Cuvee Soeur'ise
Brouwerij De Leite

johnnnniee from New Hampshire

3.93/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Bottle from Etre
Lightly hazy dark red with a decent sized frothy white head that dissipates quickly. Wonderful earthy funky cherry on the nose with just a hint of balsamic. Flavor is lightly acetic earthy funky cherries. Great Cherry expression but I'd love a lot more lactic tartness.

Oct 31, 2020

brentk56 from North Carolina

4.41/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours slightly hazy with a pink lemonade hue; the head builds to two fingers with a faint mauve aspect; spotty lacing

Smell: Oak and cherry tones waft, with a funky, tart aspect that is supplemented by a hint of sweet fruit

Taste: Somewhat tart, from the outset, with the cherry emerging and adding a hint of sweetness; the oak and funk quickly bring a dry element; a woodsy, stemmy tart finish wraps things up

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate to high carbonation; moderate pucker

Overall: Not sure why the brewery calls this a tripel as I don't taste any elements of that style; it is clearly more of a kriek and a darn good one, at that
Thanks, cdubnbird, for the opportunity

May 08, 2019

Bruno74200 from France

4.19/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

L - Pretty red haze with a one finger white head

S - Sour cherry, malt

T - follows without too much funk. A bit of acetic acid

M - Moderate to high carbonation, chewy

Nice

Jan 28, 2019

REVZEB from Illinois

4.22/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

The oak barrel aging adde a dimension to this fruit beer that grounds the sweet and tart cherries. Gives body more depth and tang for the style. Sweet and acidic on the finish. Pleasant, especially in the summertime outside at the cafe

Sep 30, 2018

BGDrock from Canada (ON)

4.06/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Vibrant, ruby red body, near clear, thinly veiled by a rose coloured head that fades to a rim within the minute. Intriguing and exciting. Swirl it around a bunch and it picks right back up, so the carbonation is there.
Very light aroma, unless I'm getting a cold. Berries, bubblegum, woodiness, funk.
Delicate and refined red apple, raspberry, cherry fruit flavour, lightly tart, complimented beautifully by a sense of Christmas spice - clove or nutmeg. In the finish an odd bitterness kicks in, difficult to identify, but reading the ingredients it must be the herbs. It's unique, somewhat medicinal. Super dry finish, long, with a variety of curious flavours lingering. Medium body and carbonation. Soft on the tongue, with a sense of being powdery.

Lot's of weird things going on with this, it's certainly a different experience - and an enjoyable one. Great mix of fruit, tart, funk, woodiness, herbal notes and distinct mouthfeel. Try it if you find it, on it's own, and contemplate it's definition. Just plain interesting.

Sep 07, 2018

Cramshawbar from Canada (ON)

3.63/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

As much as I am no fan of sour beer, I had a good feeling about this one and it didn't disappoint. Tart it is, yes, but not to a putrid extent. With a 25% cherry inclusion (there is no other fruit within), it obviously dominates, but there is enough herbs to balance things to an accepted degree. I think I would drink this again!

Aug 20, 2018

SippingInHolland from Netherlands

4.08/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Bottle poorer in tulip glass.

Some alcohol, wood and a lot of fruits in the nose.

The taste is very fruity.
It has an abv of 8.5, but easy drinkable.

Jul 16, 2018

JamFuel from Sweden

4.17/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

On tap at Cafe Rose Red in Bruges.

Pours a blood red with thick foam.

Smell is very berry forward, tons of raspberries, cherries and red currants.

Taste is tart, with loads of the berries from the smell. Pretty complex, and no hint at all of the alcohol.

Mouthfeel is medium, well carbonated.

Overall, a very enjoyable tart fruit beer. Lots of berries!

Sep 19, 2017

superspak from Ohio

4.2/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle into tulip glass, no bottle dating. Pours slightly hazy deep ruby red/light copper color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy pink head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big sour/tart/tangy black cherries, raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, cherry skin/pits, plum, lemon, green apple, red grape, hay, straw, grass, oak, almond, pepper, wheat, and cracker; with lighter notes of leathery/musty funk, vanilla, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, cherries, oak barrel, and light-moderate pale malt notes; with great strength. Taste of huge sour/tart/tangy black cherries, raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, cherry skin/pits, plum, lemon, green apple, red grape, hay, straw, grass, oak, almond, pepper, wheat, and cracker; with lighter notes of leathery/musty funk, vanilla, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tart/sourness and yeast/oak spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of sour/tangy black cherries, raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, cherry skin/pits, plum, lemon, green apple, red grape, hay, straw, grass, oak, almond, pepper, wheat, cracker, leathery/musty funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, cherries, oak barrel, and light-moderate pale malt flavors; with a great malt/tart/sourness balance. Lightly increasing pucker, but not astringent on sourness. Light-moderate dryness from tart/sourness and yeast/oak spiciness, increasing through the glass. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth and moderately acidic/tannic/grainy balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol for 8.5%. Overall this is a fantastic imperial kriek! All around outstanding complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, cherries, oak barrel, and light-moderate pale malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink, even with the increasing lactic/tannic/drying finish. Even though this is listed as a fruit beer, this could easily be classified as a Oude Kriek lambic right now. Likely has a good amount of age on it. Nice amounts of Brett funk, Lacto, and oak; but not huge amounts like others. Nice jammy fruit presence and solid malt balance. A highly enjoyable offering.

Jul 22, 2017

Marius from Netherlands

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle shared thanks to kermis and deanso. Clear ruby pour with a thin pink head. Notes of cherries, cherry jam, almonds. Medium body, medium carbonation and a sour and lightly sweet finish.

Nov 20, 2016

shleepy from California

3.75/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Brown or dark red color. Lightly pink head. Smells like sweet-sour cherry. Tastes like a slightly sweeter (but not sweet) kriek, and that's a good thing. Pretty good stuff!

Sep 27, 2016

ludachris from Canada (ON)

4.18/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

The cherries define its appearance. Its body is a deep, luscious black cherry shade of red. On top rests a thick layer of creamy, dense head with a tinge of pink, which retains itself exceptionally well. Its near complete lack of clarity gives it a weighty look.

A puckering dryness leaps from the glass and tickles the nose. Sour red cherries sit alongside green grape skins and lemon juice. There's a definite lick of funk at the end; salty, raw, and earthy. Mellow, rounded oak lies unobtrusively underneath.

Everything comes at once. At its core is a shy but sturdy oak quality. I get more of its weight as opposed to its flavor. Its earthy character helps to flesh it out. Tart cherries with a streak of sweetness zig zag in and out. Lemon juice is basted on its underbelly, furthering its liveliness.

The weight of its body is the only way I pick up on its elevated alcohol content. Its dryness comes first and fades into a clean finish. Its carbonation level works to compliment the liveliness of its fruit qualities in their tart and sour glory.

I'm getting acquainted with this style and what a treat this was. The cherries used during fermentation didn't fully define its aroma and flavor. Instead, they played a part in the bigger, funky picture of a complex fruited gueuze.

Apr 20, 2016

thehyperduck from Canada (ON)

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

330 mL bottle from the LCBO; best before Feb 17 2017 and served slightly chilled.

Pours an opaque, reddish-burgundy colour, producing one finger of pink-tinged foam at the surface. It dissipates at a constant rate over the next couple of minutes, leaving behind a wide, frothy collar and a modest-sized flat cap, along with some scant lace. Very nice aroma; lots of tart cherry fruitiness, with accents of raspberry, oak, and vinous red grape. Mildly funky/sour - this smells every bit as good as I was hoping it would.

This 'triple kriek' is not as fruit-forward as I was expecting - instead, it takes a more balanced, even-handed approach. Subtly tart notes of cherry, along with suggestions of raspberry, cherry pit, vinous grape and sugar comprise much of the initial flavour profile. It then takes a sharp turn in the latter half, as notes of oaked wood, vanilla, grassy hops and herbs lead into a funky, vinegar/acidic finish that precede a drying, astringent aftertaste. Almost no sign of the 8.5% alcohol - if this came in a bigger bottle, I'd call it dangerous. Medium in body, with aggressive carbonation levels like I'd expect from a bottle-conditioned Belgian beer - it feels very prickly on the tongue, but not in an overly harsh or distracting way.

Final Grade: 4.25, an A-. De Leite's Cuvée Soeur'ise is a delightful Belgian-style soured ale. The cherry flavours are not as dominant as the aroma might have first suggested - but I don't consider this to be a negative, because it allows the subtle complexities of the oak, the acidity and the herbs to come through more clearly. Excellent stuff with wonderful balance; all sour beer fans should consider this one well worth looking for.

Dec 08, 2015

Phyl21ca from Canada (QC)

4.21/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottle: Poured a deep bright red color ale with a huge pink foamy head with good retention and light lacing. Aroma of fresh cherry notes is quite powerful. Taste is also totally dominated by fresh cherry notes with light sugary notes and light tart notes are also noticeable. Body is full with limited filtration and good carbonation. I really enjoy this fruit beer which is very refreshing and doesn’t end up tasting like fruit syrup.

Oct 25, 2015

mick303 from Canada (ON)

4.15/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottle from the LCBO. Poured a deep crimson with a fluffy pinkish head, showing good retention and lacing. Beer itself is quite hazy.

S - Aromas of tart cherries, hay, a bit of barnyard mixed in, but very clean with some nice floral and citrus hints, lemon and apple. Some oak as well, creamy (oats) with a nice balance to it.

T - big initial carbonation, with an initial sour acetic kick, coating tartness and minty cherries, and a balanced yeasty character with some balanced, but not overpowering sourness, of creamy oaky notes, and sharp acidic notes, it smooths out in the middle with some maltiness and a lingering cherry pith note towards the end. Cherries are not over dominant at all, contributing a balanced leading character that complements the flavour of this beer. Even some of the earthy hop character is present. Quite an earthy beer all around,

M - high carbonation, very effervescent, leading to more of a balanced acetic body coating through to the finish, alcohol is well balanced and quite drinkable.

A complex and tasty kreik, I enjoyed the incorporation of the cherries which did a lot to enhance the overall character of the beer, the strength is deceptive and creeps up on you. All around an excellent example, highly refreshing and complex, lots of pleasant yeast/malt integration. Well done.

Sep 26, 2015

polloenfuego from Canada (ON)

3.86/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Nice red color with a very fliuffy pinkish head that lasted quite a while before breaking and leaving some lacing behind.

S: Sour and tart cherries and some woodiness. Otherwise, pretty tame.

T: dry sour, subtle cherry, some woodiness, and a bit of a vinegar taste on the end.

M: smooth, with very fine carbonation, a dryish finish.

O: a nice beer, with a nice feel, but there is just something I can't put my finger on that kept me from truly enjoying this beer to its full potential. I would recommend it, as I think it may just be my palate today.

Sep 24, 2015

peensteen from Canada (ON)

3.95/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pours a nice red colour, 1.5 fingers of pink head, some lace. Smell is oaky and funky, vinous points, big fruit throughout, cherry and red berries, moderate acidic notes. Taste is oaky and dry out front, fruity though cherry is much more subtle than the nose indicates, berry, apple, a malty core is more evident as this warms a bit, bit of cereal-grainyness, drying finish. Light-medium carbonation, medium body, dry mouthfeel. This, while good and very quick drinking, was not quite what I expected going into this. Still a solid effort worth trying, would have liked more cherry flavour.

Sep 10, 2015

Coronaeus from Canada (ON)

3.73/5  rDev -9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Lovely dark red in colour with a quickly subsiding bubbly head. Cherry aroma with some woodiness. Very mild tartness with high carbonation. Alcohol is imperceptible despite the listed 8.5% ABV. Good stuff and better as it warms, but certainly not at the pinnacle of the style.

Sep 09, 2015

taxandbeerguy from Canada (ON)

4.09/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330 ml bottle served cold and poured into a wine glass. Purchased from the LCBO for $4.35 CDN.

Appearance - pours a hazy dark cherry coloured beer. Small amount of pinkish head rests on top and dissipates quickly. Looks like what you'd expect from a fruit beer.

Smell - sour and tart cherries of course, a refined underlying woodiness from the oak- aging. Not a lot else but there's something rather refined about the aroma, a half notch above some of the other sours out there.

Taste - rather tart, but restrained, champagne esque in its execution and the slow cherry and vinous tartness is profound, yet never exceeds an intensity threshold.a little vinegary and salty too, rather complex. Alcohol is imperceptible, if the label read 4% ABV, I would believe it.

Mouthfeel - smooth and well carbonated, with a dry, but not too- dry finish.

Overall - a very good and quite tasty sour. The flavours didn't open up as much as I was hoping for but quite refined and delicious in the execution. Wouldn't purchase again for the price, but definitely good. Gets better as it warms and after multiple sips.

Sep 05, 2015

kevinlater from Canada (ON)

3.71/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

330ml bottle into snifter. "17FEBR2017" on the cap. consumed september 4, 2015

a: man i love this look. super murky raspberry red with pink head. incredible

s: jammy cherry & strawberry with strong funky woody oak notes

t: quite dry in comparison to the nose. tart and dry barrel notes first, then come the mild cherry and strawberry flavours

m: medium-minus with carbonation that's a bit too bubbly/airy. also, it's not as sour as i was hoping

o: didn't quite meet my expectations but still not bad

Sep 05, 2015

EricVonStein from Canada (ON)

4.01/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Luscious plum red colour with blush colours on the edges of the glass where light passes through more easily. Totally cloudy. One finger of lively head completely pink like a rose, fades quickly.

Nose is super sour fermented cherry, like cherry pie filling. The initial sour note is so sharp its almost like when pork goes rotten.

Super dry sour note off the top, cherry is far more subdued than in the nose but present in the back. Still the tart sour lemon/rotten fruits dominates - you know there are crazy bugs at work here. Finishes warm and with bitter wine grape skin lingering in the back of the mouth. Pretty wild.

Bright carbonation and light on the tongue like a sparkling wine, dry like a white wine or rose but less oily.

Overall the wicked play between the sharp yet fruity nose and the punchy sour yet faintly cherry sweet taste works well. Definitely will perk up your buds and maybe pucker a lip or two. Nice sour profile keeps this refreshing and drinkable, where some krieks Ive had are dominated by an artificial sweet cherry juice taste. Im still new to this style but this is the first kriek Id say I really enjoyed.

edit: when pouring the second half of the bottle out I gave it a good swirl to pick up all the bright red sediment on the bottom of the bottle. This added more cherry flavour and slightly more sugar sweetness to the taste.

Aug 31, 2015

biegaman from Canada (ON)

4.2/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Cherries make up only 25% of the beer but 100% of its appearance. Nevermind a rosy blush - this is a dense, considerably dark red that allows no clarity. Its head, on the other hand, is a "It's A Girl!" shade of pink and decorates the glass accordingly. I don't know that I've ever had a beer with pink foam that I've disliked. Indeed, it looks like Cuvee Soeur'ise and I are going to get along just fine...

Make that great. This aroma has all the sour bacterial funkiness I was hoping for. It also impressively manages to hold on to at least some of its ripe cherry fruit flavour, though it's plainly apparent not even a drop of syrup or juice concentrate ever touched the batch. However, herbs (unspecified) were added and certainly lend some extra aromatics, a difficult to define spicy/savory quality.

I'd love to see the reaction on the face of someone expecting a candy-coated, commercial fruit beer. There will definitely not be any "it tastes like cough syrup" complaints here, unless you're talking about the kind that burns going down. Astonishingly sugar is found on the ingredients list - imagine how sour this would be without it? The oak aging also adds a further drying effect on the mouthfeel.

Minty cherries are easily appreciated. But the prominence of tangy, acidic tartness make lemon the first flavour to come to mind. Reduced to overly simple terms this drinks something like a cherry lemonade, although if you bought this from some kids on the corner you'd wonder what the hell they added to it. Put under a microscope I wouldn't be surprised to see plenty of little critters swimming around...

Which means one thing: Cuvee Soeur'ise is a well-executed sour. Crazy though it sounds, the subtlety of the fruit, the prominence of tartness, and the overarching funkiness are exactly the qualities you want from a beer like this. The further facts that some cherry flavour held up, the carbonation sparkles, the tangyness tickles and the 8.5% alcohol apparently never made it to bottling are all big pluses too.

Aug 29, 2015

DaveBar from Canada (ON)

4.31/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Purchased at the LCBO for $4.35 for a 330ml bottle. Served at 8deg C in a tulip.

A- Opens well and pours a 1" high slightly red head that lasts for 4-5mins before film out. Dark red color and unfiltered

S- Cherries and malt.

T- Very fruity and fresh. Light flavors and rather mild. All around nothing sticks out at you but it is an excellent well rounded brew.

M- Dry and tart

O- Very tasty and refreshing. No heat so watch out. Glad I have a couple more for the cellar as this one should go well with many different dishes

Food Pairing

This nice little brew went very well with...... Caribbean oxtail stew. The heavy curry, oil and tomato still got cut through by this nice brew.

Aug 22, 2015

BeerAdvocate from Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

From BeerAdvocate Magazine #89 (June 2014):

Oak, Fruit, Tart, Warming

All fruit beers should be serious, bold and be able to dominate your palate. If not then, things can get boring real quick. Not one moment sipping Cuvée Soeur´Ise are we tapping out fingers on the table. Superb oak aging, perfect level of lactic acidity, and the cherry is there but a bit subtle. Epic.

STYLE: Tripel Kriek | ABV: 8.5% | AVAILABILITY: Year-round

Jul 07, 2015