THK - Tripel Honey Kriek (collaboration with The Bruery)
De Proefbrouwerij

i wanted to like this so much more than i did, and now i am kicking myself for not just buying one when it came out, and waiting this long, it definitely seems tired and faded, despite being a brew on paper that should hold up. its super murky and pink in color, dense but with some head. i get honey on the nose, tart pie cherries, a little bacterial sourness too, some generic belgian yeast esters in here like bubblegum and pear, and a lot of soupy wheaty grain on the base of this, but its not very cohesive or refined to me, and the booze pushes right through all of it too. the flavor is cherry forward, quite sweet but not obviously honey as i had hoped, and without the level of refinement i wanted from these breweries, just messy to me, and while it does taste good, better and better as it warms, its not at all what i was hoping for. the kriek in the name just seems to mean cherries, no real lambic element present at all despite some tartness from the fruit. i am wondering if this was ever objectively any better than it is now, or if this just is what it always way. a little pricey for how its drinking now, still fun, i mean, i love these breweries, but it did not at all live up to the high expectations i had for it. sweet and boozy, weighty and full of sediment, interesting but not great overall...

Murky brown with a small tan colored head. Might have should let this settle first.

Smell is lots of pollen and cherries. Slightly sour with some vanilla and dark dried fruit scents. Smells something like a cherry bran muffin.

Starts out sour like a sour cherry. Mildly sour like a granny smith apple. Little bit of vanilla taste. That is kind of it, a sour Sour Cherry juice taste. Alcohol completely hidden.

Mouthfeel is average.

Overall a one dimensional beer. It is sour cherry flavor.

 

On tap arc DCBC.
Grainy malt aroma followed by cherry and honey. Just as billed.
Sour cherry and a surprisingly hoppy finish - grassy hops.
Sweetish start to a dry finish.
Some citrus like acidity.
Pretty good, glad to have tried this unique collaboration.

 

 

 

 

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a hazy pumpking orange with a fine, one finger light khaki head with great retention and thick lacing. Aroma of grainy malt, light stone fruit, cherry, apple and clove. Flavor is grainy malt, tart cherry, honey flavor with mild sweetness, lemon and mixed citrus. Finishes with tart sour cherries and lingering honey. Medium bodied with nice moderate creaminess and fine mouth feel. An unusual hybrid of sour cherry kriek and tripel, both mildly sweet and tart, as advertised. The sweet/tart flavors are well handled even for this sour averse palate, but they dominate the tripel portion, although the base malt is classic tripel. I was a little shy of this one because of the sour cherries, but it is quite flavorful with genuine cherry flavor that I expect from the kriek style. A very interesting mixed style that is true to Belgian ale and fruit forward krieks. Enjoyable.