Oude Kriek Cuvée René
Brouwerij Lindemans
Beer Geek Stats
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- Style:
- Lambic - Fruit
Ranked #48 - ABV:
- 7%
- Score:
- 92
Ranked #2,611 - Avg:
- 4.17 | pDev: 6.47%
- Reviews:
- 142
- Ratings:
- From:
- Brouwerij Lindemans
- Belgium
- Avail:
- Rotating/Seasonal
- Wants
- 64
- Gots
- 67
SCORE
92
Outstanding
92
Outstanding
Notes:
Formerly known as Lindemans Kriek Cuvée René
5-7% ABV
This is the masterpiece of which I am most proud, as is one of my sons after whom it is named. What makes this traditional kriek special is that it is brewed with whole cherries. Since real Schaerbeek cherries are scarce, Lindemans Brewery has found their perfect equivalence elsewhere in Europe. It is deep red in colour and its foam head is slightly pink. Very refreshing, this beverage is a perfect thirst-quencher which, thanks to its fizzy and tangy flavour, is ideal as an aperitif.
In order to produce the Oude Kriek Cuvée René, the cherries ferment in lambic that is at least six months old in huge 10,000-litre oak barrels called foudres. After six months, this traditional kriek is bottled in corked 75 cl bottles. The beer will then undergo a spontaneous second fermentation process which, after a few months, will produce the carbon dioxide (CO2) to which this authentic beer owes its carbonation and distinctive foam head.
5-7% ABV
This is the masterpiece of which I am most proud, as is one of my sons after whom it is named. What makes this traditional kriek special is that it is brewed with whole cherries. Since real Schaerbeek cherries are scarce, Lindemans Brewery has found their perfect equivalence elsewhere in Europe. It is deep red in colour and its foam head is slightly pink. Very refreshing, this beverage is a perfect thirst-quencher which, thanks to its fizzy and tangy flavour, is ideal as an aperitif.
In order to produce the Oude Kriek Cuvée René, the cherries ferment in lambic that is at least six months old in huge 10,000-litre oak barrels called foudres. After six months, this traditional kriek is bottled in corked 75 cl bottles. The beer will then undergo a spontaneous second fermentation process which, after a few months, will produce the carbon dioxide (CO2) to which this authentic beer owes its carbonation and distinctive foam head.
Reviews: 142
| Ratings: 406
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Reviews by macrosmatic:
macrosmatic from Florida
4.06/5 rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Reviewed from (long-standing) notes. 750 mL bottle purchased locally on 11/15/17. Marked as 2016 vintage bottle. Consumed on 12/24/17. Poured into an El Catador Barrel Aged glass.
A: Somewhere between maroon and the color of cranberry juice, with a fluffy pink head with decent retention. Average carbonation visible. Moderately hazy.
S: Tart cherries, pressed cherry juice, and some lactic acid tartness. Maybe a touch of raspberry aroma here as well. A modest but present funk – basement and fresh barnyard - with some oak and cracker maltiness.
T: Big tart cherries, cherry juice, and a touch of pie filling. A decent bit of funk here also, following the nose - grassy and barnyard and a bit of basement and cheese. Cracker malts, more juicy berries / cherries. It finishes dry with some more tart acid and just a little more funk on the exhale.
M: Average body...maybe a touch on the light side. Good carbonation sensation and low alcohol presence.
O: I don’t think this would be confused with the best in class, but it’s got nice and juicy natural fruit flavors and a bit of funk. Easy to drink, quite enjoyable. I’ll be curious what a few years in the cellar does to this.
Apr 03, 2020
4.06/5 rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Reviewed from (long-standing) notes. 750 mL bottle purchased locally on 11/15/17. Marked as 2016 vintage bottle. Consumed on 12/24/17. Poured into an El Catador Barrel Aged glass.
A: Somewhere between maroon and the color of cranberry juice, with a fluffy pink head with decent retention. Average carbonation visible. Moderately hazy.
S: Tart cherries, pressed cherry juice, and some lactic acid tartness. Maybe a touch of raspberry aroma here as well. A modest but present funk – basement and fresh barnyard - with some oak and cracker maltiness.
T: Big tart cherries, cherry juice, and a touch of pie filling. A decent bit of funk here also, following the nose - grassy and barnyard and a bit of basement and cheese. Cracker malts, more juicy berries / cherries. It finishes dry with some more tart acid and just a little more funk on the exhale.
M: Average body...maybe a touch on the light side. Good carbonation sensation and low alcohol presence.
O: I don’t think this would be confused with the best in class, but it’s got nice and juicy natural fruit flavors and a bit of funk. Easy to drink, quite enjoyable. I’ll be curious what a few years in the cellar does to this.
Apr 03, 2020
More User Reviews:
BradtheGreat7 from Ohio
4.19/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Large dark green bottle with a beautiful classic label of red. Poured quite nice with a dark cherry red hue and a riviera pink head. Hints of their traditional kriek with lush cherry tartness but with some added funk. Drinks a bit bigger than the regular Kriek, but surprisingly well balanced for a sour ale. A nice after dinner ale with enough funk paired with the usual cherry tart. Superb kriek!
Mar 11, 2016
4.19/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Large dark green bottle with a beautiful classic label of red. Poured quite nice with a dark cherry red hue and a riviera pink head. Hints of their traditional kriek with lush cherry tartness but with some added funk. Drinks a bit bigger than the regular Kriek, but surprisingly well balanced for a sour ale. A nice after dinner ale with enough funk paired with the usual cherry tart. Superb kriek!
Mar 11, 2016
Stevedore from Oregon
4.1/5 rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
750ml cork and capped bottle of the 2012 bottling. Served in a stemless wine glass.
Pours a dark ruby red body, two finger white head, good retention and no lacing. Smells of tart cherry, cobweb, moderate funk, oak, a bit of wheat, moderate acetic acidity. A bit of red vinous character as well. Flavour is oak, funk, moderate tart cherry that isn't jam-like but rather more of the essence rather than juice. Moderately acidic, good complexity, nice drying finish with a medium body and good carbonation. It has plenty of character and doesn't punish you with unrelenting sourness yet has much less sweetness than the artificially sweetened version. This isn't as competitive with other well-renowned Krieks like Cuvee Rene compares versus well-renowned Gueuzes, but this is certainly a nice Kriek to open in a pinch.
Dec 01, 2015
4.1/5 rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
750ml cork and capped bottle of the 2012 bottling. Served in a stemless wine glass.
Pours a dark ruby red body, two finger white head, good retention and no lacing. Smells of tart cherry, cobweb, moderate funk, oak, a bit of wheat, moderate acetic acidity. A bit of red vinous character as well. Flavour is oak, funk, moderate tart cherry that isn't jam-like but rather more of the essence rather than juice. Moderately acidic, good complexity, nice drying finish with a medium body and good carbonation. It has plenty of character and doesn't punish you with unrelenting sourness yet has much less sweetness than the artificially sweetened version. This isn't as competitive with other well-renowned Krieks like Cuvee Rene compares versus well-renowned Gueuzes, but this is certainly a nice Kriek to open in a pinch.
Dec 01, 2015
madtowndmb1 from Wisconsin
4.68/5 rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
This is a very good beer that most would be think twice about. Tell you what, keep thinking, I'll buy it all. Way more approachable than most cherry sours, no medicinal notes at all. More like a cherry on top of a tart cheesecake.
Mar 13, 2016
4.68/5 rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
This is a very good beer that most would be think twice about. Tell you what, keep thinking, I'll buy it all. Way more approachable than most cherry sours, no medicinal notes at all. More like a cherry on top of a tart cheesecake.
Mar 13, 2016
rodbeermunch from Nevada
4.71/5 rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Well here comes a review of a beer that I absolutely adore. Literally have about 2 cases of this stuff down in the cellar, it has its own rack (it does share some space with the Cuvee Rene Gueuze though). Pours such a beautiful shade of crimson dark red with a 1/2" cherry pink colored head with ample retention, especially for a lambic. A thing of beauty if you will. The aroma is dried cherry skins, some sweet, some sour.
Taste, damn, how do they make this so damn awesome, but then the majority of their lambic lineup otherwise sucks balls (I mean is below average). Instead of sugary, this is dry, oaky, drapes cherry all over, plenty sour but not really aggressively acidic or acetic. America, fuck yeah (we import this stuff). Slight amount of wood funk that is complimentary, carbonation always spot on.
$11 a 750 = the greatest deal in lambic. It makes the notion of paying etre shipping or trading or standing in line seem like the dumbest Pokemon level beer shit around. Just as good as Cantillon or 3F counterparts, but waaay cheaper and easier to get.
Nov 02, 2017
4.71/5 rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Well here comes a review of a beer that I absolutely adore. Literally have about 2 cases of this stuff down in the cellar, it has its own rack (it does share some space with the Cuvee Rene Gueuze though). Pours such a beautiful shade of crimson dark red with a 1/2" cherry pink colored head with ample retention, especially for a lambic. A thing of beauty if you will. The aroma is dried cherry skins, some sweet, some sour.
Taste, damn, how do they make this so damn awesome, but then the majority of their lambic lineup otherwise sucks balls (I mean is below average). Instead of sugary, this is dry, oaky, drapes cherry all over, plenty sour but not really aggressively acidic or acetic. America, fuck yeah (we import this stuff). Slight amount of wood funk that is complimentary, carbonation always spot on.
$11 a 750 = the greatest deal in lambic. It makes the notion of paying etre shipping or trading or standing in line seem like the dumbest Pokemon level beer shit around. Just as good as Cantillon or 3F counterparts, but waaay cheaper and easier to get.
Nov 02, 2017
deonreds from New York
3.88/5 rDev -7%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Nov 11, 2016
3.88/5 rDev -7%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Nov 11, 2016
bubseymour from Maryland
4.48/5 rDev +7.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Oct 31, 2018
4.48/5 rDev +7.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Oct 31, 2018
XmnwildX12 from Minnesota
4.5/5 rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
May 04, 2016
4.5/5 rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
May 04, 2016
mctizzz from California
4.27/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Was never distributed to my area, luckily someone was cool enough to send me a couple bottles.
Pours blood red, smells like tart cranberries, taste is much the same, mouth feel is thick for the style. Good, not great, looking forward to seeing how this develops with a year+.
Apr 28, 2016
4.27/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Was never distributed to my area, luckily someone was cool enough to send me a couple bottles.
Pours blood red, smells like tart cranberries, taste is much the same, mouth feel is thick for the style. Good, not great, looking forward to seeing how this develops with a year+.
Apr 28, 2016
doktorhops from Australia
3.95/5 rDev -5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Ahhh, Lindemans Kriek Cuvée René - your attractive label caught my eye at Plonk! and now I have what I hope will be a decent Kriek because it has been a while since I've had one. Kriek's (cherry lambic beers) have a habit of being too cherry-syrup or cough medicine flavoured. The good ones however lend a dark sour cherry complexity to the sweetness, well time to find out where Lindemans stands.
Poured from a 750ml corked bottle into a Chimay chalice.
A: A pleasing cloudy ruby body with a ring of pink lace around the glass, looks like any good, no - great Kriek.
S: Dark sour Morello cherries, powdered sugar, sourdough yeast and a hint of cherry candy. Overall it presents a fine aroma and I for one am savouring that first sip.
T: Holy astringency! This is one mouth puckering Kriek. Notes of Morello/cherry candy merge together with that sourdough yeast and lemon zest then finishes dry... oh yeah, and sour, so very very sour. If I'm being honest it is a bit too sour - the sourness is drowning out much else.
M: Mid to light bodied with a medium carbonation. It's also a tad gassy for the style.
D: This is one sour fellow. For the first time in a while I had difficulty polishing off a bottle. At the same time I can appreciate the effort and skill that went in to brewing this lambic. Maybe I will reassess this brew later on when I get more used to sour lambics, for now it's a slight disappointment for me.
Food match: Sharp cheeses and bold game meats are the best adversary for this lambic.
Jul 06, 2014
3.95/5 rDev -5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Ahhh, Lindemans Kriek Cuvée René - your attractive label caught my eye at Plonk! and now I have what I hope will be a decent Kriek because it has been a while since I've had one. Kriek's (cherry lambic beers) have a habit of being too cherry-syrup or cough medicine flavoured. The good ones however lend a dark sour cherry complexity to the sweetness, well time to find out where Lindemans stands.
Poured from a 750ml corked bottle into a Chimay chalice.
A: A pleasing cloudy ruby body with a ring of pink lace around the glass, looks like any good, no - great Kriek.
S: Dark sour Morello cherries, powdered sugar, sourdough yeast and a hint of cherry candy. Overall it presents a fine aroma and I for one am savouring that first sip.
T: Holy astringency! This is one mouth puckering Kriek. Notes of Morello/cherry candy merge together with that sourdough yeast and lemon zest then finishes dry... oh yeah, and sour, so very very sour. If I'm being honest it is a bit too sour - the sourness is drowning out much else.
M: Mid to light bodied with a medium carbonation. It's also a tad gassy for the style.
D: This is one sour fellow. For the first time in a while I had difficulty polishing off a bottle. At the same time I can appreciate the effort and skill that went in to brewing this lambic. Maybe I will reassess this brew later on when I get more used to sour lambics, for now it's a slight disappointment for me.
Food match: Sharp cheeses and bold game meats are the best adversary for this lambic.
Jul 06, 2014
mattreitz49 from Florida
3.99/5 rDev -4.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Mar 22, 2018
3.99/5 rDev -4.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Mar 22, 2018
TheBishopco from Tennessee
3.84/5 rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Jun 02, 2016
3.84/5 rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Jun 02, 2016
kylemckinnis from Colorado
4.5/5 rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Apr 22, 2017
4.5/5 rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Apr 22, 2017
hopkrid from Florida
4.13/5 rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Dec 24, 2017
4.13/5 rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Dec 24, 2017
SadMachine from New Jersey
3.83/5 rDev -8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Jul 03, 2015
3.83/5 rDev -8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Jul 03, 2015
heddar33 from Pennsylvania
4.75/5 rDev +13.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Mar 28, 2017
4.75/5 rDev +13.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Mar 28, 2017
bigred89 from Maryland
4.25/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Nov 18, 2017
4.25/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Nov 18, 2017
Noah_Aimar from Oregon
4.27/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Look is amazing, hard to believe that they got that color red naturally (although I'm not doubting), smell is sweet and sour cherries with an interesting acidity. Taste is 100% cherry jolly rancher with a moderate level of tartness and no funk at all. This is not the most complex beer in the world, it's easy to drink and your less beer savvy friends will probably love it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this beer but it falls just short of something to rave about. Will definitely be picking this one up again for a date night or dinner party.
Aug 05, 2019
4.27/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Look is amazing, hard to believe that they got that color red naturally (although I'm not doubting), smell is sweet and sour cherries with an interesting acidity. Taste is 100% cherry jolly rancher with a moderate level of tartness and no funk at all. This is not the most complex beer in the world, it's easy to drink and your less beer savvy friends will probably love it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this beer but it falls just short of something to rave about. Will definitely be picking this one up again for a date night or dinner party.
Aug 05, 2019
Zuidman from Illinois
4.25/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Dec 29, 2016
4.25/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Dec 29, 2016
Oude Kriek Cuvée René from Brouwerij Lindemans
Beer rating:
92 out of
100 with
406 ratings
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