Kriek
Brouwerij Lindemans

12 oz. bottle poured into tall tulip
(no born-on or best-by date)

L: clear dark red topped by thick head of pink foam about an inch thick, gorgeously rich colors, the head sticks in spots, and there's enough activity to force up a constantly thick collar of pink foam and most of a skin; I expected it to be a work of art, and it is

S: Luden's cherry cough drops (cherry candy) ... even as you pour the beer you can smell the sweet cherry candy aroma; as your nose adjusts, however, there's much more complexity, some hay, wet hay, a hint of musty barn and tart earthy dark cherries; lemon peel

F: much sweeter than the nose, almost cloyingly sweet on arrival with a load of cherry candy flavor, again the Luden's cherry cough drops, and a slight tartness to it that balances out some of the sweetness; there's not as much musty hay as in the nose; as it warms, some of the earthier yeasty notes try to join in and again offer a little balance with the big cherry candy sweetness; the more the tart flavors try to join in, you sense a bit of lemon/lemon peel but only a bit

F: fluffy as a croissant with a crispy shell/crust, somehow both delicate and sturdy at the same time; there's a ton of carbonation in the beer, but you constantly sip through that thick collar of foam, so it softens the arrival and allows the carbonation to spread out ... very, very cool and interesting

O: decadent, rich, probably too sweet for some, but I love it; I can't imagine having a full session of these, for it's far too sweet, but as a changeup, it's very, very good; my guess is it's sub-4.0 score here on BA.com is that it's just too sweet for the average beer drinker, and I get that, but as a desert beer, it's an easy 4+ for me

Pours an effervescent ruby/Burgundy with 2 fingers of purple/pink head. Lovely head retention, better head retention

S: Cherries, sweet mostly, some tart

T: Sweet cherries lead the way, a little dryness, just a little black currant as well up front, dryness too. Some leafy hops as this beer warms up, plenty of mostly sweet cherry, a little tartness. Finishes a bit acidic & tart but mostly sweet with pronounced dryness

MF: Light /medium body with lively carbonation, somewhat sticky on the teeth with a little acidity

Very easy to drink, this works well as a pre-dinner or dessert beer to me

 

Poured into a chalice glass. Deep red with a small amount of pink head.

As expected, a strong nose of cherries. Something else hiding in there too, herbal grassy liquorice?

Sour but very sweet. Cherry dominates the palate with a slight bit of funk. Not much complexity here.

Perfect for a hot summer’s day. Have previously mixed 1/3 to 2/3 with a chocolate stout for a beer cocktail that tastes like black forest cake.

 

 

Poured into a Seattle Beer Week glass. Pours a medium to dark red with ruby notes and a slightly pink, off-white head that leaves a persistent thick cap and nice lacing. Aroma of neutral malt, fresh cherry and cooked pie cherry with an unusual summer spice note of tarragon. Flavor follows, with fresh sweet and sour cherry juice and some cooked pie filling cherry character too, as well as a faint tarragon note in the finish. Medium bodied with moderate creaminess. Like the other fruit lambics from Lindemans, this has a nice balance between the tart and sweet, with the latter cutting the acidity of the sourness to my taste. Nice range of cherry flavors. Not sure what the tarragon component is, and it took me a while to recognize what the spicy note was reminiscent of. I liked it as a faint flavor in the lingering finish. This might be my favorite of the commonly available fruit lambics from this brewery. This are approchable and flavorful; surprisingly good flavor for the modest ABV.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very deep red with ruby highlights. Intense cherry aroma reminiscent of cough drops (Smith Brothers). Taste is more sour, but also fairly sweet. Not much complexity, but delivers the most vivid cherry experience you'll find in a lambic.

I poured this into a chalice glass. Both the body and the froth are rose color. It smells and tastes like sour cherry. This flavor is really bold - like a cherry PopTart or a sour cherry cough drop. The end note is sour. The mouthfeel is very nice because it has lots of little bubbles like champagne. Overall, it is enjoyable, but with these tastes, I wish it had a lot more alcohol.

 

There's a reason I call this stuff crack. it's extremely sweet at first with a nice tart finish and aftertaste, with the wheat and yeast flavors taking a back seat to the fruit flavor. Extremely smooth going down, very light on the alc as well.

Only complaints are that it leaves my teeth feeling sugary afterwards, and it doesn't look or smell terribly different from wine.

Besides that though this stuff has definitely earned the title of crack, and I'd recommend it.

Appearance
Reddish, slightly hazy. The head is white-red, but dissipates quite quickly.

Aroma
Dominated by cherry. In the background, there’s a typical lambic note (a touch of “goaty” funk), though it remains subtle. Overall, very fruity.

Taste
Cherry-forward, consistent with the aroma. The lambic character is more restrained than on the nose. Strongly sour, but pleasantly so.

Mouthfeel
Low carbonation. Sour and acidic, yet refreshing. Light-bodied, but not watery.

Pours a dark reddish color with no real head. Aroma is mild sweet cherry; taste is the same with a little tartness. Good easy drinking beer for people who don't like beer.