldBrownDog for sharing.

A- Reddish pour from the 500ml to a few glasses with a foamy, frothy white head. Decent head retention leads to a large belt that drops large sheets and webs of lacing.

S- Slight cranberry-like aroma with a bitter-tart fruit hint opens up to dustiness, earthy and old bread notes.

T- The fruitiness is a bit more apparent here and it reminds me slightly of cranberry and then general berry cocktail (strawberry, blueberry). Earthy dirt, herbal, slight must, apple juice and pale grains.

MF- Foamy and smooth overall mouthfeel with fairly high carbonation. Medium-bodied overall with a tiny bit of any oily fruit feel.

Not a ton of berries but with time they grow on me. Reminds me of something between a cranberry and a strawberry on top of a not so complex base beer.

Almost tea-like. Lighter bodied than the look led on. Refreshing.